Peregraf — Influential Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday called for peace and urged all parties to avoid dragging Iraq into a wider regional conflict, hours after the United States and Saudi Arabia carried out strikes targeting Iran-aligned armed groups across several Iraqi provinces.
In a statement, al-Sadr said Iraq “is a land of holy sites” and should not be used as a battleground by regional powers.
“Since this holy land was not a launching pad for bombing the Islamic Republic, the brothers in the Revolutionary Guard must not bomb our independent, holy lands,” he said, while also calling on what he described as “rogue militias” not to provide a pretext for attacks on Iraq.
Al-Sadr condemned attacks on Iraqi territory “by all countries and factions” and criticized armed groups seeking to draw Iraq into what he described as a futile war. He urged the Iraqi government to uphold security and sovereignty, protect the country’s holy sites, and prevent sectarian tensions.
“Iraq and its people are in need of peace; we have had enough of war,” he said, warning of sleeper terrorist cells that could exploit sectarian divisions to destabilize the country.
His statement came after Saudi Arabia and the United States launched coordinated strikes early Wednesday against sites used by Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said at least 20 fighters were killed and 32 wounded in strikes that hit its headquarters in Baghdad, Nineveh, Basra, Wasit, Karbala, Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala provinces. It described the operation as a joint US-Saudi attack and said casualty figures remained preliminary.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said the operation, conducted with US Central Command (CENTCOM), targeted locations linked to attacks on Saudi oil facilities and was carried out in self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
CENTCOM said US and Saudi forces struck logistics and weapons sites used by Iran-aligned armed groups following more than 30 drone attacks over the previous 72 hours against US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure. Neither CENTCOM nor the Saudi government specifically identified the PMF as the target of the strikes.