Ibrahim al-Dulaimi, legal advisor to Iraq’s parliament speaker, told Rudaw that the decision was made during the latest meeting of the pro-Iran and Shiite-led Coordination Framework after “very serious” threats from Washington that had “the ability to paralyze Iraq through economic means alone.”
“In the latest meeting of the Coordination Framework, [Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-] Sudani told the Framework members that ‘if we don’t withdraw the PMF bill, we will face severe American sanctions and Iraq will be destroyed,’” Dulaimi said.
Washington had expressed major caution about a bill that sought to organize the Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC) - a government board created to bring the PMF under state control. The bill, which has divided lawmakers, aimed to regulate the PMF’s structure, salaries, and retirement benefits, a politically sensitive issue given the PMF’s central role in Iraq’s security framework and the political influence it wields.
Although the PMF was officially incorporated into the Iraqi security apparatus and granted formal legal status by parliament in 2016, many of its factions still operate independently, with impunity, and reportedly maintain strong ties to Iran.
Some of the factions have been involved in attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria and remain openly hostile to Washington.
Mahdi al-Kaabi, a member of the pro-Iran Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba’s political bureau - a PMF component – told Rudaw that the bill was withdrawn “due to the intense and continuous pressure from the US.”
“Our lawmakers will continue their efforts, but until a political agreement is reached among the majority of parties in the legislature, it will be difficult to pass the bill,” Kaabi noted.
The PMF was formed in 2014 after revered Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a call to arms in response to the Islamic State’s (ISIS) rapid territorial gains. It is composed of various armed factions, including groups designated as terrorist organizations by Washington.
Iran is believed to have many proxy groups in Iraq, which it has used in the past to target US interests in the region. Washington has taken several measures to ensure that Baghdad is free of Tehran’s influence, including the termination of a waiver which had allowed Iraq to buy Iranian electricity for years.
Malih Mohammed contributed to this report.