Mohammed Shiaa al‑Sudani is the prime minister of Iraq (in office since October 27, 2022). He is Iraq’s head of government and, as of January 2026, is leading government‑formation efforts and coordinating security matters including handling transferred ISIS detainees.
A rapid collapse/withdrawal of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria and Syrian government advances created a security vacuum at SDF‑run prisons and camps (including escapes and clashes). To prevent mass breakout and regrouping, U.S. forces began transferring hundreds of IS detainees from northeast Syria into secure facilities in Iraq (an operation that could move up to ~7,000 detainees).
Detainees transferred to or held in Iraq include people from Iraq plus foreign nationals described by Iraqi and international media as “Europeans, Asians, Arabs” (e.g., citizens from France, other EU countries, and Asian states); precise national lists and totals vary and are still being confirmed case‑by‑case. Repatriation is being coordinated diplomatically between Iraq, the U.S. (CENTCOM), and countries of nationality—Iraq has urged states to rapidly repatriate their citizens, while U.S. and Iraqi officials have been arranging secure transfers and diplomatic outreach.
Iraq says transferred suspects will be held in Iraqi secure facilities and processed under Iraqi law; Iraq’s judiciary and security services have said courts and prosecutors will prepare terrorism trials. Some transfers have been coordinated with U.S. forces and Iraqi judicial authorities; details on specific legal charges or trial timelines vary by case and nationality.
In this context, a “government controlled by Iran” means an Iraqi cabinet and leadership dominated by political parties, officials, or militia proxies aligned with Tehran—i.e., where Tehran’s allied Shia blocs exercise decisive influence over policy and appointments—rather than a broadly independent, Iraq‑first government.
Greater Iranian influence—through allied parties or pro‑Iran militias gaining control—could tilt Iraq’s foreign policy toward closer ties with Iran, reduce cooperation with the U.S. (including security and military partnerships), draw Iraq into regional rivalries, and limit Baghdad’s ability to pursue an independent, Western‑facing agenda; U.S. officials warn this would undermine Iraq’s ability to prioritize its own national interests and keep out of regional conflicts.