Sistani: Iraq Could Face ‘Partition’ without Reform

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual leader of Iraqi Shias, warned on Thursday that Iraq could face “partition” and other dire consequences if real reform is not carried out.

“Today, if true reform is not realized by fighting corruption without mercy and realizing social justice on different levels, it is expected that circumstances will become worst that before, Sistani said in a written statement. “(Iraq) could be dragged to… partition and the like, God forbid.” (AFP, 20 August)

Without rampant corruption, especially in the security forces, and misuse of power by top officials, “the Daesh terrorist organization would not have been able to control a large part of the territory of Iraq,” Sistani added, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL.

Many Iraqi politicians, Sistani said, “did not take the overall interests of the Iraqi people into consideration, and were instead concerned with their personal interests, and factional, sectarian and ethnic concerns.” (AFP, 20 August)

Even with popular support and Grand Ayatollah Sistani’s backing, the entrenched nature of corruption and the fact parties across the political spectrum benefit from it make changes recently proposed by Prime Minister Abadi extremely difficult, AFP said.

File photo: Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual leader of Iraqi Shias (AFP)

Iraqis Take to Streets Protesting Rampant Corruption and Lack of Services

Tens of thousands of Iraqis demonstrated in Baghdad, Basra and several other southern cities on Friday to protest the financial and administrative corruption rampant in Iraqi ministries and lack of the basic services, like the electricity, as the temperatures exceeded 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), The Middle East Eye reported.

Today’s demonstrations, the second Friday of protests, took place hours after Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual leader of the Iraqi Shias, called on Iraqi prime minister to fight corruption and launch a campaign to reform the government.

“The country is facing complicated economic problems and a tremendous lack of services. All of this is a result of financial and administrative corruption which has existed in various governmental departments and institutions for years,” said Ahmad al-Safy, Sistani’s representative in a televised Friday prayer from Karbala. (Middle East Eye, 7 August)

“The prime minister is the top executive official of the counry… He is supposed to show more courage and resolve in regards to steps toward reformation… He must hit with an iron fist whoever is tampering with public money, and work to end unaccepted privileges which are granted to our officials,” Safy added.

In Baghdad, security was very tight and the roads that led to demonstration site were blocked for miles, while anti-riot police was deployed on every street corner near the protests who gathered in central Baghdad’s Tahrir Square.

Photo credit: Tens of thousands of Iraqi demonstrators gather at Tahrir Square; Baghdad, 7 August 2015 (Twitter)

Iran foreign minister and IRGC Quds Force commander in Iraq - Updated

[Updated to include FM Zarif's visit to Baghdad, 07:54 on 28JUL15]

During the last stage of his post-JCPOA Gulf diplomacy tour, Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his diplomatic delegation arrive evening of 26JUL15 at Najaf International Airport in Iraq.

Zarif's aircraft is Islamic Republic of Iran Government Boeing 737-286/Adv, reg. EP-AGA (cn 21317/483). First open-source photo of this VIP aircraft in service since very recent D-check by Iran Air and repainting in new style of government livery [see HERE].

Zarif's itinerary includes visits to the Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, and shrines of Imam Ali and Imam Hussein, and meeting with "Big Four" Grand Ayatollahs Sistani, Hakim, Fayyadh and Basheer Najafi (see below).

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on 26JUL15 at the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, Iraq

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on 26JUL15 praying at the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, Iraq 

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif with Sayyed Hashem Nizar, Secretary General of the upper threshold of the sacred at Imam Ali shrine

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif with Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Sa'id al-Tabataba'i al-Hakim. The Grand Ayatollah's second cousin, Sayyed Ammar al-Hakim leads the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, one of the largest Shia political parties in Iraq.

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif with Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Ishaq al-Fayyadh. Born in a village in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan to Hazara parents, this Grand Ayatollah holds Iranian and Afghani citizenships

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif with Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Basheer Hussain Najafi

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and diplomatic delegation arriving 27JUL15 at Baghdad International Airport

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif with Iraq Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, on 27JUL15 in Baghdad

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif with Iraq Prime Minister Haider Jawad Kadhim Al-Abadi, on 27JUL15 in Baghdad

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif with Iraq President Muhammad Fuad Masum, on 27JUL15 in Baghdad

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif with Seyed Ammar al-Hakim, President of Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, on 27JUL15 in Baghdad.

Photo appearing this week on social media depicting IRGC-QF Commander Qasem Soleimaini, in Baghdad, with Popular Mobilization Force Commander Abu Mahdi al Muhandis and combat leaders from Iran-backed Kata'ib Jund al-Imam. Note in background flags of Kurdistan and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Location possibly Sulaymaniyah.

Photos: Mehr News Agency, Islamic Republic News Agency

Saudi King Praises Sistani’s Role in Iraq

Iraqi President in Riyadh for ‘Normalizing Diplomatic and Political Relations’ 

The Iraqi President Fuad Masum said in a statement today that during his talks with Saudi King Abdullah on Tuesday, the Saudi monarch praised Ayatollah Sistani’s role in sustaining unity in Iraq.

“President Fuad Masum met with Suadi King where they discussed mutual relations and means of promoting them. The Saudi King praised the stance and role of the Religious Authority Sistani in sustaining unity and security in Iraq,” said a statement issued by the office of Iraqi president. (Iraqi News, 12 November)

Masum arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday in an attempt at patching up long-strained relations between the two countries as Baghdad battles Jihadist militants, a senior Iraqi official told the Daily Star on Wednesday. The meeting between Masum and King Abdullah was the highest-level contact between the neighboring countries in years.

“The main focus of the visit is normalizing diplomatic and political relations between the two countries,” Iraqi Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari said. (AFP, 12 November)

Maliki’s eight years in office were marked by tensions with Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh blaming Maliki’s government for sectarian policies that helped the rise of the Islamic State. Ayatollah Sistani, however, has been a voice of moderation in the country and has called for fair treatment of minorities, including the Sunnis, and closer relations with the Sunni world.

File photo: Saudi King Abdullah and Iraqi President Masum in Riyadh (AFP/SPA/Iraqi News)

Iran and the Islamic State threat

By Paul Iddon

Any Iranian leader, government or regime, would be understandable impelled to at least support efforts to quash a threat like Islamic State in Iran's neighbour Iraq.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

One thing the present crisis in Iraq reassured me about, and there were of course very few things to be reassured about over this long hot summer whereby the Middle East is concerned, was my view that the Ayatollah Sistani is for the most part a quite productive influence in that Shia-majority country. Before the last elections in Iraq he refused to even speak with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki since he in no way wished to have his council directly or indirectly influence the political process let alone even tacitly endorse nor favour Mr. Maliki's government. Similarly, and contrary to the false and later withdrawn claims of some news agencies, he was sure to emphasis that this isn't a sectarian fight and accordingly called on the Shia faithful of Iraq to enlist in the army and beef-up and invigorate the states demoralized armed forces in order to fight off this Islamic State threat. By doing this Sistani wasn't calling for fighting fire with fire. On the contrary he was advocating measures be taken which would see to water being used in order to extinguish this dangerous raging fire and in the process prevent it from sparking other lethally dangerous fires of sectarian violence which have plagued Iraqi society in the past. 

The theocracy in Iran is also contributing to the fight against IS via very sectarian proxy militias and by other means – they were also quick to arm the Iraqi Kurds who are on the front-line in the fight against IS in Iraq, something which the KRG is quite thankful for given the circumstances they are facing. This is seeing to other sectarian Shia militias once again emerge armed on the streets of Iraq. They may likely in the not too distant future also enter Sunni neighbourhoods freshly liberated from IS control.

While one certainly wouldn't endorse or even excuse Iran use of such sectarian proxy forces in Iraq one must put this into its broader regional context before one can productively critique this role Iran is once again playing in Iraq. If Iran had a democratic, pluralistic and secular government it would more likely than not have feelers and advisers on the ground in Iraq right now in order to ascertain what's what and what it can do to see to it that IS is combated and doesn't also become a threat to Iran.

In other words when critiquing Iran's role in Iraq we have to recognize that as a regional power Iran has legitimate and understandable interests when it comes to assisting its neighbour combat such a dangerous foe like IS. We also should not hasten to forget, or cease to acknowledge, that it is the Iranian people who will more likely than not ultimately suffer from the brunt of any potential terrorist acts carried out by such a group in Iran. In the past they suffered from attacks by the Jundallah. In the future it could very well be the Islamic State if it isn't contained and combated. No government in Tehran after all could realistically ignore such a threat when there is something it could do in order to help alleviate and neuter it substantially.

This isn't a tacit approval or justification of any of the Iranian regimes activities in Iraq in the past or present. It is merely a contextualization of the present circumstances permeating throughout that region which is Iran's backyard in a geopolitical sense after all. The Iranian regimes present role there is still quite unproductive and may even serve to be dangerous to both the nations interests and its citizenry. And sadly if in the future IS or a dangerous fanatical group like it do manage to level terrorist attacks against Iran it is the Iranian people who will suffer from such attacks. The same people who already bear the burdens and hardships brought on them by the unproductive actions undertaken by the regime which presently rules over them.

Sistani Backs New Iraqi PM

Grand Ayatllah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's Shia leader, on Friday threw his support behind the country’s new prime minister. Sistani urged Prime Minister-designate Haider al-Abadi to work for unity of Iraq and end corruption. Sistan, leading the Friday prayers, said the transition was a rare opportunity to resolve “political and security crisis.” (Reuters, 15 August)

Note: Grand Ayatollah Sistani had urged the new premier to work "for unity of IRAQ and end corruption." An earlier version of this post had mistakenly said Iran instead of Iraq. My apologies, it was just a typo!

Maliki said to be losing support from Iran & Al-Sistani

According to the Wall Street Journal:

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is losing political support for his bid for a third term from core backers, including the country's Shiite religious establishment and ally Iran, say Iraqi officials.

The shift, officials said, is prompting members of the premier's own alliance to reconsider their support and dimming the prospect of his stay in power.

In recent days, high-level delegations of Iranian military officials and diplomats held a flurry of meetings in Baghdad and the Shiite religious capital Najaf, where they were told that Mr. Maliki, a Shiite, has lost the confidence of all but his most loyal inner circle, Iraqi officials with knowledge of the meetings said.

One Iraqi official briefed on the meetings said Iranian representatives signaled during their visit that Tehran has "really started to lean away from Maliki as a candidate."

Also critically, Mr. Maliki's bid to stay in office has, say prominent Shiite politicians, run into opposition from Iraq's top Shiite spiritual authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who has become central to the grinding talks between political blocs to form a government.

COMMENTARY: Difficult to ascertain the veracity of these Iraqi-Shia officials, or even their identities. However given Iraqi struggles on the battlefield as well as the security situation on the terrain they control,  political pressure against Maliki's is surely being levied against his bid for a third term.

Another interesting development is the large field of Iraqi presidential candidates put forward, including more than one PUK candidates, as reported by Reidar Visser at his Iraq and Gulf Analysis blog.

Sistani Calls For End of Assad and Maliki Rule

The Shia spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani today called for removal of Iraqi and Syrian leaders to limit a growing sectarian conflict in the region. Sistani made the comments in Shia holy city of Najaf in southern Iraq during a meeting with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. (Al Siyassa/The Gulf Daily News, 15 November)

Grand Ayatollah Sistani’s objection to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki staying in power puts him in direct conflict with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who backs both Syrian and Iraqi leaders. Iraqi Shia strongman Moqtada al-Sadr is an adherent of Sistani.

Davutoglu is the most senior Turkish official to visit Iraq in two years. After his meeting in Najaf, Davutoglu described Sistani as the “safety valve” of Iraq who stands against Shia-Sunni sectarian conflict in Iraq and the region.

Meanwhile, a bomber wearing a police uniform today detonated an explosives belt in a crowd of Shia pilgrims in the eastern Iraqi city of Al Sadiya, killing 35.

File photo: Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani (The Gulf Daily News)