Shafaq News– Washington/ Baghdad

The United States warned on Saturday that members of “Iran-backed militias” who reject Iraqi calls for disarmament should not participate in Iraq’s next government.

In an exclusive statement to Shafaq News, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Baghdad explained that such groups “undermine Iraq’s sovereignty, threaten Americans and Iraqis, and pilfer Iraq's resources for the benefit of Iran.”

Read more: US strategy 2026: Containment or military strike for Iraqi armed factions

The position followed a US warning on Friday that incorporating Iran-aligned “terrorist militias” into the next government would damage relations with Washington.

The United States has repeatedly called for the full dismantling of all armed factions operating independently in Iraq, stressing that any disarmament must be irreversible, conducted under a binding national framework, and exclude armed groups from government participation.

Read more: Iraq’s armed factions and the disarmament debate: Why unity masks deep divisions

For Shafaq News, Mostafa Hashem, Washington D.C.