TEHRAN – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent statements calling for the disarmament of Iraq’s counterterrorism organizations, particularly the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of Iraq’s security realities and Washington’s continued interventionist approach.
Rubio claimed in a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani that the PMF is “violating Iraq’s sovereignty, threatening American and Iraqi lives and businesses, and stealing Iraq’s resources for Iran.” These accusations ignore the PMF’s critical contribution to defeating the ISIL terrorist organization and restoring stability to Iraq from 2014 to 2017.
The PMF was formally integrated into the Iraqi military in 2016 and has become an integral part of liberating northern and western Iraq from ISIL control. The organization, operating under the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, has consistently protected Iraq from extremist threats. After the US assassination of Iranian counterterrorism icon General Qasem Soleimani and PMF deputy commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in 2020, calls for the expulsion of US troops from Iraq surged, reflecting the PMF’s legitimacy as a patriotic security force.
Mr. Rubio’s push to disarm the PMF is part of a broader U.S. strategy aimed at weakening Iraq’s counterterrorism capabilities under the false assumption that Iranian influence will decline. In reality, such action would risk undermining Iraq’s sovereignty and security, while expanding U.S. control over the country’s military and political decision-making.
Al-Sudani acknowledged a limited U.S. presence to coordinate operations against IS, but stressed that Iraq’s priorities were to maintain its sovereignty and avoid becoming drawn into regional conflict. The PMF remains critical to this balance, ensuring Iraq’s continued security and preventing the resurgence of extremist groups.
By targeting the PMF, Mr. Rubio overlooks the reality that these forces are an integral part of Iraq’s national defense, not instruments of foreign influence. Weakening them neither strengthens Iraq’s security nor diminishes Iran’s regional role. It will only embolden extremist elements and perpetuate US intervention in the name of countering Iranian influence.