Media: Iranian IRGC officers direct Iraqi armed groups to pressure US Amid talks in Islamabad

Officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are continuing to oversee the activities of armed groups in Iraq, disregarding requests from Iraqi political leaders to halt attacks, according to Asharq Al-Awsat, citing sources within the Iraqi government and the leadership of the Coordination Framework.

The report says IRGC officers are effectively operating as a “shadow military leadership,” coordinating actions on the ground and building a front intended to pressure Washington amid uncertainty over upcoming negotiations in Pakistan.

According to the sources, leaders of Iraq’s four main Shia parties have spent recent weeks attempting to negotiate with Iranian representatives to suspend attacks, but these efforts have failed. IRGC officers have reportedly ignored appeals from Iraqi political allies and continue to communicate directly with the operational units of local armed groups.

The situation has prompted growing concern in Baghdad. During a closed-door security meeting, a senior Iraqi official reportedly questioned why Iraqi authorities have been unable to curb the Iranian officer’s influence, asking why national security forces could not detain him.

By Sabina Mammadli