Iraqi president says Iranian officials confirmed state monopoly on arms is Iraq's decision

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid said Iranian officials confirmed that the decision to consolidate arms under state authority is a matter for Iraq alone, adding that no Iranian official requested postponing the issue. Speaking at the eighth Baghdad Dialogue Conference, Rashid said he met Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and that messages on reviewing bilateral relations were conveyed during the talks. Rashid said the Prime Minister asked the broader state administration to support the position that weapons must remain under state control. He stressed that Iraq's constitution requires the consolidation of arms in the hands of the state, and that the country's religious authority has also called for arms to be brought under state authority. The president's comments come as Iraq continues to face pressure from armed groups operating outside the framework of the state, particularly Iran-backed militias that have resisted disarmament efforts. No further details on the discussions with Ghalibaf were immediately available.