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Armed GroupIQ

Iraqi Army

Ground, air, and counter-terrorism forces of the Iraqi state, rebuilt after the 2003 US-led invasion and subsequently tested by the ISIS insurgency.

Last refreshed: 10 May 2026

Key Question

Is Iraq keeping the Iran conflict off its territory, or is the PMF making that impossible?

Timeline for Iraqi Army

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Common Questions
What is Iraq's position in the Iran-US Hormuz conflict?
Iraq has maintained formal neutrality, declining to permit US military operations against Iran from Iraqi territory and refraining from endorsing the Hormuz blockade. The Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), including Iran-aligned militias formally integrated into the Iraqi security architecture, have staged attacks on US bases in Iraq independently of the army's neutrality posture.
How large is the Iraqi Army?
The Iraqi Army has approximately 190,000 active personnel across its conventional army, federal police, and Counter Terrorism Service components, rebuilt under a US-led programme following the 2014 ISIS advance.
What is the relationship between the Iraqi Army and Iran-aligned militias?
The Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), which include several Iran-aligned militias, are formally integrated into the Iraqi security architecture but maintain distinct command relationships outside direct Iraqi Army authority. During the Hormuz conflict, PMF components have conducted attacks on US bases independently of the government's neutrality position.

Background

The Iraqi Army is the national military of the Republic of Iraq, operating under the authority of the Iraqi government and the Commander-in-Chief (the Prime Minister). In the context of the Iran conflict, Iraq is principally relevant as Iran's western land border state whose territory contains US military bases and whose airspace Iran's missile and drone forces would need to cross for any western strike. Iraq has maintained studied neutrality during the Hormuz conflict, declining to permit US military operations against Iran from Iraqi territory while also refraining from endorsing Iran's Hormuz blockade.

The Iraqi Army was rebuilt from near-collapse after the 2014 ISIS advance under a US-led programme that concluded training in 2017. Its current strength is estimated at approximately 190,000 active personnel across conventional army, federal police, and Counter Terrorism Service components. The Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF, also known as Hashd al-Shaabi), which include several Iran-aligned militias, operate in parallel and are formally integrated into the Iraqi security architecture but maintain distinct command relationships. The PMF's Iran-aligned components have staged attacks on US bases in Iraq during the conflict, creating a dual-track security environment inside Iraqi territory.

For the Hormuz conflict record, the Iraqi Army's significance is primarily structural: it constitutes the institutional buffer between Iran and Jordan/Saudi Arabia, and its command-level posture on neutrality constrains both Iranian and US use of Iraqi territory as a war front. The PMF's actions are documented separately under individual militia entities.