Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)

Iraq appears to delay militia disarmament as Iran-backed factions pressure Baghdad - analysis

Now Iraq appears to be backtracking on the deadline for placing militia weapons under state control.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister, at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq February 12, 2026.

Iran's attack on Kurdistan may signal new phase in Tehran's regional drone warfare - analysis

Iran’s drone strike on the Kurdistan Region may showcase new capabilities while warning Erbil and Washington that Tehran is willing to redraw regional red lines.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers a televised address after assuming office, in Baghdad, Iraq May 16, 2026.

Iraq seeks Saudi, Syrian ties as it faces pressure to rein in Iran-backed militias - analysis

Iraq’s militias have threatened US forces and Israel in the past. They have kidnapped journalists and carried out hundreds of attacks on the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A man looks on near damage at a site belonging to Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) following airstrikes that the PMF said were carried out by US and Saudi forces, in Bartella, Nineveh province, Iraq, July 29, 2026.

US-Saudi Arabia airstrikes target Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces militia in Iraq

The strikes followed a series of drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia. The United States has made clear that it believes Iran-directed militias are responsible for the escalation.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

New drone strike near Erbil adds to growing attacks on Kurdistan region - analysis

A drone crashed near Makhmour in the latest attack on Iraq’s Kurdistan region, as officials blame Iran-aligned groups for a wave of 22 strikes.

JULY 30, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Smoke rises after a drone attack targeted oil facilities in the Zakho area of Iraq's Kurdistan region, Iraq July 16, 2025.