A senior representative of Harakat al-Nujaba has accused the United States of pressuring the Iraqi government to sideline the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), describing the group as a fundamental part of the nation’s defense structure.

Speaking to Iran’s Mehr News Agency on Sunday, Abbas al-Mousawi, the movement’s representative in Iran, said the PMF "has always been and remains an inseparable part of Iraq’s armed forces." He emphasized that the PMF is “a formal and independent institution” that operates directly under the authority of the Prime Minister, who also serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Al-Mousawi addressed recent discussions over possible amendments to the PMF’s legal framework, clarifying that such changes would only provide the group with limited autonomy—“while still remaining under the Prime Minister’s oversight, not the regular army's command,” he explained.

Formed in 2014 in response to a fatwa by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urging Iraqis to resist the Islamic State (ISIS), the PMF drew tens of thousands of volunteers, mostly from Shiite factions. The group was instrumental in stopping ISIS’s advance after the militants overran large parts of northern and western Iraq.

“The Popular Mobilization was built by passionate Iraqi youth and has become a pillar of popular resistance,” al-Mousawi stated. “This is precisely why the United States continues to apply significant pressure on the Iraqi government to marginalize it.”

Media reports in the region have recently suggested that there are plans to dissolve the PMF, but these claims have been consistently denied by Iraqi officials. Leaders within the PMF have also rejected any talk of disbandment, reiterating the group’s crucial role in defending Iraq’s sovereignty and maintaining its internal security.