Ghalibaf Visits Baghdad in Secret; Iran Mobilizes Proxies Ahead of Possible US Strike

Well-informed Iraqi sources close to senior security officials revealed that Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf secretly visited the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, in recent hours, accompanied by three prominent Revolutionary Guard military officials.

The informed Iraqi sources told "Erem News" that the Iranian delegation held a meeting with leaders of pro-Tehran Iraqi factions, during which they coordinated and arranged forms of military support for Iran should Washington proceed with the anticipated military strike.

They added that the meeting identified American diplomatic and military interests in the region as targets for pro-Tehran Iraqi militias if the US strikes are carried out.

According to the sources, oil and gas production sites in targeted countries were also included in the target bank being worked on by these factions.

One pro-Iranian Iraqi faction, Ansar Allah al-Awfiya led by Haider al-Gharawi, recently affirmed it would remain neutral unless the United States used Iraqi airspace or territory to launch any military attacks against Iran.

Advanced Weapons
Pro-Tehran Iraqi factions possess capabilities allowing them to conduct operations beyond Iraq's borders, not only in ground combat or possessing missiles, drones, and anti-aircraft systems, but also through tools and expertise enabling participation in what is known as "unconventional warfare," most notably Kata'ib Hezbollah, Al-Nujaba, Badr Organization, and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.

An Iraqi source close to a high-ranking security official reported that these factions recently received advanced weapons from Tehran, including missiles and drones, to fulfill their required role in the upcoming phase.

This comes at a time when an official in the Islamic Dawa Party, the architect of controlling Iraqi banks to support Tehran, has regularly transferred tens of millions of dollars to Iran over the past two months amid financial sanctions.

The informed Iraqi source told "Erem News" that the role Tehran is preparing its pro-Iranian factions in Iraq to undertake took another advanced turn a week ago, when Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Zaidi contacted one of the militia leaders, Chief of Staff of the Popular Mobilization Forces Abdul Aziz al-Muhamdawi, following explosions in Madain and Buaytha in Arab Jbour south of Baghdad, inquiring about the size of the militias' arsenal and its danger to Iraq amidst expected escalation.

According to the informed Iraqi source, al-Muhamdawi's response to Zaidi was: "This is not your responsibility nor within your authority."

Another response to the head of government came with the launch of two drones recently towards one of his movements in the Green Zone, but air defense systems belonging to the US Embassy in Baghdad shot them down.

This comes at a time when the Iraqi government had given factions until September 30, 2026, to hand over their weapons, coinciding with the end of the mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, but later reversed this decision, setting June 30, 2027, as a new deadline amid ongoing negotiations with the factions.