Chatham House: Iraq's new government struggles to control armed groups under Popular Mobilization

TEHRAN, Iran — LONDON — Iraq's government under Prime Minister Ali Zaidani faces a difficult task in asserting meaningful control over armed factions operating under the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), according to a report by the Chatham House think tank. The study says some groups have drawn Iraq into the wider confrontation between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other. The report notes that recent state efforts to rein in the militias have produced mixed results. Factions linked to Muqtada al-Sadr, including the Peace Companies, and Kays al-Khazali's Asaib Ahl al-Haq have taken steps in that direction, while core groups of the so-called "Axis of Resistance," such as Hezbollah Brigades and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, have resisted, exposing the limits of state-led integration. According to the report, Iran instructed Iraqi groups to refrain from intervening during the 12-day war in June 2025, but has since shifted course, viewing the current conflict as an existential struggle. Tehran now treats Iraq as a front for projecting influence and strengthening regional deterrence, with the militias' drone and missile capabilities described as the central test of state control. The study also points to U.S. pressure on Baghdad to take firmer action against armed groups, and uses the Badr Organization as an example of how formal integration has not necessarily translated into a real transfer of power.