Iran is ready to help Iraq bring weapons outside state control under government authority, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said Wednesday. The offer could support Baghdad’s efforts to strengthen state authority before a September deadline for armed groups.
The Kurdistan Region president said Iranian officials delivered the message during separate discussions with him. He added that Tehran repeated the position twice and asked him to communicate it directly to Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.
Barzani said Iranian officials told him that Tehran could assist if the Iraqi government requested support. Furthermore, they described the offer as an official position from Iran rather than an individual proposal.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has continued efforts to place all weapons under government control. In his parliamentary address in May, he promised security reforms focused on strengthening state authority over armed groups.
In early June, the Iraqi prime minister also ordered a committee to oversee the political and military disengagement of armed factions. The committee focuses particularly on separating political parties and armed factions from the Popular Mobilization Forces.
The PMF emerged in 2014 after Islamic State militants seized large areas across northern and western Iraq. It initially brought together about 70 predominantly Shiite armed groups and roughly 250,000 members.
Several PMF factions maintain close relationships with Iran and belong to the wider Axis of Resistance. These groups include Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, Kata’ib Hezbollah, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada.
At the same time, some factions have expressed willingness to follow Baghdad’s weapons-control initiative. Other factions continue to cite the presence of foreign military forces as a reason for their position.
Baghdad has set September 30 as the deadline for bringing armed groups’ weapons under state authority. The prime minister’s spokesperson previously described the deadline as fixed and irreversible.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi recently instructed Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee to draft legislation on weapons control. The proposed law would strengthen government authority over weapons and reinforce the country’s security institutions.
The latest developments come amid heightened regional tensions and preparations for the US-led coalition’s withdrawal. Consequently, Baghdad faces pressure to maintain internal security while managing competing regional interests.
Iran’s reported offer could therefore influence negotiations with armed factions and shape Baghdad’s broader security strategy. However, its practical impact will depend on government requests, factional cooperation, and the implementation of new legislation.
For now, Baghdad appears focused on institutional measures that could consolidate weapons control under state authority. Meanwhile, Tehran’s reported willingness to assist adds another important regional dimension to the process.