In a show of strength, supporters of Shia cleric Sadar twice last week stormed Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone – which houses government buildings and the western embassy – and on Sunday staged a long sit-in inside parliament.
While supporters of Sadr are rallying against the nomination of a new prime minister, these protests also represent a deep political rift between Iraq’s rival Shiite bloc and the dominant arm that analysts say Iran is playing away with. .
“Iran will be a party to this conflict,” said Ehsan al-Shammari, a professor of politics at Baghdad University and head of the Iraqi Center for Political Thought.
“And Sadr is aware that Iran can advance the coordination framework to try to increase its influence in the political landscape in Iraq,” he said.
A Shia bloc allied with Iran and opposed to Sadr, the coordination framework includes politicians with ties to Tehran, including former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. It also includes paramilitary groups heavily armed by Iran.
The latest turmoil comes after nine months of political impasse, bickering and allegations that it has hindered government formation after Sadar emerged as the biggest winner in October’s parliamentary election.
Sadr’s victory threatened to sideline Iran-aligned Shiite factions that have dominated Iraqi politics for decades.
In what was described as a ‘tectonic shift’ in Iraqi politics, Sadr asked his political party to resign from parliament in June after failing to cooperate with the opposing factions. This move showed Sadar’s true power: his ability to mobilize supporters in the streets in large numbers and with great force.
On Sunday, the Coordination Framework called on protesters to take to the streets on Monday in a potentially aggressive move.
“Iraq’s political system is on the verge of irreparable collapse and the country is headed for a civil war between Sadr and its Iran-aligned rivals,” said Ranj Aladdin, a non-resident fellow in the foreign policy program at the Brookings Institution, a think tank. Washington DC.
While some experts say the current political impasse has delved deeply into the level of influence Iran has over its neighbour, others do not believe that Iran drives the conflict.
“I think the motive for this conflict is mainly internal and not about Iran,” said Mohamed Shumri, president of the Sumeria Foundation in Baghdad.
“Iraqi politics is changing and the ambitions of various parties seeking to consolidate power are increasing,” Shumri said. rivals.
While Sadr has over the years positioned himself against both Iran and the United States, the popular cleric has not always held a consistent position toward Tehran.
When demonstrators stormed parliament for the first time on Wednesday, they were condemning the nomination of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani for prime minister – a figure put forward by the coordination framework and which many see as an ally of the Iran-aligned Maliki. I see.
But the real problems go far beyond the nomination of al-Sudani, says al-Shammari, who said dissent mainly centered around the Iran-aligned Shia bloc’s efforts to isolate Sadr and oust him from politics. Is.
Sadar warned that if the demands of the protesters were not met, he would not be blamed for the chaos that followed.
“The current revolution is sadarist,” he wrote on Twitter. “If you miss this opportunity, don’t blame me.”
Despite efforts to defuse tensions, Aladdin believes Sadr will find it difficult to back down “unless he is given the government he initially wanted.”
“This remains the longest political standoff” [in Iraq] Since 2003,” Al-Shammari said, even if it is resolved, it is unlikely to be the last crisis the oil-rich country faces.
“The political system is facing great paralysis,” he said, warning that “reaching the moment of confrontation indicates that this rift has reached unprecedented levels.”
digestion
First ship to carry Ukrainian corn to Lebanon
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Monday that the first grain ship to depart Odessa’s Black Sea port since the early days of the Ukraine war would carry Ukrainian corn to Lebanon.
- background: Speaking in an interview with Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency, Akar said the vessel, the first to depart under a UN-brokered export deal, hit the coast of Istanbul at around 15:00 Istanbul time on Tuesday. Will anchor The Joint Coordination Centre, which is overseeing the export of Ukrainian grain, will then inspect the ship. It is carrying over 26,000 metric tonnes of maize, Aakar said. After inspection, it will proceed to its final destination in Tripoli, Lebanon.
- why it matters: Plagued by the economic crisis, the deadly 2020 Beirut explosion and the COVID-19 pandemic, Lebanon has seen a 46% increase in the number of people in urgent need of aid this year, the United Nations said. Before the Russian invasion, Lebanon relied on Ukraine for more than half of its wheat imports.
Death toll rises in Iran floods
Iran’s Red Crescent said in a tweet on Friday that at least 69 people have been killed in flood-damaged cities across Iran.
- backgroundAt least 45 people are still missing in Tehran and three other provinces, according to Nejhad Jahani, deputy to Iran’s Crisis Management Organization. Jahani also said that around 20,000 houses have been damaged during the recent floods. Iran has been battling heavy rains, deadly floods and landslides for two weeks. The Red Crescent said the damage in southern Fars province was caused by flooding from a dam on the Rodbal River near the city of Estahban.
- why it matters: a study The effects of climate change on Iran found that extremely humid and dry periods are becoming more frequent, and there are more extended periods of extremely hot temperatures and higher frequency of flooding across the country. In 2019, more than 70 people died due to floods in Iran after record rains.
Iran responds to EU proposal to save nuclear deal
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani said on Sunday that Tehran had responded to an EU proposal to revive the 2015 nuclear deal amid reports of Iran’s rapid progress in its nuclear program.
- backgroundLast week, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said he had proposed a new draft text to revive the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). “We shared our proposed views, both in substance and form, to pave the way for the speedy conclusion of the Vienna negotiations, aimed at correcting the damaging complex situation caused by America’s unilateral and illegal withdrawal.” Kani said on Twitter, The minister did not give details about Iran’s proposed views.
- why it mattersIran is currently enriching uranium in excess of the 3.67% limit set under the nuclear deal. As talks continue, Mohamed Eslami, the head of the country’s Atomic Energy Agency, reiterated on Monday comments made by senior adviser to Supreme Leader Kamal Kharazi in July, saying: “As Mr Kharazi noted, Iran has a technical The capability is there to make nuclear bombs, but such a program is not on the agenda.”
CNN investigation
The clashes broke out after hundreds of demonstrators attempted to go to the Republican Palace – Sudan’s presidential offices, but were met by police, who fired tear gas at the demonstrators.
The protests came after a CNN investigation based on multiple interviews with high-level Sudanese and US officials and a group of documents reviewed by CNN, including an elaborate year-long siphoning of Sudan’s funds to strengthen against Russia. A picture of the Russian plan was painted. Further tightening of Western sanctions and bolstering Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.
Evidence uncovered by CNN also suggests that Russia has colluded with Sudan’s military leadership, enabling billions of dollars in gold to sideline the Sudanese state and the poverty-stricken country with hundreds of millions of state revenues. has been deprived.
The investigation was widely shared in Sudan and caused public outcry. Hours after the report was circulated, posts started circulating on WhatsApp and other social media platforms used by pro-democracy activists.
By Nima Elbagir, CNN
Whats up
Lebanon: #Beirut_Port
Four days before the second anniversary of the deadly Beirut explosion on August 4, the city’s port was trending on Lebanese social media for a different reason.
Two wheat godowns collapsed in the port on Sunday. Structures facing the effects of a massive 2020 eruption have been smoldering and burning for weeks, leaving parts of the Lebanese capital smelling of smoke.
The fire was caused by rising temperatures in the country.
According to state media, the part that fell was the most critical since the explosion and was likely to collapse.
This was confirmed by Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hami, who told Al Jadeed TV that two silos collapsed, and other silos are expected to collapse.
The 2020 eruption killed more than 200 people and injured more than 6,500 others. Shockwaves ripped through the city, overturned cars, shattered glass and uprooted some houses.
According to the then Prime Minister Hassan Diab, the explosion was caused by 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material, stored in the port without any preventive measures.
Lebanon’s economic woes are no stranger to the headlines, but its rate of decline over the past two years has been exponential. It had an inflation rate of 210% in June, with currency rates changing drastically day by day.
by Mohamed Abdelbari
photo of the Day
