Sadr Says Wants to Form Govt with Political Majority in Iraq

Head of the Sadrist movement, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. (Reuters)
Head of the Sadrist movement, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. (Reuters)
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Sadr Says Wants to Form Govt with Political Majority in Iraq

Head of the Sadrist movement, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. (Reuters)
Head of the Sadrist movement, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. (Reuters)

Head of the Sadrist movement, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is still able to control the political scene in Iraq from his modest home in Najaf city, some 160 kms south of Baghdad.

Sadr had emerged as the victor in last month’s parliamentary elections, handing him the reins in forming the next government. The elections have also created a sharp divide between Shiite parties, with Sadr the victor, on one end, and pro-Iran factions on the losing end.

Sadr on Sunday declared that he wanted to form a government through the political majority. In a statement, he explained that the new parliament should bring together the majority that forms the government and is responsible for reform on all levels, and the opposition that should be consulted for the reforms and government formation.

All of this should take place through democratic means, he stressed.

The government formation process will have to wait, however, as the elections commission continues to manually recount votes that have been appealed. The losing factions are also still holding street rallies in protest against the poll results in an effort to influence the formation process.

On whether a political majority government can be formed, Sunni MP Mashaan al-Jabouri said: “Anyone who wants change in the country has to support a majoritarian government.”

“Our concern, however, is that with such a government, the Shiites that are not part of it could create problems that may threaten civil peace,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“If such an obstacle is overcome, then all of us would support the formation of a political majority government and a strong opposition,” he added.

State of Law MP Mohammed Saadoun al-Sahyoun said the next government can be formed through one of three possible coalitions.

The first coalition could bring the Sadrist bloc with Sunnis and Kurdish forces, the second would see the losing factions side with the Kurdish coalition, and the third, which is the most likely, would see the Sadrists join the losing Shiites in forming the government.

The political disputes between the blocs are great and deep, but not insurmountable, he stated. Rapprochement is needed between rivals because the Iraqi people are awaiting a new government that can address pending problems.



Trump Warns Iran It Will Face ‘Consequences’ of Further Attacks from Yemen’s Houthis

A man inspects the rubble of a house hit by a US strike on the weekend in Yemen's northern Saada province on March 17, 2025. (AFP)
A man inspects the rubble of a house hit by a US strike on the weekend in Yemen's northern Saada province on March 17, 2025. (AFP)
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Trump Warns Iran It Will Face ‘Consequences’ of Further Attacks from Yemen’s Houthis

A man inspects the rubble of a house hit by a US strike on the weekend in Yemen's northern Saada province on March 17, 2025. (AFP)
A man inspects the rubble of a house hit by a US strike on the weekend in Yemen's northern Saada province on March 17, 2025. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump on Monday explicitly linked the actions of Yemen's Houthi militias to their main benefactor, Iran, warning Tehran would “suffer the consequences” for further attacks by the militants.

The comments by Trump on his Truth Social website escalate his administration's new campaign of airstrikes targeting the militias, which killed at least 53 people this weekend alone and appear poised to continue. Meanwhile, Iran continues to weigh how to respond to a letter Trump sent them last week trying to jump-start negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program.

Houthi supporters themselves rallied in several cities Monday after the strikes, vowing revenge against America and Israel over blocking aid to the Gaza Strip after its war on Hamas there.

“The Yemeni position is an irreversible position (regarding Gaza), so do whatever you (Americans) want, for we are men who fear no one but God," said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a Houthi leader who spoke to the demonstration in Yemen's Houthi-held capital, Sanaa.

Describing the Houthis as “sinister mobsters and thugs,” Trump warned any attack by the militias would be met with “great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there.”

“Iran has played ‘the innocent victim’ of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control,” Trump alleged in his post. “They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, 'Intelligence.'”

It's unclear what sparked Trump's post. However, the head of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard sought to separate the Houthis' actions from those of Tehran this weekend. The Houthis also launched drones and missiles targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, though none reached the ship as it continues flight operations in the region.

Iran did not immediately comment on the post.

“Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!” Trump added.

The Houthis attacked over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors, from November 2023 until January this year when a ceasefire began in Gaza.

The Houthis claimed there had been additional US airstrikes overnight, though American officials did not immediately acknowledge them.

World Food Program warehouse raided by Houthis

In Saada province, the Houthis' stronghold, the militias raided a warehouse run by the World Food Program. A member of Yemen's legitimate government first reported the Houthis had been taking supplies from the facility without the WFP's permission in the aftermath of the US airstrikes. The United Nations agency later acknowledged the Houthis' actions to The Associated Press.

“WFP regrets the de facto authorities' decision to seize some of the commodities,” it said. “These commodities were intended for the most vulnerable food-insecure families. Only WFP and its partners have the authority to distribute them and ensure they reach the intended recipients.”

Yemen, at war since the Houthis seized Sanaa back in 2014, has been on the precipice of famine for years. But the UN in February suspended its operations in Saada over security concerns following the detentions by the Houthis of dozens of UN workers and others in recent months. A day later, the WFP announced one of its staffers died while imprisoned by the Houthis.