ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi parliamentary blocs close to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) on Wednesday slammed a recent US statement disapproving of the controversial PMF bill, calling on the parliament to pass the legislation in an emergency session.
In a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Tuesday, US State Secretary Marco Rubio reiterated Washington’s “serious” concerns with attempts to pass a controversial bill relating to the PMF in the Iraqi parliament. “Any such legislation would institutionalize Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq’s sovereignty,” Rubio told the prime minister.
Sudani defended the contentious bill, saying it falls within the framework of Baghdad’s security reform process, and noted that the PMF is “an official Iraqi military institution operating under the authority of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”
Hussain Mouanes, head of the Al-Huqooq parliamentary bloc that is backed by the PMF's Kataib Hezbollah, on Wednesday said that the US recommendations only apply to “Iraq’s illegitimate children. As for its free people, they have their say in the face of this diplomatic ugliness, and the appropriate response to this transgression is to proceed with the approval of the Popular Mobilization Commission Law."
A proposed bill approved by the Council of Ministers in February includes the Service and Retirement Law for the PMF and aims to organize the Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC) similarly to other state security and military agencies.
The PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi, was formed upon a call by Iraq’s top Shiite authority Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani soon after the Islamic State (ISIS) took over large swathes of territory in Iraq. The force has been officially incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces, enjoying similar privileges as the Iraqi army.
“We support a prosperous Iraq, free of Iran’s pernicious influence,” wrote Rubio in a post on X detailing his call with Sudani.
Hours after the phone call, the Sadiqoun parliamentary bloc, the political wing of Iran-aligned Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, led by Qais al-Khazali, called on the Iraqi parliament's presidency to include the bill in the parliament’s agenda for “immediate voting” in an emergency meeting.
“Any delay in passing the law is a denial of the sacrifices of the mujahideen who protected Iraq from terrorism,” said the bloc, demanding that an emergency parliamentary session be held to vote on the bill “without delay.”
In March, US President Donald Trump addressed a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pressing Tehran for talks over the nuclear issue. The letter reportedly also included a direct request to dissolve armed groups in Iraq, specifically the PMF.
The US has long nursed hostility against PMF groups due to their close ties with Iran, Washington's regional adversary.
Groups affiliated with the PMF have time and again been accused of targeting US interests inside Iraq, especially after the US assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qasem Soleimani in January 2020 in Baghdad.