2026-05-08T12:47:56+00:00

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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.

Read more: Iraq after the regional ceasefire: US bases and unresolved political questions

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.

Read more: Ali al-Zaidi named Iraq’s prime minister: Easy nomination, harder road ahead