Iraq seeks Saudi, Syrian ties as it faces pressure to rein in Iran-backed militias - analysis

Iraq is reaching out to Saudi Arabia and Syria to resolve a crisis over Iranian-backed militias. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi pushes a law to put militia arms under state control by September, facing opposition from the Badr Organization and IRGC pressure. A security delegation visited Riyadh amid drone attack tensions, while judicial talks with Damascus focused on ISIS detainees.

Iraq is seeking to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia and Syria as it faces a domestic crisis over Iranian-backed militias. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who also serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, is pushing a new law to place militia arms under state control by the end of September. However, the powerful Badr Organization is reportedly trying to prevent this move. The IRGC Quds Force head Esmail Qaani visited Iraq this week to pressure Baghdad not to disarm the militias. A high-level Iraqi security delegation, led by Abdul-Amir al-Shammari, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday to discuss security files. This visit comes after drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities that Riyadh said originated from Iraq, a claim Baghdad denied. The Saudi defense ministry framed its response as deterring 'reprehensible drone attacks carried out against the Kingdom by Iran-backed militias in Iraq.' Additionally, the president of Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council met with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus to discuss judicial cooperation and the file of ISIS detainees transferred from northeast Syria. Iraq is also seeking to increase ties with its own Kurdistan Region, whose president, Nechirvan Barzani, warned that if Iraq does not solve the issue of the factions, it will face international and regional isolation. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which includes several Iran-aligned factions, claimed more than 750 attacks on US forces during a six-week war from February 28 to mid-April. Iraq is under pressure from Saudi Arabia, the US, and others to take concrete action against the militias, not just offer words.