ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - State of Law Coalition leader and Iraqi premier hopeful Nouri al-Maliki on Wednesday affirmed the role of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) within the Iraqi security apparatus and said that their dissolution or integration is not "the priority today."

His remarks come after a statement earlier on Wednesday in which he stressed the importance of "having a single army" under the control of the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces as the foundation for a stable nation gave rise to media speculation that he would seek to alter the PMF's current status.

"The priority today is not dissolving or integrating this or that, but rather consolidating the authority of the state and unifying security decision-making," Maliki wrote on X later in the day. "The PMF is part of the Iraqi security apparatus, established by law, and its role has been decisive in confronting terrorism."

The former Iraqi prime minister, whose bid to reassume the premiership was hampered by remarks made by US President Donald Trump in which he criticized Maliki's "insane policies and ideologies," has long been slighted by Washington for being too closely aligned with Iran, a charge also leveled by the US at the PMF.

"We are prepared to use the full range of tools to enact the President’s policy," a US State Department spokesperson told The New Region in early February.

Both Maliki and Iraq's ruling Shiite Coordination Framework remained defiant in the face of Trump's rejection, vehemently insisting that the State of Law leader remains the sole candidate for the prime ministerial role.

"The PMF is an official institution established by law and approved by Parliament. Any discussion of dissolving or integrating it must be conducted exclusively within the framework of the Constitution and the law, and by a decision of the state, not based on rumors," Maliki continued on X.

Confining weapons to institutions under the direct control of the Iraqi state has proved a challenging task, with several PMF groups having rebuffed notions of disarmament as illegitimate given the presence of foreign military personnel in the country.

 Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a pro-Iran militia and PMF component, in early January reiterated its rejection of "any form of illegal foreign military presence on Iraqi land or in its airspace."

Maliki previously served two terms as prime minister from 2006 to 2014, stepping down during his second term amid major security setbacks linked to the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) and ongoing corruption allegations, factors that continue to shape debate over his potential return to office.

Deeply concerning to US officials at the time was the proliferation of Iranian influence in the country during Maliki's tenure, which manifested in the growing nexus of PMF-aligned groups that were deemed by Washington has acting as Iranian proxies.

In a Trump-ordered US strike in January 2020, both the chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, then the leader of the pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah group and PMF deputy chairman, were killed.

The State of Law Coalition came in third place in Iraq’s recent parliamentary elections, securing 29 seats out of the 329-seat legislature. The other two top parties were the Reconstruction and Development Alliance, led by current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, and the Sunni Taqadum Party, led by Halbousi.