ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Prominent Shiite cleric and leader of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, released a statement on Thursday condemning Iraq’s involvement in conflict with the United Arab Emirates. The statement comes after an Iran-backed Iraqi militia group claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting the Gulf state on Wednesday.
In his statement, Sadr called on “outlaw groups” to refrain from using Iraqi territory as a “launching pad” for attacks targeting other countries in the region. He added that while he supports an end to the Yemen civil war, these issues need to be resolved through dialogue rather than violence.
On Wednesday, the UAE intercepted and destroyed three drones that entered its airspace over unpopulated areas. A little-known group calling itself the “True Promise Brigades” (Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq) claimed responsibility.
These groups have issued threats against the UAE over the past month, coinciding with a series of attacks launched against the country by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition that launched an air and military campaign against Houthi rebels in 2015 following the start of the civil war between the Saudi-backed Yemen government and the Houthis.
In September 2020, the UAE and Israel normalized ties and opened diplomatic missions. Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the UAE for the first time on Monday. In his statement, Sadr rejected the idea of normalizing ties with Israel.
The Iran-backed paramilitary factions are affiliated to parties within the Coordination Framework, an alliance of Shiite parties and Sadr’s main rivals. Sadr places further pressure on the Coordination Framework by referring to the “outlaw groups” as both sides continue to be at loggerheads with regards to the political process in Iraq.
Negotiations regarding government formation and the Iraqi presidency are still underway, with the President due to be announced on February 7. The President will then task the largest parliamentary bloc to form a cabinet which will subsequently name a Prime Minister.
Iraq has also played a key role as mediator between Saudi Arabia and Iran since April 2022, by hosting talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Yemen.
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