Iran Military Council Manages Iraq Policy Under New Supreme Leader, Atlantic Council Finds

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iran's decision-making on Iraq has shifted to a military council under new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, departing from the structure established by his father, Ali Khamenei, according to research by the Atlantic Council. The think tank said the change marks a move toward what it described as military council governance, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) taking greater control over Iranian decision-making. During the tenure of Qasem Soleimani and Ismail Ghaani, who previously directed the Iraq file directly, Iran-aligned Iraqi groups understood that the final authority rested with Khamenei. Mojtaba's administration has not filled that role in the same way, the report found. Iraqi armed groups have divided over the question of surrendering weapons to the state, according to the research. Some have accepted the prospect, others appear ready to comply, while a third group opposes disarmament and a fourth has yet to take a position. The report said U.S. economic pressure and military threats, combined with shifts in Iran's regional influence, have deepened divisions among these groups. A U.S.-Iran agreement, it added, would be the most straightforward path to determining their future.