Since October 2017, control over Iraq’s disputed internal boundaries, contested between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Government of Iraq, has been dominated by the Popular Mobilization Forces paramilitaries in cooperation with Baghdad. This article introduces the concept of trans-regional governance, as a form of multi-layered, proxy-mediated authority, operating through external actors who shape local outcomes via strategic alliances, identity-based affiliations, and material support. Hence, it fills the existing literature gap, which often overlooks the multi-scalar entanglements that connect local governance with regional and global power structures. The data are based on semi-structured interviews conducted between October 2022 and May 2024 in Khanaqin and Kirkuk with local journalists, religious authorities, political experts, politicians, and citizens. The main findings underscore how Iran and Turkey use trans-regional governance to strategically support their local allies on the ground, thereby translating regional strategies into local actions.