Iraqi presidency says state control of weapons needs major powers to respect sovereignty

BAGHDAD — A spokesman for the Iraqi presidency said on Sunday that placing weapons under state control requires major powers, especially the United States, to commit to respecting Iraq's sovereignty, according to Al Jazeera.

The statement was reported in a breaking-news post on the Telegram channel of Al Jazeera Arabic on 18 October 2026. The post said the spokesman made the remarks to Al Jazeera. The channel's post is the only source for the statement. The full interview had not been published in the material available to Zenga News.

According to the post, the spokesman said that "confining weapons" to the state depends on a commitment from the major powers. The post named the United States specifically. It did not say whether the spokesman was responding to a particular event, proposal or government plan.

What is not confirmed

The post did not name the spokesman. It did not give the wording of any further remarks. It did not say what the presidency expects of the United States or of other countries, and it did not say which armed groups or weapons the statement covered.

No response from the United States, the Iraqi government or other Iraqi officials appeared in the sources reviewed. Zenga News could not independently verify the spokesman's remarks or the circumstances in which they were made.

The phrase "confining weapons to the state" is commonly used in Arabic-language coverage to describe the idea that only official state forces should hold arms. The Telegram post did not define the term, and this report does not attribute any specific policy to the presidency beyond what the post says.

Background

The statement came on the same day that Al Azhar in Egypt issued a separate appeal on regional conflict, according to the Indonesian outlet Republika. That appeal did not mention Iraq.

In a statement on 18 October 2026, Al Azhar's Grand Imam, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, called for the immediate formation of a mediation committee made up of representatives of Arab and Islamic countries. Republika said the call came as hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-allied Houthi militia were escalating in a new round of conflict in the Middle East.

Al-Tayeb urged Arab and Muslim leaders to uphold bonds of religion, blood and language, and to give priority to wisdom and dialogue. He warned that division and internal conflict had weakened the Arab and Islamic worlds, threatened their security and sovereignty, and drained resources.

Al Azhar said the proposed committee should bring together wise and sincere figures from Arab and Islamic countries to ease the crisis and resolve disputes. It said it was ready to give the committee all possible support. Republika described the initiative as a relatively rare step for the institution in politics and diplomacy, and said it was likely to be seen as largely symbolic.

The two items come from different outlets and concern different statements. Neither source links the Iraqi presidency's remarks to the Al Azhar appeal or to the Saudi-Houthi hostilities.