Iranian-backed militias in Iraq are becoming increasingly vocal about supporting Iran in the case of a war between the US and Iran.
The latest militia to say it backs Iran is the Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba group. Often called Nujaba, it is one of the militias that is closest to Iran in Iraq. It is also part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a paramilitary in Iraq, and it is designated a terrorist group by the US.
Akram al-Kaabi, a leader of the movement, attacked Trump and his Iraq envoy, saying that repeated violations of sovereignty cannot be tolerated. This came after Trump urged Iraq not to appoint Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister.
Maliki, who was the prime minister of Iraq from 2006 to 2014, is very close to Iran. Kaabi “threatened on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, to target American and Israeli soldiers and bases in West Asia if an attack is launched against Iran. He also commented on Trump’s rejection of al-Maliki’s nomination for prime minister, saying: ’We cannot remain silent about the repeated violation of sovereignty and the interference in the country’s internal affairs.'”
The report at Al-Jeebal noted that "we would like to point out the blatant foreign interference in Iraq, the land of prophets and saints, which does not deserve to be humiliated and degraded by the dregs of society and the criminals of our time.” He said his movement could not remain silent. “Trump and his gang, present themselves as guardians and enforcers over Iraq, its people, and its resources,” he said.
He accused Trump of being a tyrant and sending a bad envoy to Iraq. This was apparently a reference to US envoy Mark Savaya, who has urged Iraq not to have militias tied to Iran in the government.
The Nujaba movement also asked about the US withdrawal from Iraq. US forces had left the Ain al-Assad base as part of a deal with Baghdad for US forces to leave by the end of 2025. However, the US is also moving ISIS members from detention in Syria to detainee facilities in Iraq.
Nujaba believes that information “indicates talk about replacing the American occupying forces with other occupying forces from NATO. We, as a free resistance, do not differentiate between any foreign military forces on our land, from any country, whether from NATO, America, or others. All of them remain legitimate targets for us."
'Prepare your graves,' Kaabi warned
Kaabi then slammed the “American-Zionist aggressions and interventions in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the people of Iraq….Any American-Zionist military aggression against Iran means that the entire West Asia region will boil over under your soldiers and bases. So prepare your graves, for if the battle begins, it will not be ended by those who started it. Rather, its vengeance will be passed down from generation to generation, and it will extend to reach your countries and homes.”
The threats follow similar threats by the Badr Organization and Kataib Hezbollah. Secretary General of Kataib Hezbollah, Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, had warned earlier in the week that “the forces of falsehood, the Zionists of the earth and their oppressors, are gathering to try to subdue it, or rather to destroy it and demolish all the moral and ethical constants on the face of the earth.” The statement also warned that Kataib Hezbollah would support Iran and oppose the US and Israel. Kataib Hezbollah is very close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran.
The head of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Qias Khazali, also put out a statement condemning any intervention in Iraq’s affairs. This was a reference to Trump’s statements against former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq, like Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah, is viewed as a terrorist group by the US. Badr Organization is not seen as a terrorist group. Hadi al-Amiri, head of Badr, also slammed what he described as an “intervention” in Iraq.
Clearly, all the pro-Iranian groups have put out similar statements. It shows that Iraq may be one frontline if there are strikes on Iran. The US has moved forces out of most of Iraq, but has forces in the autonomous Kurdistan Region. The US addirionally continues to work in eastern Syria.