Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned Iraqi militia, warned of a “total war” if Iran is attacked and said it would provide military support to Tehran as the United States increases its military presence in the region.
The group's leader, Abu Hussein al‑Hamidawi, issued a blistering statement late on Sunday calling on fighters to be ready for conflict. He accused unnamed "forces of darkness" of assembling to subjugate and destroy Iran and described the country as the "fortress and pride" of Muslims.
“We affirm to the enemies that war against the [Islamic] Republic will not be a walk in the park,”
al‑Hamidawi said. “You will taste the bitterest forms of death, and nothing will remain of you in our region.”
Al‑Hamidawi suggested the militia and other members of the so-called "axis of resistance" — a network of Iran-backed groups that includes Hezbollah in Lebanon and several Iraqi armed factions — would now be prepared to assist Iran, in contrast to reports that regional allies did not come to Iran's aid after strikes last year.
Kataib Hezbollah is one of the largest factions within Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a state-sanctioned umbrella formed in 2014 to resist ISIL's advance. Its status as a powerful armed actor inside Iraq gives its warnings regional resonance.
Meanwhile, U.S. political figures and diplomats have urged Baghdad to avoid becoming entangled in a wider confrontation with Tehran. In a recent exchange, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio urged Iraqi leaders to keep their country independent of Iranian control, saying Iraq could be a force for stability and prosperity if it pursued an autonomous path.
The U.S. has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, and several airlines have temporarily suspended flights across parts of the region amid fears of escalation. Tehran has repeatedly vowed to defend its sovereignty and to respond firmly to any attack.
“Iran is doing everything it can diplomatically, but its armed forces will respond firmly to any violation of the country’s sovereignty,”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.
The situation remains tense, with both rhetoric and force posture raising the risk of miscalculation. Observers say Iraqi politics — including the possible return of former prime minister Nouri al‑Maliki — and competing foreign ties in Baghdad will shape whether Iraq becomes a battleground or a mediator as tensions between Washington and Tehran increase.
