Trump Attacks Iran and Warns Its Proxies—Where Do Iraqi Factions Stand?

. President Donald Trump's remarks about the need to eliminate “Tehran’s proxies” in the region have raised pressing questions about whether Washington intends to target Iraqi factions, especially following Israeli Occupation’s attacks on Iran on June 13, 2025.

Responding to a journalist’s question on June 20 about the risk of Iran’s proxies attacking U.S. sites in the event of an American strike on Iran, Trump said, “We're always concerned about that, and we have to take them out and be very strong.”

Since the outbreak of events on October 7, 2023, “Israel”—backed by the U.S.—has targeted Iran’s regional allies, most notably Hezbollah, while Washington has also carried out direct strikes on the Houthis in Yemen.

Ongoing Threats

What makes Iraqi factions a potential target is their repeated threats to strike U.S. presence in Iraq, especially following Washington’s involvement in bombing nuclear sites in Iran.

This comes alongside the U.S. decision to reduce embassy staff in Baghdad due to “heightened security risks.”

On June 19, Akram Alkabee, leader of Iraq’s Harakat al-Nujaba, threatened to target U.S. interests, soldiers, and diplomats across the region if “a hair on Iran’s Supreme Leader” Ali Khamenei’s head is harmed.

In a post on X, Alkabee also warned that anyone holding U.S. citizenship—whether in Iraq or elsewhere in the region—could be a target.

His remarks came in response to Israeli Occupation’s threats against Khamenei, including a statement by Israeli War Minister Israel Katz that the Iranian leader “should not remain alive,” issued just hours after an Iranian missile attack struck Tel Aviv on June 19.

Iraq’s Kata’ib Hezbollah stated in a June 15 announcement that it would target U.S. interests and bases in the region “if Washington intervenes in the war between Iran and Israel.”

“The Islamic Republic needs no military support from anyone to deter the criminal Zionist entity [Israel], as it has the men and capabilities to rub [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s nose in the dirt and rein in the aggression of this usurping entity [the Israeli Occupation],” the group added.

It also stressed that it was closely monitoring the movements of “the American enemy’s army in the region,” and warned that if the U.S. intervened, “we will act directly against its interests and military bases throughout the region without hesitation.”

On June 22, the United States officially joined the Israeli war on Iran, with President Donald Trump announcing at dawn a “highly successful” strike on three key nuclear sites in Iran: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

“Given the current situation, it is the duty of the Iraqi government, the brothers in the Coordination Framework, and all sincere leaders to take responsibility and adopt a bold stance to prevent the war from expanding—by shutting down the embassy of the ‘Greatest Evil’ [Washington] and expelling the American occupation forces from the country,” Kata’ib Hezbollah said.

On June 12, Reuters reported that the U.S. is preparing “a partial evacuation” of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region, according to U.S. and Iraqi sources.

A U.S. official also told the agency that the State Department was preparing to issue an evacuation order, and that the military was ready to assist in removing personnel if necessary.

According to The Associated Press on June 14, air defenses at the Ain al-Asad base in western Iraq—home to U.S. troops—intercepted and downed three explosive-laden drones launched toward the base, just two days after the Israeli attack on Iran.

Possible Shift

Regarding Trump’s remarks and the possibility of a U.S. move to target Iraqi factions, Ghazi Faisal al-Skoti, director of the Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies, said the issue of dismantling these groups was mentioned in the first message sent by the current U.S. president to Iran’s leadership.

“If they attack U.S. forces or interests in Iraq or the Middle East, Washington will destroy six of their bases, as the U.S. has warned the Iraqi government,” he told Al-Estiklal.

The United States has called on the Iraqi government to dismantle the armed militias itself—or else “it will be done by force,” according to Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie, political adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, in an interview on December 16, 2024.

However, al-Skoti did not rule out the possibility of a shift in the American position if the war expands significantly. As for “Israel,” he noted that its stance toward Iraqi factions remains unclear and that they are not currently a priority, as the war against Iran is of greater importance to Tel Aviv.

The former Iraqi diplomat stressed that “Iraq is not in a position to defend itself right now if targeted. It cannot afford to be drawn into a regional or global war—doing so would be a military and political suicide.”

“How can Iraq go to war with the United States while it has a Strategic Framework Agreement with Washington that ensures mutual security?”

The agreement, signed in 2008, outlines the terms for the U.S. military presence in Iraq and includes clauses aimed at enhancing cooperation in economic, political, and cultural fields.

Munqith Dagher, head of al-Mustakella for Research (IIACSS), wrote on X on June 21 that “Trump always responds to war-related questions with ambiguity that can be interpreted in either direction.”

“Does that mean he hasn’t made a decision yet, or has he made it and this is all just a smokescreen? I tend to believe the latter—he’s one of the hardest people to predict, as he sees ambiguity as a key source of strength.”

The UAE’s English-language newspaper The National reported on June 21, citing unnamed sources close to the Iraqi government, that the factions informed the Iraqi authorities they intend to intervene in the war and do not agree to remain idle.

Iraqi militant factions operate on their own terms, but military action to support Iran would not be straightforward and could result in severe consequences, the government sources added.

“The U.S. know where those factions are based and can easily eliminate them if they chose to,” one source said. “They can target them one by one.”

On June 21, Iraq’s Iran-aligned Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada announced the assassination of its security official, Haider al-Moussawi, along with Hussein Khalil, known as “Abu Ali Khalil,” a close aide to former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, in an Israeli airstrike near the Iran-Iraq border.

Previous Commitment

Before the United States intervened to prevent “Israel” from targeting Iraqi factions, these groups launched rocket and drone attacks on the occupied Palestinian territories, in support of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza following the events of October 7, 2023.

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein said the faction leaders had pledged to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani not to take any actions that might provoke a strong retaliation against Iraq.

In a televised interview aired on Iraqi state TV on March 18, 2025, Hussein added that “the American side played a key role in preventing an Israeli response and strikes against Iraq.”

He noted that “the U.S. explicitly called for stopping movements and attacks originating from inside Iraq so Washington could pressure others not to attack our country. Continued U.S. support depends on maintaining security and military calm inside Iraq.”

Hussein emphasized that “the Iraqi government opposes any airspace violations by any party. We are not warmongers; but if Iraq is attacked, it will defend itself, its principles, and its land.”

The most recent statement from the group calling itself the “Islamic (Shiite) Resistance in Iraq” was issued on November 21, 2024, announcing a drone attack targeting southern occupied Palestinian territories. This came after the group had claimed responsibility for around 316 attacks against “Israel,” 94 of which reached inside its “borders.”

Their deadliest attack occurred when two explosive-laden drones targeted an Israeli military base in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, killing two soldiers from the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade and injuring 24 others.

On October 4, 2024, the Israeli military radio reported that it was the first time since the war began that Iraqi faction operations successfully caused casualties.

This Israeli admission followed the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” announcement on October 2, 2024, that they had launched three separate drone attacks on targets in northern occupied territories during the early hours.

The group said in a statement that the attacks were “a continuation of our approach to resisting the Israeli Occupation, supporting our people in Palestine and Lebanon, and responding to the massacres committed by the usurping entity [Israel] against civilians, including children, women, and the elderly.”