Political pressure is mounting on Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as an end-of-September deadline for US forces to leave Iraq approaches, while disputes over weapons, corruption, and a deepening financial crisis pile fresh strain on his government. Informed sources said al-Zaidi’s recent meetings with leaders of the Shi’ite Coordination Framework were aimed at pressing the forces that backed him to help deliver the government’s pledges, chiefly bringing all weapons under state control and fighting corruption. Both issues have become major fault lines within the ruling Shi’ite alliance. Debate over the future of armed factions operating under the banner of the so-called Islamic Resistance has intensified in recent weeks as the US withdrawal deadline draws closer. The government has stepped up its demands that all arms be placed under state authority. Some factions, however, insist on keeping their weapons, arguing that domestic and regional security threats persist. At the same time, the government has widened its anti-corruption drive, opening cases involving current and former officials. Reports that judicial investigations have reached figures linked to powerful political groups have drawn denials from those concerned, while others have dismissed the cases as politically motivated. Political retreat A political source told Asharq Al-Awsat that prominent forces within the Coordination Framework, which initially backed al-Zaidi’s campaigns against corruption and uncontrolled weapons, had “begun to retreat in one way or another” in recent weeks. The source attributed the shift to fears among some leaders that the investigations could reach people close to them if the judiciary uncovered evidence of corruption. The government plans to press ahead with accountability measures against officials and senior executives affiliated with parties in the ruling coalition, the source said. Divisions have also sharpened over weapons. Some forces have begun raising conditions or reservations over how arms should be brought under state control, citing continued domestic security threats and regional tensions. That could delay progress on a file the government hopes to advance in the coming weeks. Kataib Hezbollah Secretary-General Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi has said the group will not surrender its weapons, the latest sign of the widening gap between the faction and the government over the future of armed groups after the international coalition’s mission ends. The dispute comes as the Coordination Framework faces growing internal strains. Political sources say cohesion among some of its members has weakened in recent months amid differences over relations with the United States, the fallout from the regional war, and the handling of corruption and economic reform. The Framework’s parties have not formally acknowledged any divisions within the alliance. Message to political forces Seeking broader political backing for his policies, al-Zaidi called a meeting of the State Administration Coalition, which brings together forces from across Iraq’s political spectrum. The meeting is due to be held on Thursday with the participation of the four presidencies, an informed source said. The source said the talks would focus on the country’s financial crisis, which has disrupted the full payment of salaries to state employees, pensioners, and social welfare recipients. The government says part of the crisis stems from disruptions to some Iraqi oil exports after shipping was affected by unrest in the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks, cutting oil revenues. The meeting will also address security developments and ways to support the government’s push to bring weapons under state control while avoiding any escalation that could damage Iraq’s regional relations or internal stability. The moves highlight al-Zaidi’s struggle to balance his pledges to curb armed factions and fight corruption with the need to preserve unity inside the ruling coalition. It is a balancing act at one of the most sensitive moments since the agreement to end the US military presence in Iraq.
