DUBAI, UAE - Iraqi Health Minister and Coordination Framework member Abdul Hussein al-Moussawi said Sunday that several armed factions were prepared to organize and hand over their weapons to the state under certain conditions.

“The resistance is a necessity, not a job,” Moussawi said during a televised interview with local media, describing the factions’ view toward armed activity.

The groups “are not objecting to restricting weapons to state control, but instead wanted assurances and confirmations” that they would no longer need their weapons,” the minister added.

According to Moussawi, around five factions had indicated a willingness to discuss regulating their weapons and limiting arms to state institutions “in exchange for conditions, details and arrangements.”

He also said the United States had privately objected to the participation of seven factions in the Iraqi government, noting that the US message was that Washington would not interfere directly in the formation of the Iraqi government, but would decide how to deal with any government that included those groups.

“Explicit names were presented by US officials… The proposal was that we [the US] will not interfere in forming the [Iraqi] government. Include whoever you want in your government, this is your choice. But how we deal with this government is our choice,” he said.

The remarks come as the Iraqi government continues to push for restricting weapons to state control amid growing domestic and international pressure to curb the influence of armed factions outside official institutions.

Earlier this month, Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji said restricting weapons to the state would be of “paramount importance” for Iraq’s next government, describing the issue as central to establishing state authority and preventing any force from operating outside the legal framework.

Araji said Baghdad’s security strategy for 2025-2030 aims to ensure “a single military command and a single armed force under the authority of the state,” adding that Iraq could not build strong international partnerships “without a strong state that monopolizes weapons and enforces the rule of law.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi also included “restricting arms to the hands of the state” as a key pillar in his proposed government program released earlier this month.