Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi on Thursday said Oct. 1 is a "serious beginning" to the process of bringing all weapons under state control, setting June 30, 2027, as the deadline for completing the effort.

Al-Zaidi said the move was in line with Iraq's constitutional requirement that decisions on war and peace remain within the country's authorities, pledging to follow a clear roadmap and agreed timetable. "The government will work to fully disarm all non-Iraqi armed groups present on Iraqi territory," he added, noting that the effort would help safeguard the country's security and stability while strengthening control over its borders.

Iraq recently declared the end of the US-led Coalition's mission against ISIS, with Iraqi forces assuming full responsibility for the country's security.

Al-Zaidi also reaffirmed Iraq's commitment to preventing its territory and airspace from being used as a launchpad or transit route for any action threatening the security of neighboring countries, citing mutual respect for sovereignty, good-neighborly relations and non-interference in internal affairs as the principles guiding Iraq's position.

"We reject the use of the territory or airspace of any state for attacks against Iraq," he concluded.

Baghdad had initially tied the transfer of all weapons under state control to the Coalition mission’s scheduled end on September 30. But on September 21, Al-Zaidi outlined a phased approach, beginning with a 90-day pause in attacks by armed factions in exchange for a halt to US strikes, followed by a weapons handover to be completed by June 30, 2027.

On Wednesday, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), an umbrella grouping of Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions, said it is “not bound” by any government or political timetable or agreement for regulating its weapons, linking the process to the complete withdrawal of US, NATO and other foreign military forces from Iraq.

Read more: Iraq factions resist disarmament as coalition exit nears