The story: 21 months after pledging his “final retirement” from Iraqi politics, Muqtada Al-Sadr is rebranding the Sadrist Movement as the National Shiite Movement. The sudden move is prompting speculations about whether the mercurial Shiite cleric and politician will reenter politics via early parliamentary elections. It also notably comes amid reports of deep rifts among Sadr’s rivals in the Iran-backed Shiite Coordination Framework.

The coverage: The Twitter/X account of Salih Mohammad Al-Iraqi—known for channeling Sadr’s views—on Apr. 10 posted a hand-written note signed by...