Baghdad Weighs Possibility of Forming Interim Govt Headed by Kadhimi

Followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr hold posters with his image during an open-air Friday prayers at Grand Festivities Square within the Green Zone, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. (AP)
Followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr hold posters with his image during an open-air Friday prayers at Grand Festivities Square within the Green Zone, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. (AP)
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Baghdad Weighs Possibility of Forming Interim Govt Headed by Kadhimi

Followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr hold posters with his image during an open-air Friday prayers at Grand Festivities Square within the Green Zone, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. (AP)
Followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr hold posters with his image during an open-air Friday prayers at Grand Festivities Square within the Green Zone, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. (AP)

The Iran-backed Coordination Framework in Iraq is mulling a proposal by Sadrist movement leader, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, to form an interim government as a solution to the country’s months-long political deadlock.

One figure from the group, however, stood out to oppose the proposal, Sadr’s longtime rival, former Prime Minister and head of the State of Law coalition, Nouri al-Maliki.

He declared his rejection of Sadr’s proposal to dissolve parliament.

“There can be no dissolution of parliament, change in the system, or early elections,” he announced.

The solution lies in allowing the elected parliament to convene, he urged.

Maliki appears to be rejecting Sadr’s proposal just for the sake of rejecting it, without even weighing the probability that it may actually ease the tensions in Iraq.

The former PM is bent on confronting the cleric without any clear political strategy or proposing viable solutions.

Some of his close associates have even claimed that he is obsessed with defeating Sadr.

Such stringent thinking is a threat to his fellow allies in the Framework and Iran’s agenda in Iraq.

Shiite figures, therefore, sought to include representatives from Tehran in discussions over tackling the intra-Shiite disputes.

Iran is aware that the prolongation of the dispute will undermine its interests in Iraq.

At the moment, Maliki appears unwilling to be part of the efforts to restore calm, posing a problem for Tehran.

Sadr is also another problem. He is raising his demands and tightening his grip on power in what the Iranians may interpret as a move to bypass them and seek a direct understanding with Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Sadr has been presented with proposals to resolve the crisis, including dropping the membership of lawmakers who were sworn in to replace his own, who resigned in June.

Another proposal has been the formation of an interim government headed by caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

The government would not include Sadr or Maliki loyalists.

Shiite, Kurdish and Sunni leaders are working hard to persuade Sadr to agree to the suggestion.

A senior political source revealed that two Iranian representatives were part of these efforts.

There are no signs that Sadr would agree to the proposal because his demands go beyond the government and aim to mend the system in Iraq.

The Framework’s possible acceptance of the interim government may soften his position.



US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump's administration on Monday revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as Washington moves to remove US sanctions on Syria to help the country rebuild following years of a civil war.

In December, opposition factions led by HTS ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive. Then-HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa became Syria's president and said he wanted to build an inclusive and democratic Syria.

HTS was previously known as al-Nusra Front when it was al-Qaeda's Syria branch. It broke off ties with al-Qaeda in 2016.

In May, Sharaa met with Trump in Riyadh where, in a major policy shift, the Republican president unexpectedly announced he would lift US sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.

"This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, adding that the revocation will come into effect on Tuesday.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order terminating US sanctions program on Syria, a move that aims to end the country's isolation from the international financial system.

Syria's foreign ministry told Reuters that the lifting of sanctions on HTS was a "positive step toward correcting a course that previously hindered constructive engagement."

The written statement said Syria hoped the move would "contribute to the removal of remaining restrictions that continue to impact Syrian institutions and officials, and open the door to a rational, sovereign-based approach to international cooperation."

The ministry also said that Sharaa was planning to attend the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September. The UN Security Council still has sanctions on both HTS and Sharaa himself, which require a Council decision to remove.