Fighters from the Saraya Salam (Peace Brigades) loyal to influential Shiite Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr deploy in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022.
photo: Murtadha Ridha/ AP
Muqtada Al-Sadr ended the riots when he ordered his supporters to go home in under one hour.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has said that the only solution to overcome the crisis in Iraq is through negotiations.
“Iran welcomes the calming of the situation in Iraq and believes that the only way to overcome the crisis is through negotiations, protecting the rights of citizens, and respecting the country's legal institutions, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"All parties must abide by the constitution and political mechanisms and create a favorable environment for the formation of a new government," the statement said.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry also reiterated its full support for Iraq and stressed that Iran wants a strong Iraq that is secure and stable.
Iraq was on a collision course for months since the October 2021 general parliamentary elections where the Shiite parties failed to reach an agreement to for a government. After occupying the government buildings and the Republican Palace in Baghdad’s Green Zone, and Muqtada al-Sadr alleged resignation from politics, deadly protest and riot erupted in Baghdad with many causalities.
However, Muqada al-Sadr’s vocation from politics did not last much and returned to politics after he swiftly put an end to the riots when he called back on his supporters to evacuate the streets of Baghdad and return home.