Iraqi Cleric Calls on IRGC and Allied Militias to Keep Iraq Out of the War

Influential Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has urged Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and allied armed groups to avoid using Iraqi territory in the escalating regional conflict, warning that Iraq must not be drawn into another war.

In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, Sadr said Iraq had not been used as a launch point for attacks against Iran and argued that the IRGC should likewise refrain from operating from Iraqi soil. He also warned that “rogue militias” should not give Gulf states any justification to target Iraq.

Sadr called on all parties to resist what he described as attempts by the “Zionist-American enemy” to provoke conflict among regional countries, urging them not to be drawn into fighting one another.

He also condemned violations of Iraq’s sovereignty and accused armed factions of trying to pull the country into what he described as a “pointless war.” Sadr urged the Iraqi government to strengthen security, enforce state authority, and prevent non-state actors from undermining national stability.

The cleric further warned that dormant terrorist cells, both inside and outside Iraq, could exploit sectarian divisions to fuel instability.

“Iraq and its people need peace,” Sadr said, adding that the country had already endured years of conflict that had exhausted its resources and undermined its dignity. He concluded by calling for peace and reconciliation across the region and urged the creation of a Middle East free from foreign military bases, normalization, and what he described as colonial domination.