Iran-backed militias in Iraq determined to retain arms after US withdrawal - interview

Dr. Ronen Zeidel, an Iraq specialist at Tel Aviv University, tells the Post that Iran-backed Iraqi militias view the US withdrawal as an 'incomplete victory' and are emboldened to resist disarmament. Baghdad postponed the disarmament deadline to June 2026, but militias say they are not bound by any timetable. The militias distinguish between small arms and strategic weapons, including long-range missiles and drones capable of striking Israel and Saudi Arabia, which they refuse to surrender. The US withdrawal has also altered the militias' psychological state, enabling pressure to pass the new Popular Mobilization Forces Law, which would formally recognize the Iranian-backed paramilitary network as a permanent national security institution.

The United States' planned withdrawal from Iraq on Wednesday has been celebrated by Iranian-backed Iraqi militias as an 'incomplete victory,' emboldening them to continue resisting disarmament, according to Dr. Ronen Zeidel, an Iraq specialist at Tel Aviv University's Moshe Dayan Center. Zeidel told the Jerusalem Post that the extension of the disarmament deadline will likely be pushed back again. Baghdad has projected a celebratory sense of 'sovereignty' despite Iranian and Houthi military elements remaining unofficially present. Iraqi militias have shared videos of themselves driving over American flags. Zeidel noted that much of Washington's remaining leverage over Baghdad comes through economic pressure, including potentially halting Federal Reserve transfers. Last Thursday, Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi pushed the original September 30 deadline for militias to disarm back to June 30. Kataeb Hezbollah spokesman Jaafar al-Husseini said his group is not bound by any timetable. Zeidel said the militias distinguish between small arms and strategic arms, including long-range missiles and drones capable of striking Israel and Saudi Arabia, which they refuse to surrender. The US withdrawal has also altered the militias' psychological state, enabling pressure to pass the new Popular Mobilization Forces Law, which would formally recognize the Iranian-backed paramilitary network as a permanent national security institution.