Over the past decade, Iraq has become home to a cluster of Gulf Arab opposition groups whose activities could risk Baghdad’s efforts to stabilize relations with its southern neighbors. Several of these foreign actors are believed to be funded by influential Iran-allied political players in Iraq, and are also thought to be tacitly encouraged by Tehran to continue their activities.

However, this state of affairs has also prompted pundits to question the motivation of Iraq’s current government in seemingly allowing such groups to operate on Iraqi territory. Since coming to power in 2022, the administration of...