BAGHDAD (AP) — Muqtada al-Sadr, the maverick Shiite cleric who emerged as the main winner in Iraq's parliamentary elections last month, campaigned on a platform to end sectarian politics and replace it with a government that puts Iraqis first.
Instead, he has forged a postelection coalition with a rival Shiite bloc that includes some of the most powerful militias operating in Iraq — groups that get their funding and support from Tehran.
The deal underscores the active role Iran is taking in shaping the next government of Iraq, sending key military and spiritual advisers to revive a grand coalition of Shiite parties as a conduit for its influence in Baghdad. It also illustrates how Iran has gained sway over al-Sadr, who once called for booting foreign influence from Iraq.
Two Shiite politicians with inside knowledge of the party talks told The Associated Press that the new coalition between al-Sadr's Sa'eroun bloc and Hadi al-Amiri's Fatah bloc came on the heels of intensive Iranian lobbying, including visits by the influential Gen. Qassem Soleimani and the highly respected son of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who met with al-Sadr earlier this month.
They spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.
For Iraqi voters, after delivering what was supposed to be a pivotal election result that looked beyond religious affiliation, the coalition means a dispiriting return to business as usual.
"This coalition is a product of Iran's desire to influence internal forces in Iraq," said Wathiq al-Hashimi of the Iraqi Group for Strategic Studies. "But besides the Shiite National Alliance, there will be a Sunni alliance and a Kurdish alliance, and a return of sectarianism among all the armed blocs and factions... This is the most dangerous thing in Iraq right now." READ MORE
