Saudi airstrikes reshape Iraq's debate on state monopoly on arms

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi-led airstrikes on positions affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have shifted the focus of Iraq's debate over arms control, according to a published analysis. Where political negotiations had previously centered on consolidating weapons under state authority, attention has moved toward the government's ability to defend its territory and institutions against external intervention. The change risks complicating an existing timetable under which weapons were to be brought under state control by the end of September, the analysis said. It noted that armed groups have used the strikes to reposition themselves as defenders of Iraqi sovereignty, complicating Baghdad's effort to translate the principle of a state monopoly on arms into practical policy. Iraq's National Security Council, chaired by President Abdul Latif Rashid, held an urgent session to address the rejection of foreign interference and the protection of sovereignty. The Riyadh-formed coalition has carried out multiple airstrikes against PMF-linked targets in recent weeks in coordination with the United States, framing them as part of efforts to curb Iranian influence in Iraq. Baghdad had earlier taken steps to implement the state monopoly on arms, but the analysis said the recent strikes have reversed the direction of the debate. No further details on the council's outcomes were immediately available.