ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - A senior Kataib Hezbollah official on Monday warned Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi that any government that does not benefit the Iraqi people “will be overthrown by all means,” threatening to close the ports of countries involved in a US embargo on Iranian flights.

“Let Mr. Zaidi and those behind him know: any government that does not work for the benefit of the people will be overthrown by all means,” said Abu Mujahid al-Assaf in a statement.

Kataib Hezbollah is part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella network of pro-Iran militia groups that has claimed several attacks on US interests in the region since the US-Iran war started in late February.

The statement comes amid a suspension of Iranian flights to and from several Iraqi airports that has drawn the ire of many pro-Iran actors in Iraq, including Kataib Hezbollah.

“Our noble people know those who hide behind certain governmental decisions to pass what they are ashamed to adopt publicly, and this reflects on the party responsible for policymaking in the country,” he said.

Najaf International Airport on Friday said it would suspend all incoming and outgoing flights to and from Iran based on official directives from relevant authorities. All Iraqi airports, including those in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil and Sulaimani, also enforced the ban, a government source told AFP.

The group said that if the embargo continues after October 1, “our noble people will take a clear stance that may lead to closing the ports of the countries participating in the siege of the faithful Iranian people.”

Assaf said that the Islamic Resistance will monitor Iraqi airspace to “ensure that it is not violated by enemy aircraft,” threatening to “issue a warning first, and we will work to overthrow them second.”

“The Prime Minister's office, under its well-known leadership, must not be a cashier for American violations after October 1, 2026.”

Washington had announced that it would impose sanctions on any global companies doing business with Iranian airlines after September 23, in a move aimed at grounding Iran’s entire civilian fleet worldwide.

Zaidi’s office said Saturday that they are in “direct dialogue” with the US to secure exemptions for some Iraqi airports from measures targeting flights by Iranian airlines.

Zaidi’s government had initially set September 30 as a deadline for armed groups operating outside state control to hand over their weapons to the government.

The Iraqi government had warned that elements using Iraqi territory as a launching pad for attacks after the deadline will be considered “criminals” and prosecuted under the counter-terrorism law.

In mid-August, Assaf set out a series of conditions in a statement for the Islamic Resistance in Iraq to engage with the government over handing over its weapons, including the complete withdrawal of US forces and “Turkish forces occupying northern Iraq,” as well as the “disbanding” of the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga.

The disarmament initiative in Iraq is heavily backed by the US, which has long pushed for those groups – many of whom have attacked American bases in the region – to be disarmed.

However, Zaidi has shifted to a phased process extending into 2027. Under the plan, armed factions would first observe a 90-day period without attacks, with guarantees that they would not be targeted by US strikes, before moving toward the gradual handover of weapons and integration of fighters into state institutions.