Iran's Quds Force commander Brig Gen Esmail Qaani has claimed the US withdrawal from Iraq opens the way for Tehran-backed militias to play a greater role in the country's future, despite the Iraqi government's pledge to bring armed groups under state control.
His comments, which could face backlash from Iraqi officials, came after Iraq entered a new phase in its security relationship with Washington after the formal end on Wednesday of the 12-year US-led mission to defeat ISIS.
The US departure has left a question mark over the future role of Iran-backed armed groups. The government had initially linked a deadline for bringing weapons under state control to September 30, the date of the US withdrawal. But that deadline has been pushed back to June next year.
“The US, despite possessing vast resources and equipment, has been expelled from Iraq … thanks to the resistance of the Iraqi nation and the heroes of the Resistance Front,” Brig Gen Qaani was quoted by Iranian state media as saying.
On Wednesday, the powerful Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah group denied an understanding had been reached with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi over the disarmament of militias, hours after US troops left the country.
“God willing, co-ordination among the government, state institutions and the children of the resistance will carry Iraq towards greater well-being, steadfastness and sovereignty,” Brig Gen Qaani added. “The children of the resistance maintain a presence in one of the region’s most critical areas, Iraq, steadfastly and with prudence and strategic planning, as they continue on their path.”
Iran established Hezbollah in Lebanon in the 1980s and created proxy groups in Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion as part of a forward-defence strategy intended to protect the regime and project its influence. Those groups have played major roles in conflicts and political crises across the region.
Since Iran entered direct wars with Israel and the US, Tehran has been relying more heavily on its proxies. Signs of an attempted revival of the so-called Axis of Resistance have increased in recent months, with the Houthis in Yemen increasingly taking the lead as Hezbollah's military capabilities have been severely weakened.
Brig Gen Qaani called for strengthening what he described as an Iran-backed “belt of defence” and the pursuit of “independence and dignity” across the Islamic world, stretching “from Afghanistan to Yemen, and from Iran to Gaza and Lebanon”. “Remaining traces of the US presence in other arenas must also be eliminated”, following its withdrawal from Iraq, the Iranian commander added.
On Thursday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the US withdrawal from Iraq was a “step towards ending foreign domination in West Asia”.
