Shafaq News- Najaf

US conditions on Iraq’s next government regarding Iran-aligned armed factions are a “blatant interference” in the country’s internal affairs, senior leader in the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq Sadr Al-Din Al-Qubbanji said on Friday, urging Iraqi political leaders to preserve the independence of national decision-making.

Al-Qubbanji, who is also Najaf’s imam, noted during a religious sermon that Washington had demanded the exclusion of ministers linked to the “resistance” factions from the incoming cabinet. He called on the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) and Prime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi, recently nominated by the largest alliance in Parliament to form the next government, to take what he described as a “firm and manly stance.”

The United States has repeatedly called for dismantling Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions it classifies as terrorist organizations, warning that expanded “militia influence” in government would raise serious concerns in Washington.

In April, the US State Department warned that supporters of such groups “would face consequences,” linking the issue to the future of US-Iraq relations. Washington also announced $10 million rewards for information on senior commanders from Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, both of which maintain political wings within the CF.

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Al-Qubbanji further criticized plans by between 120 and 160 lawmakers in Iraq’s 329-seat Parliament to travel for the Hajj pilgrimage, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, which begins in late May and typically requires an absence of more than a week, arguing that the move could delay cabinet formation and parliamentary work at a critical stage.

“This is a strange phenomenon rejected by Iraqi public opinion,” he remarked, referring to Parliament’s responsibility to review the government program and settle pending legislative files.

On Thursday, Al-Zaidi submitted his 14-point ministerial program to Parliament Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi ahead of a session expected early next week to vote on the new cabinet. However, a lawmaker told Shafaq News that the departure of a large number of MPs for Hajj could complicate holding a full cabinet vote before the pilgrimage season.

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