Influential Anti-Iran and Anti-US Iraqi Shiite Cleric Seeks Grand Return to Political Life
A once-dominant political force in Iraq, recently weakened Shiite cleric and militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr, allegedly intends to reclaim his seat atop the country’s governmental hierarchy, reportedly already prepping his populist electoral machine for his eventual return.
Sadr leads the Sadrist nationalist movement as well as the Peace Corps militia and has been deeply enmeshed in Iraqi politics since 2003, having fought against the influence of both the United States and Iran. In 2004, Sadr declared a holy war against occupying US forces.
Citing interviews with more than 20 individuals involved in or familiar with Sadr’s political movement and Iraqi domestic political machinations, wire service Reuters indicates that the influential religious leader is most likely planning his official comeback for Iraq’s 2025 parliamentary elections.
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Sadr has supposedly already begun to take steps towards reestablishing himself in Iraqi public and political life.
On March 18, Sadr met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a profoundly influential Shiite cleric whose role in mediating intra-sect clashes has earned him significant acclaim within Iraq.
The meeting between Sadr and Al-Sistani, the latter of whom is a civic and religious leader but mostly apolitical in that he does not often involve himself in Iraq’s internal political squabbles, allegedly prompted Sadr to instruct his deputies to restart communication and campaigning at his former base.
Historically, Sadr has been aligned with neither Iran nor the US, the two traditional powerbrokers in Iraq over the last two decades. Nonetheless, the Islamic Republic undoubtedly desires to see Sadr strengthen Shiite control over Iraq, while the US is similarly more favorable to coalitions harboring anti-Iran sentiments like the Sadrist Movement.
