Saudi Arabia, Middle East neighbors pressure Iraq to rein in Iranian-backed militias
Iranian-backed militias are using Iraq as a staging ground to launch attacks against neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia, Syria, Kuwait, and Jordan.
Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Kuwait may be increasing pressure on Iraq over the weekend to rein in the Iranian-backed militia in its country.
The militias have attempted to hijack the country and use it as a springboard for attacks on Iraq’s neighbors. Over the last week of July, the militias attacked Saudi Arabia, threatened Syria, and likely also attacked Jordan.
The larger story is that Iraq is at a crossroads. The country borders Iran, and it has a large Shi’ite population that is connected to Iran in some ways. For instance, this week is the Arbaeen Shi’ite pilgrimage.
“This year’s pilgrimage comes amid a war launched by a US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, which has not left Iraq unscathed. The war erupted only weeks after Iranian authorities cracked down on widespread anti-government protests triggered by the high cost of living in a country enduring harsh US economic sanctions,” the report noted.
Smoke seen following reported missile launch from Iran toward Jordan, July 22, 2026. (credit: SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT)
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq targeted Saudi Arabia in several rounds of attacks in July. Why did they choose late July to do this? In part because Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had traveled to the US before returning to Baghdad and traveling to Iran and Turkey.
Zaidi was scheduled to go to Saudi Arabia. However, the attacks sabotaged the visit. Saudi Arabia and the US responded to the attacks with strikes across Iraq, killing Shi’ite militia members. The militias then threatened to retaliate for the strikes if Iraq did not respond.
Iraqi militias, mostly sanctioned by US, dictate Iraqi policy
This is how the militias dictate policy in Iraq. They are mostly sanctioned by the US, and include Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, and others. The largest militia is called Badr. It is the only major militia not sanctioned by the US.
Badr forms a key component of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a paramilitary group that includes many of the militias. This complex bureaucratic system enables the militias to hide behind the state after they carry out attacks.
Any attacks on the militia bases are seen as a direct attack on Iraq. As such, the militias act as a kind of Hezbollah in Iraq, but also are part of the government and security forces. This makes it hard to uproot them.
The US has pressured Iraq’s prime minister to disarm the militias as US forces are supposed to withdraw from Iraq by the end of September.
The US sent forces to Iraq in 2014 to help the country fight ISIS. If the US leaves and the militias are not disarmed, Iran will think this is a win. Iran has already carried out 1,000 attacks on the Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq. Some of the attacks were carried out by the militias.
Now it appears that Arab countries are willing to pressure Iraq to rein in the militias as well.
An Iraqi security source told Rudaw media in Iraq on Saturday that “Jordan, Kuwait, and Syria have officially informed the Iraqi government that they will respond if attacked by armed factions.”
The report added that “the Iraqi government is currently holding intensive talks with Jordan, Kuwait, and Syria. Baghdad is seeking to reassure these three countries and has pledged to do everything in its power to prevent any attacks on their territories.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Zaidi tries to mediate tensions following Iranian strikes on neighboring countries
Iraq’s prime minister said that the country would not be used to threaten others. Al-Arabiya noted that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said: “We will not allow any aggression from our lands against neighboring countries.”
This is a good message. It dials down the tension with Saudi Arabia that had grown over the last week. Instead of threatening Saudi Arabia, as Iraqi politicians had done in late July after the Saudi Arabia and US strikes, the prime minister is seeking to send the right message. However, he has not disarmed or reined in the militias. This means that more needs to be done.
Meanwhile, the “Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces emphasizes preventing any threat emanating from Iraq toward neighboring countries,” Al-Arabiya also noted.
Saudi Arabia’s Elaph media also reported that “an official Jordanian source said that the Kingdom informed Iraq that it would strike pro-Iranian militias on its territory if they attacked Jordan.”
This report said that the source had also told Al-Arabiya that “we expect Iraq to take measures to stop these militias.”
Elaph added that “the Jordanian position came a day after a Saudi official source announced on Friday that the strike carried out by the Kingdom in Iraq came after exhausting all political and diplomatic measures, and exercising the utmost restraint during the past months.
It remains to be seen if Kuwait, Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia will keep up the pressure.
