Iraq parliament speaker says weapons handover to state to begin late September

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi said a process to bring firearms under state control will formally begin at the end of September, calling it a constitutional obligation. Speaking at the Baghdad Dialogue Conference in the capital, Halbusi said the move is part of broader efforts to enforce the state's monopoly on arms. Halbusi denied reports of armed confrontations with armed groups and said public salaries are being paid on schedule. He added that the government and parliament have clear steps planned for economic reform, and that the parliament will review the draft budget and hear from the relevant ministers. According to Halbusi, the government sent 42 draft laws to the parliament last week, and no political bloc has objected to the anti-corruption drive. He also noted that lifting parliamentary immunity during the recess falls within the speaker's authority. Halbusi said Iran's Shura Council speaker told him he would raise with Iranian officials the question of exempting Iraq from measures at the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. He added that a security committee has been formed to review the names of those displaced from al-Jafra al-Nasr, and stressed that provincial councils are constitutional bodies that can only be dissolved through a constitutional amendment.