As fears of a US ground invasion of Iran grow, a Popular Mobilization Forces commander has revealed that Iraqi fighters affiliated with Hashd al-Shaabi are already inside southern Iran, positioned to support the Islamic Republic if American troops cross the border. He called their presence “completely natural,” claiming they are there for religious and ideological reasons, not under formal PMF deployment orders. But he admitted their role could be to prepare for a possible ground war with the US, echoing past militia support for the Houthis.