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Iran transferred long-range missiles to pro-Iranian militias in Iraq for the first time, according to a report in the UKs The Times. The Iraqi based Iranian proxies had attacked Israel with missiles and drones during the war, but those attacks stopped even before the cease-fire agreements were reached in the fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
According to the report, regional intelligence services said that the surface-surface-missiles were transferred last week, by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Air Force. sources told the Times that two other types of missiles, with a shorter range, the Quds 351 cruise and Jamal 69 ballistic missiles, were also smuggled into Iraq last week.
The report comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that direct negotiations with Iran would begin on Saturday to reach a new deal over Iran's nuclear weapons program. Trump warned that if a deal was not reached, Iran would suffer greatly after threatening military action. Iran denied direct negotiations and insisted that Oman would mediate between the two countries.
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Administration officials close to the negotiations told the Washington Post that special Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff would probably travel to Tehran if invited.
The leader in Iraq’s Harakat al-Nujaba militia denied a Reuters report claiming that Iranian-backed militias in the country have agreed to disarm due to U.S. pressure and concerns over potential confrontation with the United States. According to Reuters, Iraq was considering integrating the militia forces into its military.
Izzat al-Shabandar, a senior Shiite politician close to Iraq’s government, said that discussions between Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and several militia leaders are in a "very advanced" stage and that the militias are inclined to comply with the American demands, Reuters said in its report.