Iraqi armed factions effectively "disarmed" after US ultimatum

Shafaq News/ The United States has warned Iraq that any intervention by armed factions in response to US strikes against Houthis would prompt military retaliation inside Iraq, sources told Shafaq News.

The warning was personally delivered by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. Hegseth also pressed Al-Sudani to accelerate efforts to dismantle these groups, the sources said.

According to an official Iraqi statement, Al-Sudani reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensuring that the use of force remains solely “under state control.” He also pledged to protect Global Coalition advisors stationed in Iraq to “support counterterrorism efforts against ISIS.”

Political analyst Nizar Haidar, based in Washington, said Baghdad appeared to have adjusted its stance in response to US pressure, with Iraqi factions effectively “disarmed” and refraining from past rhetoric, such as calls for regional armed coordination.

“For the first time, perhaps, the official statement issued by Baghdad regarding the phone call between the US Secretary of Defense and Al-Sudani was clear in conveying the language of dictation used by the American minister, as well as the US warning to the Commander-in-Chief regarding any armed activity by the factions against US interests in the region,” Haidar said.

Hegseth told Al-Sudani that US operations in Yemen would continue unless Houthi forces ceased attacks on American personnel and shipping in the Red Sea. He stressed that Washington was not “seeking escalation,” according to sources.

Al-Sudani, in response, reaffirmed his government’s commitment to preventing escalation but did not publicly comment on whether disarmament efforts would accelerate.

The Houthis (Ansarallah), an Iran-aligned group based in Yemen, have been attacking US and Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023. They say their attacks are in “retaliation for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza,” and have vowed to disrupt maritime routes to pressure Israel and its allies. The United States has conducted strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen, citing the need to “protect global shipping lanes and deter further aggression.”