It was his first speech in front of parliament as Iraq’s prime minister, and Ali al-Zaidi was quick to set out his stall.“[I am committing to] reforming the security apparatus by restricting weapons to state control and strengthening the capabilities of the security forces,” al-Zaidi pledged in mid-May.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listAl-Zaidi is not the first Iraqi prime minister to promise that the state will have a monopoly on arms in a country where paramilitary groups – including many backed by neighbouring Iran – have been powerful since the 2003 United States-led war on Iraq.But with pressure from Washington to disarm the groups amid the US-Israel war on Iran, and the economic challenges brought on by that war, al-Zaidi knows that he needs to clamp down on the power of Iraq’s paramilitary groups to attract outside investment, and not attract the ire of the US.A number of the groups have played a role during the regional conflict, launching missiles and drones at US facilities in Iraq and the Gulf.Iraqi oil revenue has sharply declined since the beginning of the war in the region in late February and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s main conduits for oil. Iraq had exported about 3.3 million barrels per day (bpd) before the war, roughly 90 percent of it through the Strait of Hormuz. Figures for March show oil exports dropping to about 600,000bpd. Oil revenue represents more than 90 percent of Iraq’s state budget.“Neither the economy not stability can f …
