Barsam Mohammadi – Regional Affairs Expert
Under the shadow of the new policies and actions of the U.S. government in the region, where its military and terrorist dimensions have become more pronounced, the likelihood of unexpected and anti-security events in Iraq—which holds a highly significant geopolitical, geostrategic, and geo-economic position in the security, political, and energy equations of West Asia and has been one of the main battlegrounds for national struggle and popular resistance against terrorism in recent years—is greater than ever.

The U.S. government, in a joint agenda with the Zionist regime, has turned its attention to Iraq after Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon, and through various means, including under slogans such as enforcing state authority and ensuring the country’s stability, seeks to disarm the Iraqi resistance, particularly the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The U.S. has even threatened to take action itself if the Iraqi government fails to act.

Disarming the Iraqi resistance is part of a broader regional project with an American-Zionist nature, within which Iraq—as one of the leading centers of resistance and anti-American and anti-Zionist discourse in the region, and which has played an effective role in neutralizing American and Zionist strategies not only within Iraq but across the region in recent years—is weakened, paving the way for the formation of the so-called “New Middle East.”

In recent weeks, the U.S. and the Zionist regime have taken significant steps to advance their new conspiracy in Iraq. For example, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve have notified Iraq’s Rafidain Bank, which is responsible for paying the salaries of the PMF, that it must halt payments to the approximately 200,000 PMF personnel under the framework of sanctions. The U.S. believes that by doing so, it can fuel street protests and security unrest, thereby weakening the PMF’s popular base. It is pressuring the grassroots resistance to dissolve the PMF as an independent and cohesive force within the Iraqi army.

The suspension or delayed payment of PMF salaries follows Rafidain Bank’s halt to the transfer of operational funds for fuel, equipment, and other supplies last month, which were also processed through this bank.

This disruption and pressure against the Iraqi resistance is, in fact, part of the U.S. campaign against the PMF, which has been ongoing in recent months and is part of Washington and Tel Aviv’s broader project against the Axis of Resistance, which is simultaneously unfolding in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria.

Other measures in this regard include political and diplomatic pressure on the Iraqi government and certain political factions to disarm the resistance, as well as intensified media attacks against the PMF, portraying it as a force undermining security and stability.

The efforts of the U.S. government and the Zionist regime to disarm the Iraqi resistance come even though the PMF has played a highly effective role in countering ISIS, terrorism, and the separatist agendas of the Zionist regime and the U.S. in Iraq. This stance directly contradicts U.S. policies and strategies in the country.

Beyond its strong track record in combating terrorism, separatist movements, and instability in Iraq, the PMF also bears a crucial mission and responsibility in defending the country’s security and national interests. In many cases, it has largely shielded the Iraqi government from direct confrontation with internal and external threats. From this perspective, disarming the resistance would create a security vacuum, increasing the likelihood of attacks by the Zionist regime, the U.S., and terrorist elements within Iraq.

While the U.S. and the Zionist regime have unprecedentedly escalated military actions and the stockpiling of strategic weapons in the region—even carrying out a military strike against Iran—laying down arms by the Iraqi resistance would undoubtedly plunge the country into a new phase of foreign attacks and internal chaos, from which recovery would not be easy.

Moreover, amid various reports of the CIA and Mossad reactivating dormant and semi-active ISIS cells in Iraq, the laying down of arms by resistance groups in Iraq—for any reason or justification—would be a miscalculation and a dangerous move, requiring vigilance from all political factions. The attempts by some to portray the Iraqi resistance as an Iranian issue do not reflect a realistic assessment of the situation in the region and Iraq.

The Iraqi resistance is an independent structure operating within the framework of Iraq’s national interests and security. Therefore, its elimination would first and foremost harm Iraq and its security and stability.

The current situation in the region, particularly in Iraq—which is one of the main battlegrounds against the expansionist ambitions of the U.S. and the Zionist regime and a significant obstacle to the so-called “Greater Middle East” plan—demands not only a firm avoidance of disarming resistance groups in Iraq but also maximum readiness to counter anti-security, anti-government, and anti-national interest conspiracies.