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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), an umbrella group of pro-Iran armed factions, reiterated its support for Tehran on Saturday, accusing the United States of repeatedly violating Iraqi airspace and breaching agreements with Baghdad, raising further questions over efforts to bring the factions' weapons under state control.
The group expressed support for Iran against US-Israeli attacks, describing the strikes as aggression and portraying its backing for Tehran as a moral obligation.
The IRI also accused the Iraqi government of yielding to US “dictates and pressure” in closing airports and border crossings with Iran, arguing that such decisions undermined Iraqi sovereignty and independent decision-making.
“Talk of achieving full ‘national sovereignty,’ while violations persist and independent national decision-making continues to be undermined, has become an affront to the dignity and free will of our people,” the group said.
The statement comes amid disagreements between Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's government and powerful Iran-backed factions over disarmament initially scheduled to coincide with the withdrawal of the US-led coalition at the end of September. Several factions have refused to commit to the government's timetable, arguing that Iraqi sovereignty must first be fully secured.
The IRI claimed it had documented 171 violations of Iraqi airspace by American fighter and reconnaissance aircraft between September 30 and October 23.
“This constitutes a blatant violation of the agreements reached and the obligations arising from them, as well as a clear breach of the duties imposed on all parties,” the group said, urging the Iraqi government to inform the public about the alleged violations.
The United States and its partners in the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) formally ended their military mission in Iraq on September 30, concluding a 12-year campaign and shifting bilateral security cooperation to a new framework.
The withdrawal was initially expected to coincide with a government effort to bring the weapons of armed factions under state authority. However, Zaidi subsequently extended the deadline to June 30, 2027, following disagreements with several powerful groups.
The IRI has previously rejected claims that its members reached a binding disarmament agreement with Baghdad. On September 30, its spokesperson Jaafar al-Husseini said the groups were not bound by any government timetable, arguing that the government had yet to respond to their proposals.
The factions remain divided over the process. Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada have publicly expressed willingness to cooperate with the government's weapons-control measures, while Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba have continued to reject disarmament.
On Wednesday, Harakat al-Nujaba military official Abdul Qader al-Karbalai reaffirmed the group's refusal to surrender its weapons, saying its position had not changed.
Kataib Hezbollah has also disputed suggestions that a final agreement has been reached, arguing that talks with the government remain unresolved.
The government's effort to disarm the factions has faced growing pressure from Washington. On Tuesday, a US State Department spokesperson told Rudaw that Washington expected Zaidi to fulfill commitments made during his mid-July meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, including preventing attacks “in and from” Iraqi territory.
On Friday, Zaidi reiterated that his government remained committed to completing the disarmament process by June 30, 2027.
“By June 30, 2027, no weapons will remain outside the framework of the state,” the premier said in an interview with the state-run Iraqi Media Network, adding that Iraq would become a country where weapons are held exclusively by official security forces.
He said the government had reached understandings with five armed factions, completing arrangements with three while continuing work with the remaining two.
Baghdad has also warned of legal measures against efforts to obstruct the disarmament process. On October 19, the government directed state institutions to pursue criminal complaints against individuals who incite violence, support weapons outside state control or obstruct decisions to bring arms under government authority.
The government cited Iraq's counterterrorism and penal laws, warning that those involved in certain offenses could face severe penalties, including those applicable to perpetrators of terrorist acts.
