Shafaq News- Baghdad
Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed faction, on Saturday rejected any move to concentrate Iraq’s top political posts within a single bloc, as political forces remain deadlocked over selecting the next prime minister.
In a statement, the group’s security official, Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, outlined four political and security positions, stressing that “it is not acceptable for one group to monopolize the four presidencies.” He indicated that if allies within the Coordination Framework —a coalition of Shiite parties aligned with Iran, that forms the largest bloc in parliament— fail to secure the nomination of either State of Law Coalition (SLC) leader Nouri al-Maliki or caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, priority would shift to selecting a candidate from their respective blocs.
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Iraq’s parliament elected Nizar Amedi as president on April 11, triggering the constitutional timeline for naming a prime minister. However, the Coordination Framework has yet to agree on a nominee, with a planned meeting to resolve the impasse postponed to Monday, according to a political source.
He further referred to an understanding with an Iraqi mediator regarding the US Embassy in Baghdad, stating that its security and the safety of its personnel depend on avoiding attacks on residential areas across Iraqi provinces. The group, in his words, intends to dismantle what it described as “occupation-linked” security and military institutions, disarm them within cities, and end their influence in state ministries and security and political agencies.
On Kuwait, which has recently summoned Iraq’s chargé d’affaires, Zaid Abbas Shanshul, over alleged attacks by armed groups targeting Kuwaiti territory, he warned against actions that could harm “segments of the people” amid the US-Israeli confrontation with Iran.
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Al-Assaf also said Lebanon’s Hezbollah had established “a new rule in asymmetric warfare” that forced the “American-Zionist enemy” to accept the agreement, describing the outcome as “a clear victory” despite external pressure and internal complexities. He called for stronger coordination among “resistance” factions and other actors, alongside opening new fronts to deter the United States and Israel.