Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi took office in May already aware that one of his hardest tasks would be handling Iran-backed armed groups operating inside the country. The issue has long shaped Iraq’s politics and security, and it has quickly become a central test for the new government.
The dilemma is familiar but still highly sensitive. Any move against powerful militias risks political backlash and security instability, while inaction can weaken the state’s authority and reinforce the sense that armed factions remain beyond full government control. For a new prime minister, that creates pressure from the start.
The challenge also goes beyond domestic politics. How Baghdad deals with Iran-backed groups can affect Iraq’s relations with regional players, its internal balance of power, and public confidence in the government’s ability to enforce order. That makes the issue both a security problem and a broader question of sovereignty.
Zaidi’s early months in office show how quickly this file can dominate an Iraqi leader’s agenda. Confronting entrenched armed groups has troubled earlier governments as well, and his response is likely to be watched as a measure of whether the Iraqi state can assert itself against forces that have deep influence on the ground.
