Scoop: CF presses Al-Zaidi on PMF arrests before Khamenei envoy
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq’s Coordination Framework (CF) urged Prime Minister Ali Falih Al-Zaidi to prevent a repeat of security operations targeting senior figures in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) during a meeting partly attended by Mohsen Qomi, the new representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader, an informed source told Shafaq News on Tuesday.
The meeting, held yesterday evening at the home of Islamic Supreme Council head Humam Hamoudi, brought together Al-Zaidi and senior figures from the CF, the alliance of Shiite parties that has run Iraq since 2022, with recent PMF detentions at the center of discussions on the country’s security situation.
A PMF commander and three other members were detained and transferred to the force’s security directorate on Monday. Muhannad Al-Uqabi, spokesperson for the PMF —an umbrella organization of predominantly Shiite armed groups backed by Iran and formally incorporated into Iraq’s state security apparatus in 2016— said a “misunderstanding” surrounding the detention had been resolved. The reasons for the detentions were not immediately available.
According to the source, CF figures expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which some PMF leaders had been detained and urged Al-Zaidi to prevent similar operations that could be perceived as “provocative.” They argued that detaining a wanted PMF member did not require military force and that authorities could instead issue a formal summons requiring the individual to appear before the judiciary or another relevant authority.
Qomi attended only part of the meeting, with the source saying his presence was intended to introduce him in his new official capacity to Iraqi government, religious, and political figures. The Iranian official reportedly informed CF figures that Hamoudi would serve as a “liaison” between Iran and Iraq before leaving shortly afterward without taking part in all of the discussions.
Difficult security conditions in Iran in recent months, the source added, had delayed Qomi’s visit to Baghdad.
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