ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Saraya Awliya al-Dam, a pro-Iran armed faction within the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq, said Wednesday it would not disarm unless Baghdad guarantees full Iraqi sovereignty in political and financial affairs and ends “any foreign military presence” in the country.

The move comes amid renewed calls to integrate armed groups into state institutions, initiated by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who placed state control of weapons at the forefront of his government program earlier in May. 

Centralizing control of arms under the state has been described as being of “paramount importance” for the country’s next government.

Following the developments, Saraya Awliya al-Dam affirmed that “any national project to monopolize weapons must be accompanied by concrete steps that guarantee Iraq's sovereignty and independence of decision-making,” read a statement. 

The pro-Iran militia outlined five conditions for Baghdad to move forward with the government’s decision.

It called for “ending the financial and economic dependence that restricts Iraq’s will,” “halting all forms of foreign interference in Iraqi political decision-making,” and “ending any foreign military presence on Iraqi soil and addressing all threats to national sovereignty.” 

It also stressed “enabling Iraq to possess modern air defense systems and radars to protect its airspace and sovereignty” and “strengthening the independence of economic decision-making and opening the way for balanced partnerships that safeguard national interests.”

“We also affirm our commitment to defending Iraq, its people, and its national decision-making, and our rejection of any guardianship or hegemony that infringes upon its security, sovereignty, or supreme interests,” the group added. 

So far, several pro-Iran Iraqi armed factions, including Ashab al-Kahf, Harakat al-Nujaba and Saraya Awliya al-Dam, have rejected calls to hand over their weapons to the state, pushing back against the government-backed disarmament process.

Earlier on Wednesday, Harakat al-Nujaba Iraqi militia reaffirmed that the group's position "will not change" regarding handing over weapons to the state, describing its arms as "sacred" and necessary for defending Iraq. 

The contrasting remarks came amid Zaidi on Wednesday receiving delegations from two pro-Iran Iraqi armed groups - Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) and Kataib al-Imam Ali - that have agreed to disengage from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and work to restrict arms to state control.

Zaidi’s office asserted that a committee to oversee the process will be formed "within the next two days."

Despite the PMF nominally being under the auspices of the Iraqi state, the US-Israeli war on Iran saw many pro-Iran PMF factions conducting unilateral strikes on US interests, as well as other targets such as hotels and infrastructure in the Kurdistan Region, in contravention of Baghdad's neutrality.

Saraya Awliya al-Dam was at the forefront of such attacks, claiming numerous attacks on the Kurdistan Region's energy sites during the conflict.