The U.S. Department of State has appointed Joshua Harris as its new chargé d’affaires in Baghdad at a sensitive time, as Washington begins withdrawing troops from Iraq while pressing the Iraqi government to dismantle the Popular Mobilization Forces and curb Iran’s influence.

In Iraq, rising Sunni-led opposition figures opposing Iranian influence gain media attention, but critics warn their rhetoric risks unrest and exaggerates regime-change prospects.

As U.S. forces pull out of central and western Iraq toward the northern Kurdistan region, reports say the PMF are being deployed to Iraqi army camps, sparking speculation about potential Israeli strikes on Iran-backed Shia groups.

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission has disqualified hundreds of candidates just two months before the vote, a move that has unsettled political blocs across sectarian and partisan lines after each saw members struck from the race.

Kata’ib Hezbollah and other factions are withdrawing from Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces amid U.S. and British pressure, internal political disputes, and upcoming elections, raising questions over Iranian influence, militia integration, and the future role of the PMF in Iraq’s security and governance.