Al-Nujaba, an armed faction aligned with Iran, on Friday rejected demands to hand over weapons to the Iraqi state and said it would remain outside the country's formal political system. Ali Al-Asadi, head of the group's political council, met with leaders of the Shiite Coordination Framework, the dominant bloc in Iraq's government, and told them Al-Nujaba would not disarm. He said the movement remained committed to preserving the Popular Mobilization Forces, a state-aligned umbrella organization for armed groups, as a national institution.
Al-Asadi defended what he called the "sanctity" of "resistance weapons," a term used by Iran-aligned groups to describe arms they say are held for defensive purposes. He cited what he described as "serious regional threats" as the reason Al-Nujaba would not change its position. Al-Nujaba has no registered political party and holds no seats in Iraq's Council of Representatives, unlike allied factions such as Asaib Ahl Al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah.
Al-Asadi separately reiterated the movement's decades-long refusal to participate in elections or hold government and parliamentary posts. He argued that staying outside the political system allowed Al-Nujaba to remain closer to public concerns. The group has maintained since its formation that it would not formally contest elections.
The statement comes as the Coordination Framework holds talks with armed factions over bringing weapons under state control. Those discussions are taking place ahead of September 30, when the US-led coalition's current military mission is scheduled to enter its final phase. Baghdad and Washington agreed in 2024 to wind down the coalition mission in phases.
Al-Nujaba secretary-general Akram Al-Kaabi escalated the group's position on Wednesday, warning that it would confront US forces if Washington failed to complete its planned military withdrawal. Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has said Iraq should be free of foreign military forces from October 1, while a senior US official previously told the regional news agency Shafaq News that the mission would be "reduced, not ended," as ties shift toward a longer-term bilateral security partnership.
