Ayatollah Ali Sistani: Weapon possession must be restricted to the Iraqi state

Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani told Iraqi media on Monday that weapons must be restricted to the Iraqi state and that officials must enforce the rule of law, according to Al Arabiya.

Sistani, the highest-ranked Shia cleric in Iraq and co-highest in the world, met with the new head of the UN mission to Iraq to discuss regional tensions, in particular, the attacks launched by Iraqi militias.

Sistani stressed the need to enforce the rule of law, restrict the possession of weapons to the state of Iraq, and combat corruption at all levels.

This comes amid reports that Iran is planning to use Iraq as a staging ground for attacks on Israel.