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Subscriptions help us deliver original coverage of the region's most important issues.The story: Sadrist Movement leader, Muqtada Al-Sadr, is seemingly dismissing US pressure to engage with other key players to resolve the political deadlock in Iraq. This comes as Tehran and Washington increasingly appear to share common ground in their view of the necessity for dialogue to result in a new government in Baghdad.
The details: Iraq’s President Barham Salih received US Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski in Baghdad on Aug. 24. The two sides discussed “easing tensions in the region through dialogue,” among other topics.
Hours after the meeting between Romanowski and Salih, a Twitter account associated with Sadr took an implicit jab at the US.
Only days earlier, on Aug.19, the same Twitter account accused Sadr’s rivals in the Iran-backed Shiite Coordination Framework of having “entered [Iraq] with US tanks,” referring to the 2003 American-led invasion. It also alleged that in comparison to Sadr, the Coordination Framework is “closer to eastern [Iranian] and western [US] agendas.”
The Iranian and US dimensions: The relationship between Sadr and the US has been highly contentious since the American-led invasion of Iraq almost two decades ago.
On the other hand, Sadr has also had a troubled relationship with neighboring Iran, which is also home to a majority Shiite Muslim population.
The bigger picture is that the US has no interest in the collapse of the political system set up under its previous occupation to replace Saddam Hussein's rule. Iran, on the other hand, neither seeks an end to a political establishment dominated by its allies.
The current Iraqi context: The Sadrist Movement became the single largest bloc in Iraq’s Oct. 2021 parliamentary elections. In the aftermath of the polls, Sadr sought to break the post-2003 norm of forming a consensus cabinet with all political forces represented. Instead, he attempted to establish a “national majority government” along with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Sunni blocs. That would have sidelined the Iran-backed Coordination Framework from power.
The future: At least so far, there are no signs of Sadr backtracking on his demands. Instead, he appears to be sticking to continued escalation of street politics. In addition to crippling the parliament, he is also taking aim at the judiciary—accusing it of acting as a tool of his political rivals.