Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, revealed details of a recent phone call with Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, centered on concerns about the disarmament issue shifting from Hezbollah in Lebanon to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

This came in response to a question about similar conspiracies allegedly orchestrated by the United States against the PMF in Iraq, during an interview with Iran’s Tasnim News Agency. Velayati referred to a recent phone call with Maliki, whom he described as “a brave man” for issuing the death sentence against Saddam Hussein during his tenure and for expelling the “hypocrite group”—referring to U.S. forces—from Iraq.

According to Velayati, Maliki affirmed during the call that the United States and Israel would move on from Lebanon to target the PMF in Iraq.

Velayati added, “We agreed that Iran and Iraq will reject the disarmament of Hezbollah in Lebanon or the PMF in Iraq and will stand against it.”

He continued: “Without the PMF, the Americans would have swallowed Iraq. The PMF plays the same role in Iraq that Hezbollah plays in Lebanon.”

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants condemned Velayati’s statements on Saturday, calling them “a blatant and unacceptable interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs.”

In Iraq, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani emphasized on Saturday that the monopoly of arms by the state and the enforcement of the rule of law are principles advocated by the religious authority and cannot be compromised. He clarified that these principles “do not mean targeting any group or individual.”

The Iraqi Parliament first passed the PMF law in 2016, though it lacked detailed organizational and structural provisions. Current amendments are seen as an attempt to redefine the PMF’s role within Iraq’s official security institutions.

The PMF was established in mid-2014 by a decision from the Iraqi government, following a call by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for “sufficient jihad” to confront ISIS after the fall of Mosul to the group.