The US is ratcheting up pressure on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The goal is to try to encourage Iraq to appoint a new prime minister who might finally decide to do more to rein in the militias. Over the last decade, the militias have carried out attacks on US forces in Iraq and on the US Embassy in Baghdad and the consulate in Erbil. During the recent Iran conflict, the militias increased their attacks, carrying out almost 1,000 attacks, including strikes on Saudi Arabia.
The US-Iran talks are now tied to wider regional issues. For instance, Iran wanted a ceasefire in Lebanon. The US wants to see Iranian support for proxies ended. This is not the top US priority, but it is an emerging priority. Washington sees a chance to finally do more against the militias in Iraq. Some of the militias in Iraq have roots going back decades. For instance, the late head of Kataib Hezbollah, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was involved in attacks on embassies in Kuwait in the 1980s. Badr, one of the largest militias, emerged in the 1980s supporting Iran against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.
Today, the web of militias is deeply entwined with the Iraqi state. The militias increased in size in 2014-2015 to fight ISIS. They suddenly were able to recruit some 100,000 fighters due to a Fatwa from Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Sistani calling on young men to fight ISIS. These young men were channeled into various brigades of the Popular Mobilization Forces. The PMF included dozens of brigades, each affiliated with a militia. For instance, some were linked to Kataib Hezbollah, others to Badr, others to Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, and others to Asaib Ahl al-Haq.
After the war on ISIS, the Iraqi government was pressured to make the militias part of the state, so that they would serve as a kind of Iraqi version of Iran’s IRGC. The militias received salaries and took over various bases in the country. They had checkpoints. By 2019, they were attacking US forces using 107mm rockets and also mortars. By 2022, they were also using drones. When the US and Israel began attacks on Iran in February 2026, the militias were mobilized by Iran to carry out hundreds of attacks. Kataib Hezbollah also kidnapped American journalist Shelly Kittelson. The same group had kidnapped Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov in March 2023. She was released in September 2025.
Now the US is seeking to use some of the pressure that can be brought to bear due to Iraq’s political crisis to get the country to do more on the militia file. Iraq is seeking to appoint a new prime minister. US President Donald Trump has opposed Nouri al-Maliki, the former prime minister. Maliki is considered very close to Iran. He is unlikely to rein in the militias. There are other candidates for prime minister. One is the current prime minister, who hasn’t done anything against the militias.
The question is whether US pressure and rising anger in the Gulf over the militias might finally result in some action. This is a long road, and it is going to be difficult. The US and Israel have been unable to disarm Hamas or Hezbollah. Iraq is an even more difficult case because it borders Iran, and Tehran sees Iraq as almost a colony of Iran these days.
Source:
www.jpost.com
