The recent visit by the commander of Iran's Quds Force, General Esmail Qaani, to Baghdad was not limited to discussions of Iraq's government-formation crisis amid escalating disputes among parties within the ruling Coordination Framework alliance. A senior member of the Iraqi parliament and a source close to an Iraqi armed group said the Iranian official held meetings with leaders of armed factions, which led to "an agreement to establish a joint operations room for military and field coordination in anticipation of a possible resumption of war". "Several factions have also begun wide-ranging security measures involving their main and municipal sites, as well as technical steps targeting phones and internet communication channels, amid concerns over possible breaches," the sources added.
Qaani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, visited Baghdad last Saturday, 19 April, in his first trip since the US-Israeli war on Iran. He held a series of meetings with political leaders and heads of armed factions before leaving on Sunday, returning to Iran by land. Following the visit, Qaani issued a message on Monday, 20 April, stating that forming the government and selecting the prime minister is "a right of the Iraqi people".
He stressed that "those who commit crimes against humanity" should not interfere in Iraq's affairs, in reference to US pressure on Iraq. Qaani added that the selection of the prime minister "must be based exclusively on an Iraqi decision". Qaani also said his visit was intended to convey the gratitude of Iran's leadership and people to the Iraqi people, the supreme religious authority, and Iraqi officials for their solidarity and support for Tehran during the war.
In this context, two Iraqi officials, one a senior political figure and former member of parliament from the Fatah Alliance led by Hadi al-Amiri, and the other close to an Iraqi faction within the Popular Mobilisation Forces, told The New Arab that a joint operations room had been formed to coordinate between militias militarily and in the field in the event of renewed hostilities involving the United States and Israel against Iran. The first source said the visit included "certain measures related to coordinating responses and military operations in the event of renewed fighting". He confirmed that meetings were held with senior leaders of Iraqi factions during the visit.
He added that other faction leaders were excluded from meetings with Qaani, a move interpreted as an Iranian signal distancing itself from groups that did not directly participate in the conflict. "Most factions involved in the war are conducting extensive security and intelligence reviews, warning that renewed fighting would likely bring strikes against their positions inside Iraq," the source also said. The second source, close to an armed faction in Baghdad, said that nine factions have joined the operations room to coordinate field operations and overcome communication and rapid-coordination challenges.
He told The New Arab that Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, and Ansar Allah al-Awfiya are among the most prominent groups involved in the coordination framework. He added that factions are implementing extensive measures to secure their sites, weapons depots, and residential locations for members and leaders. These include abandoning previous locations, relocating to new sites, changing mobile phones and other communication devices, and replacing members' vehicles, amid concerns about infiltration.
The source also said Qaani conveyed Iranian messages indicating that responding to US pressure to dismantle Iraqi factions and disarm them would be "considered a hostile act toward the Islamic Republic". Security expert Ali al-Sarraj told The New Arab that "continued drone activity in Iraqi airspace, particularly over Baghdad and areas in the south and centre, indicates that US forces are conducting extensive surveillance operations. This may be part of efforts to build a new target database in the event of renewed war and the collapse of the truce between Iran and the United States."
Al-Sarraj described the factions' pre-emptive measures as "a legitimate right to self-defence", noting that relations between Iraq and the US administration are at their lowest level of trust, following the inability of the government and Shia political forces to control faction activity or prevent attacks. "This situation could lead to any confrontation between the factions and Washington bypassing the Iraqi government entirely and becoming direct," he said. Earlier, Harakat al-Nujaba leader Akram al-Kaabi said "US arrogance will not succeed against the axis of resistance", rejecting calls to dissolve Iraqi factions or disarm them. Meanwhile, Badr Organisation leader and member of parliament Hamed al-Moussawi said the "agendas Washington seeks to implement in Iraq aim to secure its own interests at the expense of Iraq's supreme national intere