Ali al-Zaidi Sets June 2027 Deadline to Disarm Militias

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has established a June 30, 2027, deadline for Iran-backed militias to disarm and disband as independent organizations. The plan begins with a 90-day ceasefire starting September 30, during which militias must halt attacks in exchange for assurances that U.S. forces will not target them. Following this period, the government aims to collect an estimated 6 million weapons held by non-state actors.

Al-Zaidi intends to integrate individual fighters into the state-recognized Popular Mobilization Forces, while groups remaining independent after the deadline will be declared outlaws. While factions such as Saraya al-Salam and Asaib Ahl al-Haq have agreed to regularize their status, hardline groups including Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba refuse to surrender their weapons. Simultaneously, Iraqi Army ground forces commander Qassim al-Mohammedi has demanded the disarmament of the YBS Yazidi armed group to stabilize the Sinjar region.

The initiative follows intense pressure from the Trump administration, which has linked Iraq's access to critical dollar flows to a clear disarmament timetable. During the UN General Assembly in New York, al-Zaidi met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss dismantling these groups as U.S. forces prepare to withdraw from Iraq on September 30.

Al-Zaidi links the security crackdown to economic survival, noting that the U.S.-Iran war and Iranian blockades in the Strait of Hormuz have cost Iraq approximately $60 billion in oil export revenue. He asserts that the U.S. withdrawal removes the justification for resistance and that he will not tolerate a state within the state.