KTFA

FRANK26: THE STATE OF LAW IS IN A STATE OF DESPERATION"........F26

Despite US opposition, a parliamentary move is underway to break the framework's trend and advance the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law.

8/7/2025

Iraqi parliament member Hassan al-Asadi revealed on Thursday that there is a move to pass the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law after the Arbaeen pilgrimage, despite official US objections and a call by leaders within the Coordination Framework to postpone it until the next parliamentary session.

Al-Asadi told Shafaq News Agency, "The Popular Mobilization Forces Law has completed its first and second readings in Parliament. It aims to organize the administrative structure of the institution, and is expected to be included on the agenda for a vote after the Arbaeen pilgrimage."

He added, "We categorically reject any foreign interference in the legislative process, whether by the United States or others, including laws pertaining to the Popular Mobilization Forces, which is an official government military institution subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces."

Al-Asadi, a member of the National Approach bloc within the Coordination Framework, explained that "there is another law concerning service and retirement in the Popular Mobilization Forces, which has been returned to the Council of Ministers for amendment, and has not yet reached the House of Representatives." He explained that "the delay in the vote is not related to the Popular Mobilization Forces itself, but rather to internal political disputes that have no connection to the institution."

He pointed out that "there is an intention to vote on the law when it is enacted."

Obstacles to passing the new amendments to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law are mounting, amid deep internal divisions and declared US rejection, prompting the law to be postponed to the next parliamentary session.

An informed political source revealed to Shafaq News Agency that the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law, which was scheduled to be voted on during the current parliamentary session, will be postponed due to ongoing disagreements among political forces, particularly within the Shiite component, regarding the PMF's structure and future role.

The source explained that "the current version of the law aims to integrate the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) as an integral part of the official military establishment, with a military leadership that is hierarchically aligned, a position rejected by some influential parties within the PMF." He added that "political consensus has not yet been achieved, and the principle of mutual benefit and gains may be used to advance the law later."

This stance comes hours after the US State Department confirmed that Washington opposes legislation in Iraq that would "transform it into a state subservient to Iran," threatening to impose sanctions on financial entities linked to armed groups.

US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told Shafaq News Agency that Washington "supports true Iraqi sovereignty, not legislation that would turn Iraq into a state subservient to Iran." She noted that any law that undermines official security institutions "contradicts the goals of bilateral security assistance between the two countries," referring to the Popular Mobilization Forces law.

It also threatened to impose sanctions, saying that Washington "will continue to take appropriate action against financial institutions that provide services to designated terrorist groups."

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were established in Iraq in mid-2014 under the "sufficiency jihad" fatwa issued by the country's top Shiite authority, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, following the fall of Mosul to ISIS. Thousands of fighters from armed factions, some of which were active before the fatwa, participated in its formation. Its primary role at the time was to repel the extremist group's rapid advance across large areas of northern and western Iraq.

In November 2016, the Iraqi parliament voted on a law legalizing the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) as a security institution within the armed forces. However, the law lacked clear organizational details, opening the door to repeated calls for its legal restructuring and reformulation.

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