The Iraqi government, through spokesman Haidar al-Aboudi, announced on 29 June that all armed groups must surrender their weapons to the state by 30 September 2026, a date that coincides with the scheduled conclusion of the international coalition's combat mission against the Islamic State. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi separately stated that confining arms to the state is a policy already being implemented, not merely a slogan, and that coalition forces will complete their withdrawal by that deadline.

The move is viewed in Washington as a concrete step demanded for the resumption of frozen oil-revenue transfers and security assistance. According to US officials, the Trump administration has made the disarmament of Iran-backed militias a condition for normalising financial ties. In Baghdad, the spokesman warned that after the deadline, any weapons outside the state framework will face legal prosecution. Some factions, including Kataib Imam Ali and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, have already begun handing over weapons or announced their integration into official forces. Others, notably Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, have long resisted, arguing that the continued presence of US forces justifies their armed status. The deadline removes that justification, as the coalition's withdrawal is now explicitly linked to the disarmament timeline.

The ultimatum comes amid a broader government campaign to assert sovereignty, including a high-profile anti-corruption sweep that saw 47 officials and lawmakers detained in Baghdad's Green Zone on 28 June, some of whom are described by regional analysts as figures close to Tehran. The timing also follows a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Baghdad, and precedes al-Zaidi's first official trip to Washington, scheduled for mid-July, after which he will tour Ankara, Riyadh, and Tehran. Viewed from European diplomatic circles, the Iraqi government is attempting to balance external pressures while consolidating domestic authority after a 40-day war earlier this year between the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, during which Iran-backed Iraqi factions launched hundreds of attacks on US interests and targets in Gulf states, prompting American retaliatory strikes and a temporary halt to oil-revenue payments.

The Iraqi government has indicated that the integration of all Popular Mobilisation Forces units into the regular armed forces will proceed, with the finance ministry ordered to create a special account for recovered illicit funds. The legal framework for prosecuting non-compliant groups after 30 September is being prepared, according to the spokesman. The success of the deadline will likely be assessed during al-Zaidi's Washington visit, where US officials are expected to gauge the pace of disarmament before deciding on the full resumption of financial transfers. The coming weeks will reveal whether the remaining holdout factions accept the state's monopoly on force or risk a confrontation that could further destabilise Iraq's fragile post-war recovery.