Overview
- Iraq’s parliament is expected to vote on part of Prime Minister-designate Ali Al Zaidi’s cabinet after weeks of bargaining over ministries.
- Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, who visited Baghdad on Sunday, urged Iran-aligned parties not to disarm militias or bar their leaders from top posts.
- President Donald Trump endorsed Zaidi and invited him to Washington, and U.S. officials linked security aid and access to dollar transfers to excluding Iran-backed groups from the next government.
- Zaidi’s Al Janoob Islamic Bank was blocked from dollar transactions in 2024 over suspected ties to sanctioned militia figures, a claim the bank rejects after commissioning outside reviews.
- Iran-backed militias are embedded in Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces and parts of the economy, and U.S. officials blame them for roughly 600 attacks on American sites, which makes any push to curb their power risky for security and daily life.