Saraya Awliya Al-Dam urges review of US deals after strikes on Iraq
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Saraya Awliya Al-Dam, an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed faction within the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), on Wednesday urged Baghdad to review all agreements with the United States, expel the Saudi ambassador, and sever diplomatic and economic ties with Riyadh following the US-Saudi strikes on Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) sites.
In a statement, the group insisted Iraq’s sovereignty and the lives of its citizens “are not subject to negotiation or bargaining,” calling on the government to cancel its planned official visit to Saudi Arabia and respond in proportion to the scale of the strikes. It warned that if the government failed to act, Iraqis should demand that weapons be placed “in the hands of the resistance” rather than remain under state control.
Saraya Awliya Al-Dam had previously rejected reports linking it to recent attacks targeting Erbil and Kuwait as “false and unsupported by any evidence.” Its military spokesperson, Abu Mahdi Al-Jaafari, maintained that the allegations were intended to create confusion and inflame tensions, arguing that the faction neither answers to an external party nor serves as a front for another group.
Earlier today, Harakat Al-Nujaba, one of Iraq’s most hardline Iran-backed factions, condemned the US-Saudi assault on Iraqi cities that “proved that the two governments respect neither Iraq’s sovereignty nor any prior commitments,” pressing Baghdad to expel US forces and cut all ties with Saudi Arabia.
About the strikes
Saudi Arabia and US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the operation responded to drone attacks on US forces and Saudi energy facilities attributed to Iran-linked factions operating from Iraqi territory. CENTCOM added that US and Saudi aircraft struck weapons depots and logistics sites in eastern Iraq.
Abdullah Al-Numi, a member of the political bureau of Yemen’s Houthi movement (Ansarallah), rejected that account, telling Shafaq News his group, not the PMF, a state-sanctioned umbrella of predominantly Shiite armed factions, had carried out the earlier attacks on Saudi Arabia. Ansarallah, he noted, had publicly claimed responsibility for operations targeting the Saudi cities of Yanbu and Jizan, accusing Riyadh of blaming Iraqi factions for attacks they did not conduct.
Read more: Exclusive: Houthis claim Saudi attacks, offer PMF cooperation
US President Donald Trump stated that the strikes had been coordinated with the Iraqi government. Speaking to Fox News, he called Iran-backed armed groups “a cancer on the world” and signaled that further action against Iranian allies remained under consideration.
The PMF reported that the strikes on its headquarters across seven provinces killed at least 20 members and wounded 32 others. Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Ali Al-Zaidi ordered an emergency meeting of the Ministerial Council for National Security, while the government has yet to publicly condemn the operation.
