{"id":55265,"date":"2026-04-21T02:37:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T06:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/iran-gives-field-commanders-more-independence-over-iraqi-militias\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T02:37:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T06:37:12","slug":"iran-gives-field-commanders-more-independence-over-iraqi-militias","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/iran-gives-field-commanders-more-independence-over-iraqi-militias\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran Gives Field Commanders More Independence Over Iraqi Militias"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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BAGHDAD (AP) \u2014 Tehran has provided its military leaders with increased independence to direct militia operations in Iraq, permitting certain factions to conduct activities without central authorization, according to five officials who spoke with The Associated Press about this strategic adjustment prompted by ongoing conflicts.<\/p>

Numerous Iranian-supported militia organizations receive financing through Iraq’s national budget and are integrated into the country’s security framework, drawing condemnation from Washington and other nations that have faced attacks from these groups and argue that Baghdad has not taken sufficient action against them.<\/p>

Despite increasing pressure from Washington, Baghdad has found it challenging to control or discourage these organizations. The most extremist factions now function under Iranian advisors through a distributed command system, the five officials informed AP, all speaking anonymously to discuss sensitive intelligence matters.<\/p>

“The various forces have been granted the authority to operate according to their own field assessments without referring back to a central command,” stated one militia official who lacked authorization to speak publicly.<\/p>

The regional conflict has revealed the weakness of Iraq’s governmental institutions and their insufficient capacity to restrain these organizations. A separate confrontation between Washington and the militias has intensified the situation, with factions serving as part of Iran’s regional strategy and increasing assaults on American assets in Iraq until a fragile ceasefire agreement was established in April.<\/p>

Even with the ceasefire arrangement in place, Washington is anticipated to strengthen efforts against these organizations both militarily and politically, especially as they receive greater freedom to function independently, according to officials and analysts. On Friday, the United States implemented sanctions against seven commanders and senior officials from four extremist Iranian-backed Iraqi militia organizations.<\/p>

“The U.S. is still going to feel it has the freedom of action to hit Iraqi militias,” explained Michael Knights, head of research for Horizon Engage, a geopolitical risk consulting firm, and an adjunct fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “That may well play out into an effort to try and guide a less militia-dominated government formation.”<\/p>

Shortly after the conflict began following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, an Iranian delegation traveled to Iraq’s Kurdish region and conveyed a direct message: If militia attacks intensified near American military installations, commercial facilities and diplomatic missions, Iraqi Kurdish authorities should not contact Tehran with grievances, as there was limited action they could take.<\/p>

“They said they’ve devolved authority to regional Iranian commanders,” a senior Iraqi Kurdish government official stated anonymously, citing the matter’s sensitivity.<\/p>

Previously, Kurdish leaders in Iraq would contact Iranian officials following attacks to inquire why they had been targeted. “This time, they wanted to preempt that by saying, ‘We can’t help you with the groups in the south right now,'” the official explained.<\/p>

This change demonstrates lessons learned from the 12-day conflict in June, the official noted. Militia officials confirmed this assertion. During that conflict, operations were strictly centralized. Following its conclusion, greater independence was provided in the field.<\/p>

A representative for Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, one of the Iranian-backed militia organizations that have targeted Americans in Iraq, confirmed there was “coordination” with Iran in conducting attacks but provided no specifics.<\/p>

“Since we are allies of the Islamic Republic, we have coordination with our brothers in the Islamic Republic,” Mahdi al-Kaabi stated.<\/p>

During the recent conflict, prominent Iraqi militia commanders seemed to withdraw from the latest phase and did not appear to participate directly in operations, Knights observed. American strikes primarily eliminated mid-level commanders, according to militia officials.<\/p>

“None of the first-line leaders have been killed,” said a second militia official who was not authorized to brief reporters.<\/p>

Instead of targeting senior figures, the United States also concentrated on Iranian Revolutionary Guard advisory units, Knights said, who monitored the attacks. In one strike in Baghdad’s affluent Jadriya neighborhood, three Guard advisors were eliminated at a residence used as their headquarters during a meeting, according to the second militia official.<\/p>

At the center of government attempts to control militia organizations lies a contradiction: The factions the government claims it cannot manage are connected to political parties that brought it to power.<\/p>

The Coordination Framework, an alliance of powerful pro-Iran Shiite factions, helped establish Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as prime minister in 2022. He currently serves as interim premier during an extended political stalemate.<\/p>

Militia forces conducting attacks on American targets are not independent operators; they belong to the state’s Popular Mobilization Forces, established after Mosul’s fall in 2014 to formalize volunteer units that were essential in defeating the Islamic State.<\/p>

The PMF has developed into a formidable force that exceeds the Iraqi army, with combatants receiving government salaries and access to state resources, including weapons and intelligence. The outcome, critics argue, is a significant contradiction: Certain government-funded groups function according to Iranian objectives, even when doing so damages Iraq’s national interests.<\/p>

Al-Sudani’s office did not respond to AP’s requests for comment regarding the decentralized control of militia organizations.<\/p>

The United States is committed to reducing the influence of these groups in Iraq, the senior Iraqi Kurdish official and a Western diplomat stated, which will increase pressure on the government, still operating in interim capacity. The diplomat also spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to brief reporters.<\/p>

Last week, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States was called to Washington to receive American condemnation of attacks by Iranian-backed factions on American personnel and diplomatic missions, according to State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Bigot.<\/p>

“The Deputy Secretary affirmed that the United States will not tolerate any attacks targeting its interests and expects the Iraqi Government to take all necessary measures immediately to dismantle Iran-aligned militia groups,” Bigot stated.<\/p>

Al-Sudani has implemented limited measures to reduce militia influence, including further institutionalizing the PMF and occasionally dismissing commanders who operate outside state authority. These efforts have encountered substantial resistance from militia organizations.<\/p>

Further institutionalizing them has increased their integration within the state. The United States may attempt to separate the most extremist factions \u2014 including Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada \u2014 from others more integrated in Iraq’s political system. “The bad militias from the worse militias,” the senior Iraqi Kurdish official said.<\/p>

Harakat al-Nujaba spokesperson al-Kaabi presented a dual perspective of the organization’s position, emphasizing both its partnership with Iran and its assertion to Iraqi state legitimacy.<\/p>

“To put it bluntly, we are allies of the Islamic Republic,” he stated. He characterized the organization as part of Iran’s regional “axis” alongside Hezbollah in Lebanon and Ansar Allah in Yemen.<\/p>

Simultaneously, he maintained the organization functions within Iraq’s political framework, supporting the state and government when they serve national interests.<\/p>

“It’s true we’re not affiliated with the government or the prime minister, but we respect the law and the constitution,” he said.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tehran has granted its military leaders increased autonomy to direct militia operations in Iraq without central approval, according to officials. This strategic shift comes amid ongoing regional conflicts and growing pressure from the United States.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":55264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776753432017.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-enn","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":73392,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/iraqs-new-prime-minister-calls-for-militia-integration-into-state-forces\/","url_meta":{"origin":55265,"position":0},"title":"Iraq’s New Prime Minister Calls for Militia Integration Into State Forces","author":"Admin","date":"May 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Iraq's recently elected Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is demanding that all armed groups in the country operate under government control. 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