The story: In audio recordings leaked on social media, several alleged senior Sadrists are heard criticizing the leader of the Iraqi movement. The clips are gaining attention as internal criticism of Shiite cleric and politician Muqtada Al-Sadr is rare within his camp. The leaks are also notable as they come against the backdrop of tensions between Sadr, Iran and the Tehran-backed Shiite Coordination Framework.

The audio leaks: On Sept. 4, two audio recordings of alleged senior Sadrists slamming the leader of their movement emerged on Iraqi social media. The hashtags “Hannana_leaks” and “leaks_war” trended in Arabic, and circulated widely by supporters of Sadr’s political rivals...