Shafaq News- Washington

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Thursday that Baghdad is moving ahead with efforts to bring armed factions' weapons under state control, with a government plan setting June 2027 as the deadline for completing the process.

Speaking to journalists at the Iraqi Embassy in Washington, Hussein said three of seven armed factions had accepted the process and begun handing over weapons to Iraqi forces. He expected other groups, including Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada, to eventually join.

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Security Ties And Regional Mediation

With the Global Coalition's mission in Iraq ended, Hussein said Baghdad would move toward direct bilateral security relations with Washington under the US-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement, while also developing bilateral security ties with other Western governments, including Britain and France.

On relations between Washington and Tehran, the foreign minister said that Iraq supports negotiations aimed at reducing tensions and resolving disputes through diplomacy rather than military action. “Baghdad remains in contact with other mediators, including Oman, Qatar and Pakistan, and is prepared to mediate directly if both sides formally request it,” he added.

Hussein also addressed the Peshmerga and disputed territories, saying the Kurdish force is constitutionally recognized within Iraq’s defense system. Federal and Peshmerga forces maintain field coordination in shared areas, including Kirkuk and Diyala, to prevent security gaps that ISIS could exploit.

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Saudi Investigation And Turkish Presence

Hussein said Iraq sent a security team to Saudi Arabia and provided preliminary findings showing that the attack on Saudi oil pipelines originated from Iraqi territory around 13 kilometers from the Iranian border. Baghdad has asked Tehran for additional information.

On Turkiye’s military presence, Hussein said that Iraqi officials discussed the Bashiqa camp and the area around Sinjar with Turkish counterparts during meetings in New York. He pointed out that the two sides had reached understandings on a Turkish withdrawal from Bashiqa within an agreed timeframe.

Iran Flights And US Sanctions

Asked by Shafaq News about US sanctions and restrictions on flights between Iraq and Iran, Hussein said he raised the issue during his visit with senior US administration officials, explaining their impact on religious travel between the two countries.

Around five million Iranians visit Iraq each year, while approximately three million Iraqis travel to the Iranian city of Mashhad, Hussein said, making restrictions on flights between Najaf and Mashhad “a sensitive religious and social issue requiring special arrangements.”

Washington has since granted Iraqi Airways a limited sanctions exemption for Iran flights through Najaf, with services due to resume in October, while the restrictions on Iranian carriers remain in effect.

Oil Routes Beyond Hormuz

The Iraqi FM said regional tensions and the risk of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz had pushed Iraq to reconsider its oil-export infrastructure. “Iraq currently exports around 3.5 million to 3.6 million barrels per day through the strait.”

“Baghdad has therefore been examining alternative pipeline routes through neighboring countries,” Hussein said, adding that Iraqi officials held extensive talks in Damascus on reviving the pipeline through Syria to the Mediterranean port of Baniyas. Iraq and Syria have already begun preparatory studies for rehabilitating the Kirkuk-Baniyas route, with Chevron involved through an international consortium.

According to Hussein, the pipeline through the Kurdistan Region to Turkiye’s Ceyhan port had recently resumed after a suspension linked to legal disputes. It is currently carrying around 200,000 barrels per day, with plans to raise volumes to 350,000 barrels per day and eventually to 700,000 as foreign oil companies restore production.

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Energy Diversification

Hussein said Iraq’s gas-import contracts with Iran date to 2013, while electricity imports had reached about 1,200 megawatts before supplies declined and faced repeated disruptions.

“Baghdad is now seeking to reduce reliance on external energy by developing associated gas and expanding regional power links.” Iraq imports electricity through Jordan, is pursuing a connection with Egypt and is discussing supplies from Turkiye, which previously reached around 600 megawatts.

Hussein added that Iraq is also working on a Gulf electricity link through Kuwait.

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