Shafaq News- Washington

The US backs Iraq's efforts to place all weapons under state control, a senior White House official told Shafaq News on Friday, describing the move as central to the country's stability and future.

“The U.S. stands with Iraqi efforts to fully realize their potential as a force for stability, prosperity and security in the Middle East,” he added, warning that Iranian influence could still undermine Baghdad’s ability to pursue its national interests.

Earlier this week, Iraqi security officials set out the first practical steps toward integrating armed factions into the state's security framework, beginning with the transfer of facilities and weapons belonging to Saraya al-Salam, the armed wing of Muqtada al-Sadr's Patriotic Shiite Movement.

The move is part of a broader government drive to consolidate weapons under state authority, backed by the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), which recently endorsed Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's plans to restructure relations between armed groups and the state.

Both Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Imam Ali have previously introduced measures aimed at reorganizing their forces and aligning them with the government's weapons-control initiative. Harakat al-Nujaba (HAN), Kataib Hezbollah and Ashab al-Kahf, however, have rejected any calls for disengagement.

Read more: How the US pushed Iraq's armed factions toward disarmament, and who is still pushing back