Sadr calls on Zaidi to put armed factions under state authority

NAJAF — Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi on Friday to reorganize armed factions under state-controlled structures and exclude political parties with armed wings from the next cabinet.

In a statement addressed to Zaidi, Sadr said the next government must transform armed factions into either a “Soldiers of Religious Rituals” formation under the authority of the Hajj and Umrah Commission or a humanitarian relief body. “Whoever refuses should be considered outside the law,” he said.

Sadr said he was prepared to hand over his own armed group, Saraya al-Salam, to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces if others did the same. “As everyone else should do as quickly as possible,” he said. Saraya al-Salam was formed in 2014 following the rise of Islamic State and is officially part of the Popular Mobilization Forces.

Sadr also called for “the complete exclusion of everyone who has an armed wing” from government formation. In Iraq, several armed factions maintain parallel political wings that participate in parliament and government, including the Badr Organization, led by Hadi al-Amiri, and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, led by Qais al-Khazali, whose political wing is known as the Sadiqoun bloc.

Sadr and his movement did not participate in Iraq’s 2025 parliamentary elections, continuing a boycott that began after Sadrist lawmakers resigned en masse in 2022 following a prolonged political deadlock over government formation.

The remarks come as former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi separately advised Zaidi against direct confrontation with armed factions, urging political dialogue and diplomatic mechanisms instead.