“US President-elect Trump urged Iraqi PM al-Sudani to reinforce state control over weapons”, says Iraq's Speaker
Al-Mashhadani said in press statements that "US President-elect Trump urged Iraqi PM al-Sudani to reinforce state control over weapons," adding that "the Iraqi government is working on restricting weapons to state control."

Dec. 30, 2024
Erbil (Kurdistan24) – On Monday, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani confirmed that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump stressed to the Iraqi Prime Minister the necessity of constraining weapons to state control.
Al-Mashhadani said in press statements that "US President-elect Trump urged Iraqi PM al-Sudani to reinforce state control over weapons," adding that "the Iraqi government is working on restricting weapons to state control."
He also stated that "the armed groups agreed to stop attacks, and the American presence in Iraq will be regulated soon," explaining that "Iran is discontented with what happened in Syria and has many concerns."
Al-Mashhadani underlined that "the Iraqi security delegation's visit to Damascus was constructive," warning against "a quota-based government in Syria similar to Iraq."
He specified that "we cautioned Syria about the significance of not respecting minority rights, and we agreed with Syria on averting the expansion of armed groups."
The latest speech by religious authority al-Sayyid Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani after his meeting with the UN representative in Iraq, which highlighted the need of restricting weapons to state control, has opened wide speculation at a time when most opinions suggest this speech came due to the government's failure to address the militias and armed groups, effectively giving a green light to eliminate them.
The sense of danger concerning Iraq's situation and what awaits it in the coming days might have been the reason behind al-Sistani’s recent discussion with the UN representative, particularly the part demanding state control of weapons, which has sparked many expectations and speculations while some parties with armed factions try to avoid this issue in one way or another.
Political observer Haider Ahmed told Kurdistan24, "Mr. al-Sistani recognized the threat just as he did in 2014 when he issued the fatwa regarding ISIS. He equally recognized this danger and sent messages. The message is clear, but those profiting from unrestrained weapons are attempting to interpret the fatwa according to their desires and personal interests, which conflict with the country's interest."
The government's incapability and frailty in keeping some factions under control that try to drag Iraq into war with Israel might be a main reason that pushed al-Sistani's reference to issue this statement urging for restricting weapons to state control, according to experts.
Security expert Ahmed al-Sharifi told Kurdistan24, "The al-Sudani government's incapacity made the UN representative meet with al-Sistani to talk about this issue, subsequently giving approval to the government to implement restricting weapons to state control according to constitutional procedures and governmental commitments. The government's powerlessness, in my estimation, will put us in a very big problem."
In spite of all attempts by political, religious, and even international parties to keep Iraq away from the threat of war, the reality suggests otherwise, as sliding into its hell remains a likelihood with some parties' persistence on moving in that direction at Iran's desire, according to experts.