Peregraf
The Security and Defence Committee of Iraqi Parliament convened on Tuesday to discuss the latest developments concerning the draft law on the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, and recommended moving the bill forward for a vote in upcoming parliamentary sessions.
The session, held at the Committee’s headquarters, hosted Lieutenant General Tahseen Abdul Matar, Secretary-General of the PMF, to review the draft law’s key provisions. The bill has already undergone its first and second readings in previous parliamentary sessions.
At the end of the meeting, the Committee formally recommended submitting the legislation to the Speaker of Parliament and his two deputies, aiming to place it on the agenda of upcoming sessions for a final vote. The Committee stated that the move is intended to "complete the legal framework for the Commission’s work and strengthen its role within the national security system."
The push comes amid heightened international scrutiny. In a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani on July 23, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed serious concerns over the draft law, warning that it risks institutionalizing Iranian-backed armed groups and undermining Iraq’s sovereignty.
In a statement issued by the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office, the Prime Minister described the PMF draft law as part of a broader governmental effort to reform the security sector. He noted that similar legal frameworks have already been established for institutions such as the National Intelligence Service and the National Security Service. The Prime Minister emphasized that the Popular Mobilization Forces is an official military body operating under the authority of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
The draft law includes 18 articles and was approved by the Council of Ministers on February 25, 2025, before being submitted to Parliament. The first reading was held on March 24, 2025. However, efforts—primarily from Shiite blocs—to pass the law have repeatedly stalled due to pressure from the United States.
Washington has voiced strong opposition to the legislation, arguing it would institutionalize Iranian-backed armed groups and undermine Iraq’s sovereignty. U.S. officials have called for the full integration of PMF factions into Iraq’s regular armed forces, as well as the disbandment of militias Washington designates as terrorist organizations. The U.S. sees any move to formalize the PMF independently as cementing Iranian influence in Iraq.
Iran, meanwhile, continues to back the PMF. During a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Sudani in Tehran on January 8, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei described the PMF as "one of the most important components of force in Iraq," and urged that it be protected and further strengthened.
As the bill moves closer to a vote, the issue remains a central point of tension in Iraq’s balancing act between domestic sovereignty and competing U.S.-Iranian interests.