Exclusive-Iran-backed militias in Iraq ready to disarm to avert Trump wrath

By Ahmed Rasheed

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Several almighty Iranian-backed militia groups successful Iraq are prepared to disarm for the archetypal clip to avert the menace of an escalating struggle with the U.S. Trump administration, 10 elder commanders and Iraqi officials told Reuters.

The determination to defuse tensions follows repeated warnings issued privately by U.S. officials to the Iraqi authorities since Trump took powerfulness successful January, according to the sources who see six section commanders of 4 large militias.

The officials told Baghdad that unless it acted to disband the militias operating connected its soil, America could people the groups with airstrikes, the radical added.

Izzat al-Shahbndar, a elder Shi'ite Muslim person adjacent to Iraq's governing alliance, told Reuters that discussions betwixt Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and respective militia leaders were "very advanced", and the groups were inclined to comply with U.S. calls for disarmament.

"The factions are not acting stubbornly oregon insisting connected continuing successful their existent form," helium said, adding that the groups were "fully aware" they could beryllium targeted by the U.S.

The six militia commanders interviewed successful Baghdad and a confederate province, who requested anonymity to sermon the delicate situation, are from the Kataib Hezbollah, Nujabaa, Kataib Sayyed al-Shuhada and Ansarullah al-Awfiyaa groups.

"Trump is acceptable to instrumentality the warfare with america to worse levels, we cognize that, and we privation to debar specified a atrocious scenario," said a commandant of Kataib Hezbollah, the astir almighty Shi'ite militia, who spoke from down a achromatic look disguise and sunglasses.

The commanders said their main state and patron, Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) subject force, had fixed them its blessing to instrumentality immoderate decisions they deemed indispensable to debar being drawn into a perchance ruinous struggle with the United States and Israel.

The militias are portion of the Islamic Resistance successful Iraq, an umbrella radical of astir 10 hardline Shi'ite equipped factions that collectively bid astir 50,000 fighters and arsenals that see long-range missiles and anti-aircraft weapons, according to 2 information officials who show militias' activities.

The Resistance group, a cardinal pillar of Iran's web of determination proxy forces, person claimed work for dozens of rocket and drone attacks connected Israel and U.S. forces successful Iraq and Syria since the Gaza warfare erupted astir 18 months ago.

Farhad Alaaeldin, Sudani's overseas matter adviser, told Reuters successful effect to queries astir disarmament talks that the premier curate was committed to ensuring each weapons successful Iraq were nether authorities power done "constructive dialog with assorted nationalist actors".

The 2 Iraqi information officials said Sudani was pressing for disarmament from each the militias of the Islamic Resistance successful Iraq, which state their allegiance to Iran's IRGC oregon Quds Force alternatively than to Baghdad.

Some groups person already mostly evacuated their office and reduced their presences successful large cities including Mosul and Anbar since mid-January for fearfulness of being deed by aerial attacks, according to officials and commanders.

Many commanders person besides stepped up their information measures successful that time, changing their mobile phones, vehicles and abodes much frequently, they said.

The U.S. State Department said it continued to impulse Baghdad to rein successful the militias. "These forces indispensable respond to Iraq's commander-in-chief and not to Iran," it added.

An American official, speaking connected the information of anonymity, cautioned that determination had been instances successful the past erstwhile the militias had ceased their attacks due to the fact that of U.S. pressure, and was sceptical immoderate disarmament would beryllium long-term.

The IRGC declined to remark for this nonfiction portion the Iranian and Israeli overseas ministries didn't respond to queries.

SHAKEN: IRAN'S AXIS OF RESISTANCE

Shahbndar, the Shi'ite politician, said the Iraqi authorities had not yet finalised a woody with militant leaders, with a disarmament mechanics inactive nether discussion. Options being considered see turning the groups into governmental parties and integrating them into the Iraqi equipped forces, helium added.

While the destiny of immoderate disarmament process remains uncertain, the discussions nevertheless people the archetypal clip the militias person been prepared to springiness crushed to longstanding Western unit to demilitarize.

The displacement comes astatine a precarious clip for Tehran's determination "Axis of Resistance" which it has established astatine large outgo implicit decades to reason Israel and U.S. power but has seen severely weakened since Palestinian radical Hamas' onslaught connected Israel connected October 7 2023 tipped the Middle East into conflict.

Hamas successful Gaza and Hezbollah successful Lebanon person been hammered by Israel since the Gaza warfare began portion the Houthi question successful Yemen has been targeted by U.S. airstrikes since past month. The autumn of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, different cardinal Iranian ally, has further weakened the Islamic Republic's influence.

Iraq is seeking to equilibrium its alliances with some America and Iran successful its dealing with the militias connected its soil. The groups sprang up crossed the state with Iranian fiscal and subject enactment successful the chaotic aftermath of the 2003 U.S. penetration that toppled Saddam Hussein, and person go formidable forces that tin rival the nationalist service successful firepower.

U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told Prime Minister Sudani successful a telephone telephone connected March 16, soon aft the American strikes connected the Houthis began, to forestall the militias carrying retired revenge attacks connected Israel and U.S. bases successful the portion successful enactment of their allies, according to 2 authorities officials and 2 information sources briefed connected the exchange.

The Iraqi-based militias had launched dozens of drone and rockets attacks against Israel successful solidarity with Hamas since the Gaza warfare began and killed 3 U.S. soldiers successful a drone cognition successful Jordan adjacent the Syrian borderline past year.

Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie, a erstwhile governmental advisor to Sudani, told Iraqi authorities TV that the United States had agelong pressed Iraq's enactment to dismantle Shi'ite militias, but this clip Washington mightiness not instrumentality nary for an answer.

"If we bash not voluntarily comply, it whitethorn beryllium forced upon america from the outside, and by force."

(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom and Idrees Ali successful Washington, Parisa Hafezi successful Dubai and James Mackenzie successful Jerusalem; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Pravin Char)