Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Sadrist Movement and a prominent Iraqi Shiite figure, issued a statement calling on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to refrain from targeting Iraqi territory, while simultaneously urging Iraqi armed factions to stop providing neighboring countries with pretexts for military action.
In the statement published on Wednesday, July 29, Al-Sadr wrote that Iraq must not become a launchpad for targeting the Islamic Republic, while appealing to “our brothers in the Revolutionary Guards” to refrain from attacking the “sacred and independent land of Iraq.” He also warned what he described as “outlaw militias” against provoking attacks on Iraq by Arab states in the Persian Gulf through their actions.
Condemning any violation of Iraqi territory, regardless of its origin, the Sadrist leader called on the government in Baghdad to assert its sovereignty, enforce security, and prevent the country from being dragged into war and sectarian conflict. He emphasized that Iraq and its people need peace above all else, noting that decades of conflict have exhausted the nation’s capacity and resources.
The statement comes after repeated IRGC strikes targeting Kurdish opposition parties in Iraqi Kurdistan since the outbreak of the 40-day war. Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early on Wednesday, July 29, that U.S. and Saudi forces had carried out a joint operation targeting positions belonging to Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq.
