Iraq seeks balance between disarmament and stability, National Security Adviser says
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq is using its ties with both Iran and the United States to help reduce regional tensions while pursuing a gradual state-led effort to limit weapons outside state control, Iraqi National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji said Tuesday.
Speaking during a virtual session hosted by the Atlantic Council, Al-Araji said Baghdad rejects the use of Iraqi territory for attacks against any country and is working to position itself as a channel for dialogue rather than a battleground for regional and international conflict.
He described institutional reform and security restructuring as long-term national priorities, stressing that the issue of restricting weapons requires “careful balance” between enforcing the law and preventing internal instability.
Al-Araji pointed to two government frameworks guiding the process: Iraq’s “Iraq First” National Security Strategy for 2025–2030 and the Security Sector Reform Strategy for 2024–2032, both aimed at building a unified professional security apparatus under civilian authority and ensuring a single military decision-making structure.
He indicated that the issue of state control over weapons will play a major role in the formation of Iraq’s next government, arguing that stronger international partnerships depend on the existence of a state capable of monopolizing armed force and enforcing the rule of law.
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Al-Araji also defended the historical role of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), saying the group emerged during Iraq’s fight against ISIS after the collapse of state institutions in 2014 and contributed alongside Iraqi security forces to retaking territory from the militant group. However, he noted that the defeat of ISIS in 2017 exposed a more complex challenge for the Iraqi state: transitioning from an emergency wartime structure toward full state control over security and weapons.
