US Demand to Dismantle PMF Fuels Debate in Iraq, Iran
The United States' demand for the dismantling of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq has fueled debate in Baghdad and Tehran.
Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh said US President Donald Trump's recent message to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei included a demand to dismantle the Tehran-backed PMF and other armed factions.
In televised remarks on Thursday, Al-Sadegh said the dismantling or merger of the PMF in the armed forces is 'unacceptable for Iran and Iraq.'
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani later responded to his remarks, saying the US made no such demand.
In a television interview, he stressed that the dismantling of the armed factions is linked to ending the deployment of the US-led international coalition to fight ISIS in Iraq.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein declared that his country is not part of the 'Resistance Axis' of armed groups across the region that are loyal to Iran.
He warned that Israel may attack Iran should Tehran fail to reach an understanding with the US.
'Iraq does not agree with the 'unity of arenas',' he added in a television interview.
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