US Envoy for Iraq Praises Militia Disarmament Signals but Demands Binding National Framework
US envoy Mark Savaya has welcomed reported moves by Iraqi armed groups toward disarmament, while insisting that only a binding national framework can make the process real and lasting. He framed the moment as a decisive test for Iraq’s sovereignty and rule of law amid intense US pressure to curb Iran-aligned militias.
Posting on social media platform X, Savaya said the reported steps toward disarmament were an encouraging sign and described them as a positive response to long-standing appeals from Iraq’s top religious authorities. He emphasized that those clerical leaders provide moral guidance that continues to act as a compass for the country.
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He warned, however, that statements of intent are not enough and stressed that disarmament must be comprehensive and irreversible, carried out through a clear, binding national framework grounded in the constitution and rule of law. Savaya argued that this framework should dismantle all armed factions and ensure an orderly, lawful shift of their members into civilian life.
Savaya said Iraq now faces a crossroads between a path of sovereignty, stability, and unity, and another of fragmentation and insecurity in which illegal armed groups exploit state resources for private and external agendas. He insisted that the exclusive right to bear arms and use force must rest with legitimate federal and regional institutions across all of Iraq, without exception.
Iraqi officials have linked the new disarmament momentum to domestic and international pressure, including warnings from the Trump administration that militias operating outside state control could face targeting if drawn into wider regional conflict. Recent media reports indicate parallel talks on integrating some factions into state structures and confining weapons to government authority.
