Hadi al-Amiri Urges Restraint as Iraqi Islamic Resistance Deadline Over US-Saudi Strikes Expires

Peregraf — Badr Organization leader Hadi al-Amiri called on fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq to postpone any retaliatory action against the United States, as a deadline the umbrella group set following deadly US-Saudi strikes on Iraqi forces expired.

In a video statement, al-Amiri addressed "my sons and brothers in the Islamic Resistance," urging them to hold off on any response to what he called US-Saudi aggression against Iraq, "for the sake of Iraq's higher interest." He said the rights of those killed and wounded would instead be pursued through diplomatic channels, adding, "God willing, we will achieve all of that."

"I thank you, heroic brothers, and peace be upon you," al-Amiri said, signing off as "your brother Hadi al-Amiri."

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq is an umbrella coalition of Shia armed factions, several of them linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces, that describes itself as opposed to US and Israeli presence and influence in the region.

The appeal comes as a deadline set by the group has passed. The Iraqi government had announced in late June that all armed groups outside state institutions must place their weapons under state control by September 30, coinciding with the scheduled end of the US-led coalition's anti-ISIS mission in Iraq.

In a statement issued July 29 — the same day US and Saudi forces struck PMF headquarters across several Iraqi provinces, killing at least 20 PMF fighters and wounding 32, according to a preliminary PMF toll — the Islamic Resistance contested that government deadline, arguing Baghdad must first prove it can defend Iraq's sovereignty, deter future attacks, and hold those responsible for the strikes accountable. Iranian media separately reported that four IRGC military advisers were killed in the strikes.

In the same statement, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq rejected any responsibility for earlier attacks on Saudi Arabia and accused the United States of a separate attack on PMF personnel and a convoy serving Arbaeen pilgrims in Karbala. It set its own deadline of the 23rd of Safar — corresponding to August 6-7 — for government bodies that had called on it to disarm, warning that retaliation against the "American enemy" was "inevitable" and could extend to US-linked targets in Saudi Arabia "whenever the situation demands it," though it said any response would be held off until after Arbaeen to avoid disrupting the pilgrimage.

Al-Amiri had separately condemned the July 29 strikes at the time, calling them "sinful and unjustified aggression" against Iraq's sovereignty and armed forces, and demanding the government adopt a "firm and decisive stance."