Secretary-General of Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi called on Sunday so-called "mujahideen" fighters to prepare for "total war" in support of Iran amid the rising tensions between Tehran and the United States.
Officials acknowledged the arrival of a US aircraft carrier to the region Monday. President Donald Trump ordered the carriers to move to the Middle East as he threatened military action over Iran's crackdown on nationwide protests.
The entire region is mired in a tense waiting game to see if Trump will strike.
Kataib Hezbollah sat out from Israel's 12-day war on Iran in June that saw the US bomb Iranian nuclear sites. The hesitancy to get involved shows the disarray still affecting Iran's self-described “Axis of Resistance” after facing attacks from Israel during its war on Hamas in Gaza.
Al-Hamidawi's call was the first by Iran-aligned factions in Iraq in wake of the latest tensions, while the Baghdad government and majority of political parties have kept silent. Baghdad is embroiled in the process of forming a new government and naming a new prime minister.
In a statement, al-Hamidawi called on "mujahideen across the land to prepare for total war in support of" Iran that has "for over four decades stood by the weak, without discrimination over sect, race or color."
He said "Zionists across the earth are trying to destroy Iran", calling on members of the Axis to support it with whichever means they can.
"We affirm to the enemies that the war on Iran will not be a picnic; rather, you will taste the bitterest forms of death, and nothing will remain of you in our region," he declared.
Washington had previously designated as terrorist four Iraqi armed factions, including Kataib Hezbollah. It accused Iran of supporting "these militias in planning or facilitating attacks" across Iraq.
The US has for months been pressuring Iraqi authorities to limit the possession of weapons to the state and bring under control armed factions that operate independently of the armed forces and that have carried out attacks against Washington's interests in Iraq.
Meanwhile, an official source in the pro-Iran Coordination Framework distanced the coalition from al-Hamidawi's statement.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, the source said the Kataib Hezbollah's "behavior and statements at this time are inappropriate and only further complicate the situation in Iraq."
"Political forces in Iraq are preoccupied with the formation of a new government that has several problems to deal with, including the dire economy," added the source on condition of anonymity.
"The government is not prepared to join any war with any party," it stressed.
It doubted that al-Hamidawi's call to fight will be heeded by other factions "because they are aware that they cannot confront the US, just as they were aware during the 12-day war that they did not join."
The majority of the factions prefer to stand on the sidelines than join a war that may perhaps destroy or weaken them, it went on to say.
Moreover, the Coordination Framework leaderships refuse to embroil Iraq in a new war, it added.
