Source: Qaani meets Iraqi factions in Baghdad as PM talks stall

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iran’s Quds Force commander, Esmail Qaani, arrived in Baghdad in an unannounced visit, holding talks with Iraqi political and armed faction leaders as negotiations over the next prime minister remain unresolved, a well-informed source told Shafaq News on Saturday.

Qaani met leaders of armed factions before holding separate discussions with figures from the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) —a coalition of Iran-aligned parties that forms the largest bloc in Iraq’s parliament— focusing on efforts to reach agreement on a consensus candidate for the premiership.

Discussions also addressed the future of armed groups, including proposals to integrate them into state security institutions and to separate political actors from their armed wings.

Qaani previously visited Baghdad in January 2026, when he met leaders of armed factions to address tensions related to weapons, according to political sources. During those talks, he urged the groups to maintain unity and avoid escalation, stressing the need for “coordinated mechanisms that preserve security stability” and prevent internal conflict.

Debate continues in Iraq over limiting weapons to state control. Washington has repeatedly linked the country’s stability and bilateral relations to curbing arms outside official institutions or integrating armed groups into state structures under legal frameworks. On Friday, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on seven Iraqi armed group commanders, accusing them of involvement in attacks against US personnel and interests in Iraq.

In a parallel political track, Iraq’s parliament elected Nizar Amedi as president on April 11, initiating the constitutional timeline for naming a prime minister. The Coordination Framework has yet to agree on a nominee, and a planned meeting to select a candidate was postponed to Monday, according to a political source.