Details of the agreement between Zaidi and Shiite leaders on the disarmament of the groups

According to Kurdistan Press, the newspaper "Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed" reported, citing Iraqi sources, that Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Zaidi has set a new deadline for the implementation of the disarmament process of the armed groups, which will continue until June 30, 2027. This decision means the cancellation of the previous deadline, which was supposed to end on September 30 of this year.According to the report, Zaidi's trip to the United States came after he reached an agreement with the leaders of the Coordination Framework and a number of senior Shiite leaders on Sunday evening to postpone the disarmament of armed groups until 2027.

Iraqi sources also said that in the near future, a new management will be formed within the Popular Mobilization Forces to handle the issue of handing over weapons to armed groups, and this process will be carried out under the supervision of the Iraqi government.

According to the agreed plan, the implementation of this process will begin in early January 2027. At this stage, the Popular Mobilization Forces will register and catalog the weapons, ammunition, and equipment of the groups, and determine their storage location and mechanism for use, instead of these weapons being delivered directly to the Ministry of Defense or the Ministry of Interior.The agreement also includes granting “immunity” to the commanders and members of the armed groups from any prosecution and allowing them to enter the political process and run for office in future elections. In return, the commanders and members of these groups must pledge not to carry out military or armed activity outside the framework of the government and not to take steps to form new armed groups.

Sources cited by “Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed” said that Zaidi did not absolutely oppose the phased implementation of the disarmament process, but had reservations about some of the clauses of the agreement and its implementation mechanism.According to these sources, Zaidi also conveyed the US warning to the leaders of the Coordination Framework that the disarmament process was becoming a mere formality, and stressed that extending the disarmament deadline was not a desirable option, but was brought up due to lack of time and concerns about armed conflict between these groups and the Iraqi army.

Zaidi told the Shiite leaders that the US needed practical steps in this case, not just political statements on the disarmament arrangement. He suggested that more contacts be made with Washington before a draft agreement was finalized.According to the report, Zaidi is scheduled to discuss the disarmament of armed groups during his meeting with Donald Trump in New York, after which a final decision will be made inside Iraq; a move that is said to be aimed at preventing a possible US reaction and the possibility of imposing financial and economic sanctions on Baghdad.