IRGC chief Qaani reportedly in Iraq ahead of militia deadline
Esmail Qaani, who heads the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, has been heavily involved in Iran’s relations with Iraqi militias.
A top Iranian commander reportedly visited Iraq on Monday for talks with Iran-backed militias amid an effort by Tehran to stall Iraq's disarmament plan backed by Washington.
What happened: Esmail Qaani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, met with a number of Popular Mobilization Units leaders and officials from Iraq’s Coordination Framework in Baghdad to discuss surrendering their weapons, according to reports.
The PMU is a loose coalition of semi-official armed groups, many backed by Tehran, that formed in 2014 to fight the Islamic State. The PMU are nominally part of the Iraqi armed forces but retain a degree of autonomy.
Al-Arabiya reported that Qaani's discussions also focused on efforts to prevent clashes between the militias and state security forces, while local outlet Shafaq reported that he discussed possible Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.
