عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Iraq: Sudani Heads to Michigan to Meet Arab Americans at a Tense Time for the Middle East

5 April 2024, US, Arlington: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon. Photo: Mc1 Alexander Kubitza/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
5 April 2024, US, Arlington: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon. Photo: Mc1 Alexander Kubitza/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
TT
TT

Iraq: Sudani Heads to Michigan to Meet Arab Americans at a Tense Time for the Middle East

5 April 2024, US, Arlington: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon. Photo: Mc1 Alexander Kubitza/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
5 April 2024, US, Arlington: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon. Photo: Mc1 Alexander Kubitza/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

The leader of Iraq traveled to Michigan on Thursday following a sit-down with President Joe Biden to meet with the state's large Iraqi community and update them on escalating tensions in the Middle East following Iran’s weekend aerial assault on Israel.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's trip to both Washington and Michigan to discuss US-Iraq relations had been planned well before Saturday's drone and missile launches from Iran-backed groups. The visit has been thrust into the spotlight as tensions in the region escalate following the strike, which included drone and missile launches that overflew Iraqi airspace and others that were launched from Iraq by Iran-backed groups.
Michigan holds one of the largest populations of Iraqis in the nation and many local Democrats have pushed back against US support for Israel's war in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7. The state holds the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the country, The Associated Press said.
The Iraqi prime minister was met by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans upon arrival Thursday in addition to multiple leaders within the area's Arab American community, including Deputy Wayne County Executive Assad I. Turfe and Dearborn’s state Rep. Alabas Farhat.
A motorcade of over 40 cars then traveled to a mosque in Dearborn Heights where the prime minister met with Iraqi community members and officials to give an update on his meeting with Biden talking about the economic relations between Iraq and the US.
Local Wayne County leaders emphasized that the meeting had been planned before this weekend's developments, saying that a goal of the trip was to build relationships in a community that holds the largest Iraqi population outside of the Middle East.
There are just over 90,000 residents in Michigan of Iraqi descent, the largest of any state, according to the most recent US Census. In Wayne County, home to the cities of Detroit and Dearborn, 7.8% of residents identified of Middle Eastern and North African ancestry, alone or in any combination, the highest percentage of any US county.
The concentration of those residents in the outskirts of Detroit has led to multiple visits to the area from officials engaged in Middle Eastern relations.
Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to Biden, traveled to metro Detroit in March to meet with Lebanese Americans and discuss efforts to prevent the conflict from expanding along Israel’s northern border, where Hezbollah operates. Multiple White House officials also traveled to Dearborn in February to meet with Arab American leaders to discuss the conflict.
Fears over the war expanding grew over the weekend following the strikes and the developments have raised further questions about the viability of the two-decade American military presence in Iraq. However, a US Patriot battery in Irbil, Iraq, which is designed to protect against missiles, did shoot down at least one Iranian ballistic missile, according to American officials — one of dozens of missiles and drones destroyed by US forces alongside Israeli efforts to defeat the attack.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Rubio Says Immediate US Goal on Sudan is Cessation of Hostilities into New Year

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers in the ear of President Donald Trump during a roundtable about Antifa in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 8, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) / AFP PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers in the ear of President Donald Trump during a roundtable about Antifa in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 8, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) / AFP PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2025
TT
TT

Rubio Says Immediate US Goal on Sudan is Cessation of Hostilities into New Year

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers in the ear of President Donald Trump during a roundtable about Antifa in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 8, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) / AFP PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers in the ear of President Donald Trump during a roundtable about Antifa in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 8, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) / AFP PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2025

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said Washington's immediate goal on Sudan is a cessation of hostilities going into the new year that allows humanitarian organizations to deliver assistance.

Rubio, speaking to reporters at a news conference, said that Washington was engaging with the parties involved. "We've had the right and appropriate conversations with ‌all sides of this ‌conflict, because that is their ‌leverage. ⁠Without their support, ‌neither side can continue. So that's why we need to engage, and that's why we've engaged the parties involved in all of this," Rubio said.
"We think that outside actors have the leverage and the influence over the players on the ground to bring about this humanitarian truce, and we are very focused ⁠on it.

I had a conversation on it yesterday. We have spoken to ‌the UAE, we've spoken to Saudi, we've ‍spoken to Egypt," he added.
US ‍President Donald Trump said last week he would intervene ‍to stop the conflict between the army and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023 out of a power struggle and has triggered famine, ethnic killings and mass displacement in Sudan, Reuters said.
Previous efforts led by the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates have failed to bear fruit. The group submitted ⁠a proposal to the two forces in September.
Sudan this month once again topped a watchlist of global humanitarian crises released by the International Rescue Committee aid organization, as warring sides press on with the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people.
More than 12 million people have already been displaced by the ongoing war in the African nation, where humanitarian workers lack resources to help those ‌fleeing, many of whom have been raped, robbed or bereaved by the violence.

Arab World

Armed Groups Opposed to Hamas in Gaza Seen with New Weapons

Armed Hamas members are seen in Gaza. (Reuters file)
Armed Hamas members are seen in Gaza. (Reuters file)
TT
TT

Armed Groups Opposed to Hamas in Gaza Seen with New Weapons

Armed Hamas members are seen in Gaza. (Reuters file)
Armed Hamas members are seen in Gaza. (Reuters file)

Images circulated on social media of armed groups opposed to Hamas in Gaza brandishing new weapons.

The factions have been presenting themselves as replacements to Hamas in ruling the enclave and have been developing new means to oust the movement.

The factions are active in areas in Gaza that are controlled by Israel and have acknowledged working with Israel.

Debate on social media revolved around whether the groups had acquired the new weapons from Israel or if they were seized by Israeli forces from Hamas and handed over to them. Speculation also centered on whether the groups had seized the weapons from Hamas tunnels.

One video on social media showed Ghassan al-Dahini, who took over the Popular Forces after the killing of Yasser Abu Shabab weeks ago, as he brandished a Tandem modern RPG that Hamas had often used in recent years and during the Gaza war.

Dahini was seen with several other gunmen as he inspected a box of new weapons.

Dahini’s group is deployed mainly in Rafah in southern Gaza.

Another video showed members of the so-called “Popular Army”, led by Ashraf al-Mansi, brandishing RPGs. The Popular Army is deployed in Jabaliya and Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.

None of the groups opposed to Hamas have denied that they receive support from Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged in June that his government was backing these factions.

Shawqi Abu Nasira, a former Palestinian security officer and now leader of one of these factions deployed east of Khan Younis, recently told Israeli television that Tel Aviv had supplied his group and others with weapons, funds and food.

He said “great security coordination” was underway between them.

Arab World

Two Warnings, Arab and Western, ‘Tip the Balance’ in Iraq

Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces during the funeral of comrades killed in a US strike (AFP). 
Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces during the funeral of comrades killed in a US strike (AFP). 
TT
TT

Two Warnings, Arab and Western, ‘Tip the Balance’ in Iraq

Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces during the funeral of comrades killed in a US strike (AFP). 
Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces during the funeral of comrades killed in a US strike (AFP). 

In an unusual development, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iraqi government and influential political actors received two extraordinary warning messages over the past two weeks — one from an Arab country and another from a Western intelligence service — containing what were described as “serious” indications of impending, wide-ranging military strikes inside Iraq.

An Iraqi official confirmed that a “friendly state” had briefed Baghdad on the substance of the threat, prompting Shiite factions to move swiftly toward concessions.

According to the sources, potential targets could have included government institutions linked to Shiite factions and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), powerful financial and military figures, sites and depots for drones and missiles, and training camps.

The two warnings are widely believed to have accelerated a recent wave of political statements by factions calling to “confine weapons to the state,” while simultaneously requesting time and freedom of action, within what they termed a “national framework”, to dismantle their military capabilities. This position remains a point of contention among leaders of the Coordination Framework.

A Message from a “Friendly State”

The threat level first rose with a message from an Arab country that maintains good relations with both Washington and Tehran. The message warned that Baghdad was perilously close to a swift military strike, likened to the targeting of Hamas’ political office in Doha in September 2025.

The message, delivered to Iraqi officials and politicians, stressed that the threat was “extremely serious” and that Israelis were now speaking openly of having received a green light from the United States to act unilaterally in the Iraqi theater.

Iraq has been among the arenas Israel has contemplated striking since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. Iraqi politicians told Asharq Al-Awsat in recent months that Washington had restrained Israel from operating in Iraq, while pressing Baghdad to remove the risks posed by weapons outside state control.

A Western diplomat said US officials felt Iraqi leaders did not fully grasp the gravity of the situation and had grown frustrated with what they saw as a weak response.

An Iraqi government official acknowledged receiving multiple warnings about armed groups from friendly states and Western embassies in Baghdad.

“A Massive File”

Days after the Arab message, Iraqi officials received what sources described as a “massive file” from a Western intelligence service. The file included Israeli-prepared lists packed with detailed information on Iraqi armed factions.

The breadth, precision, and depth of the intelligence stunned Iraqi officials. One told Asharq Al-Awsat that the timing of revealing the extent of Israel’s knowledge was critical. The lists reportedly detailed faction leaders, covert operatives within their inner circles, financiers and business figures tied to the groups, and government institutions serving as fronts for factional influence.

The Western service warned that Israel was on the verge of a broad operation now that the factions’ operational and financial capabilities and the deep networks underpinning their military structures had been exposed. After reviewing parts of the file, Shiite politicians reportedly recalled the pager explosions in Lebanon as a cautionary precedent.

“What Now?”

A senior Shiite leader within the Coordination Framework revealed that the two messages “changed the equation,” pushing party leaders to accelerate steps related to factional arms. Many are now grappling with a single question: what to do next? Disagreements persist over the method and the trusted authority to oversee a transitional phase of weapons consolidation.

The leader noted the first phase would involve handing over ballistic missiles and drones and dismantling and surrendering strategic camps north and south of Baghdad. A second phase, he claimed, would include removing faction-affiliated officials from the PMF, pending the US response.

An official in the State of Law Coalition said an agreement to remove heavy weapons had already existed within the Coordination Framework, even before US pressure intensified. Current disputes center on which state body would take custody of the weapons, amid US distrust of security institutions seen as influenced by factions.

Complicating matters, factions fear implementing disarmament amid fraught negotiations to form a new government. Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani is seeking a second term after winning the largest bloc within the Coordination Framework, a bid opposed by his rival Nouri al-Maliki, who favors a compromise candidate.

US Pressure

The Western intelligence message coincided with the arrival in Iraq of Senior Defense Official Colonel Stephanie Bagley. US defense funding will hinge on three conditions set out in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, passed on Dec. 11, 2025.

The law conditions assistance on Iraq’s ability to publicly and verifiably reduce the operational capacity of Iran-aligned armed groups not integrated into the security forces through disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration. It also requires strengthening the Iraqi prime minister’s authority as commander-in-chief and investigating and prosecuting militia members or security personnel operating outside the official chain of command if involved in attacks or destabilizing acts.

Western diplomatic sources said Bagley is expected to seek a clear, enforceable timeline from Iraqi officials. She met twice in one week with Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah in October 2025.

A former Iraqi official noted that Washington has repeatedly pressed Baghdad for a timeline to dismantle militia influence, especially ahead of 2026, when the US-led coalition is set to complete its mission. A US State Department spokesperson reaffirmed that Washington will continue to press for the disarmament of Iran-backed militias that undermine Iraq’s sovereignty and threaten Iraqis and Americans alike.