Iraq’s top judge warns armed groups against unilateral war amid Iran-Israel-US conflict

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council President warned on Friday that armed groups attempting to “unilaterally” declare a state of war and make military decisions could drag the country into internal and regional conflicts.

Faiq Zidan’s remarks come as a number of Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions have joined Tehran’s multifront response to the US-Israeli campaign, targeting what they claim are American assets in the country and the Kurdistan Region.

In a statement, Zidan said that “the actions of certain armed factions” in Iraq and “their attempts to unilaterally decide on matters of war and peace constitute a grave threat to state sovereignty,” adding that their “practical declaration of a state of war” through “military-natured activities is a blatant violation” of the Iraqi Constitution of 2005.

He affirmed that the right to declare war “is exclusively restricted to the legitimate constitutional authorities,” warning that such “unilateralism” by Iraqi armed groups risks “fragmenting military decision-making” and “dragging the country into internal or regional conflicts without national consensus.”

The head of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council further cautioned that “the proliferation of weapons” outside state control “increases the likelihood of armed clashes” and “exposes the state to international isolation or sanctions.”

The US and Israel on February 28 launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran. United States Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Brad Cooper said on Thursday that the operation - dubbed Operation Epic Fury - struck more than 10,000 targets across the country to “eliminate Iran’s ability to project power in meaningful ways beyond its borders.”

In response, Tehran has continued to carry out drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting alleged US assets in the region, particularly in Gulf Arab states, and has launched retaliatory attacks against Israel.

The Iranian response has also involved Iraqi armed groups aligned with the Iran-led ‘Axis of Resistance,’ including shadowy militias claiming to target alleged US assets in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

According to Rudaw tracking, these groups have carried out more than 450 strikes on alleged targets in the Region since late February, including an attack that killed six Peshmerga fighters and injured over 20 in missile strikes targeting a base in Erbil Province early Tuesday.

In Iraq, these groups have repeatedly claimed attacks on the US embassy headquarters in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, as well as Victory Base Complex near Baghdad International Airport, among other targets.

Since late February, these armed factions have carried out attacks under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq banner, though many are believed to overlap with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which comprises around 70 Shiite armed groups. The PMF was created in 2014 in response to a religious edict - fatwa - by Iraq’s highest Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, during the Islamic State (ISIS) blitz offensive that saw the group seize large parts of northern and western Iraq.

Several of these groups, however, have demonstrated closer alignment with Iran.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of Ali Khamenei, was in early March named as successor to his father, who was reportedly killed on the first day of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran on February 28.

Several leaders of Iraqi armed groups quickly welcomed Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment, pledging support to the incoming leader.

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