FILES: Leaders and members of Iraq’s Dawa Party, including former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki
Iraq’s Dawa Party condemns strikes on Iran, calls for UN ceasefire
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Dawa Party on Saturday condemned joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran as “an unjust war” and called on the United Nations to impose an immediate ceasefire.
In a statement, the party said the attacks came despite signs of progress in nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran. “Peoples of the world and the region were anticipating the announcement of a near agreement between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” it said. “But there were premeditated plans for an unjust war.”
The party described the strikes as “a blatant violation of international laws” and called the conflict ideological in nature. “It is not related to nuclear weapons or missile ranges, but rather an ideological war aimed at weakening Iran and all countries of the region to subject them to the dominance of the Zionist entity and its control.”
Dawa called on the United Nations and “all peace-loving countries” to impose an immediate ceasefire, warning that the Middle East could otherwise “slide into turmoil, chaos and prolonged conflicts.”
The Dawa Party is a leading component of the State of Law Coalition, headed by Nouri al-Maliki, who is embroiled in a battle for the prime ministership following November’s elections. Maliki met U.S. envoy Tom Barrack in Baghdad on Friday — Barrack’s second visit in a week — just hours before the strikes began. Maliki’s office reaffirmed Saturday that his candidacy remains unchanged amid claims of a possible shift in Washington’s opposition toward his nomination.
Iran responded to the strikes by launching missiles toward the Kurdistan Region, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Jordan, prompting those countries to close their airspace.