IRAQI CLERIC MUQTADA AL-SADR URGES IRGC, ALLIED MILITIAS TO LEAVE IRAQI OUT OF THE WAR

Wed 29 July 2026:

Influential Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and armed militias on to refrain from attacks involving Iraqi territory, warning against dragging the country into another war.

In a statement on X Sadr said on Wednesday, Iraq had not been used as a launching pad for attacks on Iran and that the Revolutionary Guards should therefore keep away from Iraqi soil. he said adding that “rogue militias must not give our brothers in the Gulf states a pretext to target our sacred land.”

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.”

Sadr condemned violations of Iraq’s sovereignty and what he called attempts by militias to “drag Iraq into a pointless war,” calling on the government to establish security and enforce state authority. He also cautioned against “dormant terrorist cells, both within and outside the country,” that could exploit sectarianism to destabilise Iraq.

“Iraq and its people need peace,” Sadr said, adding that the country had “had enough of a war that has, regrettably, drained all of Iraq’s resources and dignity.” He appealed to neighbouring states for peace and reconciliation, calling for a region “free from foreign bases, normalisation, and the abhorrent colonial hegemony.”

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

US-Saudi air strikes kill at least 20 Iraqi fighters

Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) says US-Saudi attacks have killed at least 20 of its fighters and wounded 32 others in strikes across seven provinces.

The PMF said the casualty toll was preliminary and could rise with field assessments under way.

The attacks hit PMF positions in the provinces of Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala and Diyala, the state-sanctioned umbrella group of mostly Shia militias said in a statement.

The strikes also caused varying degrees of damage to buildings, vehicles and military equipment.

Iraqi PM postpones visit to Saudi Arabia after deadly attack

An Iraqi government source says the prime minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia on Thursday has been postponed.

Ali al-Zaidi was expected in the kingdom for an official visit to sign memoranda of understanding in several sectors and to discuss security coordination and regional developments.

The postponement follows joint US-Saudi attacks which killed at least 20 Iraqi fighters this morning.

Proxy attacks on Saudi Arabia not a wise move by Iran

Iran is making a mistake by allowing its proxies to target Saudi Arabia, says Sultan Barakat, a professor at Qatar’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

Over the past few months, Iran adopted the wise approach of keeping Riyadh out of the war and managed to “successfully neutralise their influence”, Barakat told Al Jazeera.

However, Iran has seemingly lost control over its proxies in Iraq and Yemen over the past couple of weeks, he said, adding “little by little” these armed groups have changed Saudi Arabia’s stance.

“First they started by undermining its interests in the Red Sea, and now we’re seeing direct attacks on Saudi installations coming from Iraq,” said Barakat.

This is significant “not only because it will probably force Saudi to change its position vis-a-vis the war, but it will also maybe change the global alliance for President Trump, because many more countries will come to Saudi Arabia’s aid, particularly in the Red Sea, if the equation changes”.

It’s a “really bad calculation” on Iran’s part because over the past two weeks Tehran “managed to shift the discussion from the nuclear programme to the Strait of Hormuz”, said Barakat.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

__________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22