Al-Sadr urges Iran-backed groups to keep Iraq out of regional conflict

"Rogue militias must not give our brothers in the Gulf states a pretext to target our sacred land," he wrote on X. He urged all sides not to “be drawn into the schemes of the Zionist-American enemy to incite brothers to fight and kill one another.”

"Iraq and its people need peace," al-Sadr said, calling for a region free from foreign military bases and colonial domination. His comments come as Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaydi called for an urgent security meeting after a joint US-Saudi attack on pro-Iranian forces in the country. At least 10 members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation forces were killed in the US-Saudi strikes across the country, two members of the military grouping told the AFP news agency.

An Iranian military source has denied accusations of Iran's involvement in the firing of projectiles from other countries at targets in Saudi Arabia, according to state media. While Sadr has worked closely with Iran in the past, he is known for his independent streak and focus on Iraq domestically, rather than a wider regional focus. Like much of the region, Iraq has found itself entangled in the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has once again plunged the Gulf into chaos. While many in Iraq share a common Shia faith with Iran, the country is still struggling with the aftermath of the US-led invasion of 2003, which resulted in decades of sectarian and political strife. The country is home to many Shia factions, who have strong ties to both Iran and the central Iraqi government. Not all of these, however, are fully in line with Iran's foreign policy.