Iraqi efforts to establish a unified security coordination council involving Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Iran have been met with skepticism amid ongoing regional tensions and proxy conflicts, according to analysts and commentators. The initiative, announced recently by Iraqi Prime Minister’s Security Adviser Qasim Al-Araji, aims to foster security cooperation among the three countries but faces significant challenges related to longstanding mistrust and the influence of armed militias.

Eng. Adel Al-Jarallah Al-Kharafi, writing in a regional daily, characterized the initiative as largely disconnected from the current realities on the ground. He argued that Iraq must first address the presence of militias linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) within its borders before meaningful cooperation can occur. Al-Kharafi pointed out that Tehran-backed factions have played a central role in recent attacks against Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, including missile and drone strikes targeting Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and others.

“These militias are not acting independently but are carrying out the Revolutionary Guard’s directives,” Al-Kharafi wrote. He noted that despite Iraqi government announcements about efforts to limit weapons to state control, armed groups affiliated with Iran have recently departed from previously agreed terms under pressure from Iranian officials. The commentator cited the visit of Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as an example of symbolic gestures undermining trust, referencing Ghalibaf’s display of a map labeling the waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula as the “Persian Gulf” rather than the “Arabian Gulf,” a contentious issue in regional diplomacy.

The article suggested that the initiative may serve more as a façade to deflect Iranian responsibility for aggressive actions in the Gulf region rather than a genuine attempt at conflict resolution. It highlighted Iran’s historical pattern of leveraging proxy forces in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and elsewhere to destabilize neighboring countries, creating a “war in every sense of the word” that has resulted in loss of life and economic damage.

Questions were raised about whether diplomatic efforts alone can reverse the consequences of ongoing hostilities, such as the Houthi attacks on Saudi vessels in the Red Sea and assaults on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Given these continuing provocations, the Iraqi initiative faces an uphill battle in delivering tangible security improvements.

Observers see the effort as potentially undermined by contradictory motives, particularly from Iran, which appears to maintain strategic aims at odds with the stated goal of fostering regional stability. The prevailing view is that without sincere commitment to respecting sovereignty and good neighborly relations, the proposed coordination framework may not prevent future provocations or contribute to lasting peace in the Gulf.