U.S. Congressman: Iran-Backed Militias Destabilize Iraq as US Priority Shifts to Regional Stability

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – US Republican Congressman Cory Mills has warned that Iran-backed militias are destabilizing not only the Kurdistan Region but Iraq as a whole, stressing that continued pressure on Tehran and sustained US support for Iraq must remain a top American priority as Washington reassesses its regional strategy.

In an interview with Kurdistan24, Mills, who represents Florida’s Seventh Congressional District, said the impact of militia activity extends across the entire country, disrupting critical sectors including oil exports, state institutions, and economic infrastructure.

“Well, first off, it’s not just the Kurdish region which is being impacted but all of Iraq,” Mills said, pointing to the role of armed groups such as the Hashd al-Sha’abi and other proxy militias. He argued that their actions affect Iraq’s oil sector, dealings with the State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO), and key facilities including Umm Qasr.

Mills said these developments reflect what he described as Iran’s growing desperation amid shifting regional dynamics. “You’re seeing where Iran is becoming desperate as they get pushed out of Syria, as they get the elimination of Sinwar of Hamas, as you see the elimination of the leader of Hezbollah with Hassan Nasrallah,” he said.

According to the congressman, Iraqi political figures aligned more closely with Tehran than Baghdad are enabling Iran to benefit financially from Iraqi state institutions. “You’re noticing that what people like Hadi al-Amiri, people like al-Hakim, people like Qais Khazali and all the others who are pro-Iranian more so than pro-Iraq, you’re seeing where they’re actually making sure that Iran thrives and makes more and more money off the ministries and off the central bank and off the government,” Mills said.

He emphasized that sustained pressure on the Iranian regime, alongside firm backing for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, should remain a central US objective. “I think that the continual pressure on Iran—the regime—I think the continual support for Iraq and the Kurdish region must be a very prominent US priority,” he said.

Mills also praised President Donald Trump’s appointments in foreign policy, describing them as a foundation for a more assertive approach to Middle East stability. He argued that Washington should reassess aspects of Iraq’s post-2005 political framework, particularly what he described as sectarian democracy, warning that such systems have failed elsewhere.

“We need to start thinking about what Iraq’s 2005 constitution actually did with regards to things like Article 76, that sectarian democracy, which is what we don’t want to see,” he said, adding that similar models did not succeed in places such as pre-apartheid South Africa and Northern Ireland.

Drawing on personal experience, Mills said he lived in the Kurdistan Region for nearly three years and traveled extensively across Iraq. He listed visits from Erbil, Zakho, Chamchamal, Duhok, and Sulaimani to southern provinces including Samawah, Maysan, and Amarah, as well as Baghdad, underscoring his long-standing engagement with the country.

“I can tell you that the United States and our coalition partners need to continue to try and look at how do we strengthen and stabilize the region,” Mills said, citing efforts in Syria, Iraq, and continued pressure on Iran as interconnected pillars of regional stability.

He added that his foreign policy focus remains rooted in advancing US interests through trade and economic power, while maintaining strong bilateral ties with Baghdad. Mills said he recently spoke with Iraq’s prime minister following parliamentary elections, noting the success of the prime minister’s party in securing between thirty-four and thirty-five seats.

“So, [I’m] very focused on making sure that the US-Iraq relations continue, and a special envoy is also of the same concern,” he said.

Mills’ remarks come amid heightened rhetoric in Washington over Iran’s influence in Iraq. US Representative Joe Wilson recently said he met with Mark Savaya, the US Special Envoy to Iraq, affirming a shared commitment to counter Iranian leverage and reshape US policy under President Trump.

Wilson has publicly warned that continued US assistance to Iraq’s security forces could be conditioned on Baghdad’s actions against Iran-backed groups, calling on Iraq to respect the security of the Kurdistan Regional Government and curb militia activity. He has also urged measures to limit Iranian access to Iraqi state resources and restore what he described as Iraqi sovereignty.

Kurdistan24 correspondent Rahim Rashidi (Mr. Kurd) in Washington D.C. contributed to this report.