Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Supreme Islamic Council head Humam Hamoudi warned on Saturday of an effort to ignite an “intra-Shiite war” aimed at weakening Shiite political and social influence and removing influential forces from positions of power.

Speaking at the eighth International Baghdad Dialogue Conference, Hamoudi, a senior figure in the ruling Coordination Framework (CF), said such efforts may be presented publicly as serving the broader interest but “were intended to destabilize Shiite influence.”

Read more: Iraq's Coordination Framework is weakening, but no rival is ready to replace it

He argued that Iraq’s senior Shiite religious authority, religious commitment and public awareness would prevent such a conflict from taking hold, saying, “They will not succeed.”

Hamoudi also rejected the notion of “Shiite rule” in Iraq, saying the government is a consensual coalition involving parties from across the political spectrum.