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World

Woman, 22, dies after falling into coma while in custody of Iran’s morality police

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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death, Iranian state news agency ISNA reported on Friday.

On Tuesday evening, Mahsa Amini and her family, who had traveled from Iran’s Kurdistan region to visit relatives in the capital, Tehran, were stopped by a patrol of morality police — a dedicated unit that enforces strict dress codes for women, such as wearing the compulsory headscarf.

According to IranWire, human rights activists who have spoken to the family say the police grabbed Amini and forced her inside a police vehicle.

Her brother, Kiarash, attempted to intervene and was told his sister was being taken to the police station for one hour of “re-education,” IranWire reported.

Kiarash said he never saw his sister awake again.

While he was waiting outside the police station for her to be released, an ambulance pulled up and discreetly took his sister to the hospital.

In an interview with IranWire, Kiarash said he was told she had suffered a heart attack or a stroke while in the police station and that she was in a coma.

On Thursday, Tehran police said that Amini had suffered a “heart attack” following her arrest on Tuesday.

“The woman was sent to a Greater Tehran police precinct for guidance and education when suddenly, in the presence of other people, she had a heart attack,” the police said.

Amini’s family have questioned the version of events given by police, saying she was a normal, healthy 22-year-old with no pre-existing heart conditions.

“There were only two hours between her arrest and being taken to hospital,” Kiarash told IranWire.

A video released by Iranian state TV purported to show Amini walking into a “education” center where she would have been receiving “guidance” on proper Islamic attire, state media said.

The edited video shows CCTV footage of a woman taking a seat, then standing up to speak to an “expert” who touches her clothing, before she collapses onto the ground.

The following clip shows five men carrying her on a stretcher, apparently unconscious. An ambulance is then shown in another frame.

There’s an edit in the video at 19 seconds, after which the woman is seen standing up and speaking. Before the cut, it appears to be daylight outside. After the cut, it appears dark.

“Ms. Amini looks unwell and falls to the floor,” the state media reporter says.

It remains unknown what happened to Amini after her arrest and before she appeared at the re-education center. CNN is not able to verify that the woman in the video is Amini.

Jake Sullivan, National Security Adviser to US President Joe Biden, said in a tweet Friday the White House is deeply concerned about Amini’s death.

Amini, “was reportedly beaten in custody by Iran’s morality police. Her death is unforgivable. We will continue to hold Iranian officials accountable for such human right abuses,” Sullivan tweeted.

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World

Two Iranians sentenced to death, including LGBTQ activist

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One of them, Zahra Sedighi-Hamadani, was described by Amnesty International earlier this year as a gender nonconforming person and LGBTI activist who was detained by authorities “due to her real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as her social media posts and statements in defense of LGBTI rights.”

Elham Chobdar ​was also charged and convicted as part of the same case and sentenced to death, Iranian state media reported.

The two were accused of “trafficking young women” in ​Iran’s West Azerbaijan province ​an​d​ unnamed other parts of the country, according to the report from IRNA.

Amnesty said Tuesday it was “outraged” by the sentences and called on Iran’s authorities to immediately “quash the convictions and death sentences” and release Sedighi-Hamadani and Chobdar, the statement said. The sentences are being appealed in Iran’s Supreme Court, it added.

Amnesty said in January that Sedighi-Hamadani, who also uses the name Sareh, was first ​detained in October 2021 in ​Erbil, Iraq, in connection to ​an appearance she made in a BBC documentary​, speaking about abuses of the LGBTQ community in the ​region.

After ​her release in Iraq, Sedighi-Hamadani attempted to cross into Turkey from Iran to seek asylum, Amnesty said, but in November, the Intelligence Organization of the Revolutionary Guards said that a “leader” of a human trafficking network “involved in smuggling Iranian girls and women” to neighboring countries and directing them to homosexual groups under “protection of [foreign] intelligence agencies” had been caught.

Amnesty believes the statement by the Revolutionary Guards ​referred to Sedighi-Hamadani and called the allegations “spurious and baseless.”

Before allegedly attempting to cross into Turkey, Sedighi-Hamadani said she was “journeying toward freedom” in a video released by the Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network, ​also known as 6Rang​, in December of 2021 and referenced by Amnesty ​the following month.

“If I make it, I will continue to look after LGBT people. I will be standing behind them and raising my voice. If I don’t make it, I will have given my life for this cause,” she said in the video. ​

In a letter sent to ​the Chief Justice of Iran, Gholam​-Hossein Mohseni​-Ejei, Amnesty said Sedighi-Hamadani was accused in January by the prosecutor in Urumieh of “spreading corruption on earth” including through “promoting homosexuality,” “communication with anti-Islamic Republic media channels​,” and “promoting Christianity.”

Iranian state media said that Sedighi-Hamadani and Chobdar’s sentences were related to trafficking, without referring to Sedighi-Hamadani​’s charges ​or her activism​, or further details on Chobdar.

“Contrary to reports published on social media, the area of charges against these individuals is related to the trafficking of women and young girls with the hope of education and promise of employment to a regional country and they were also abused ​and that led to the suicide of a number of these girls,” IRNA said​, without providing details.

CNN has reached out to the Iranian government ​about the allegation that Sedighi-Hamadani’s sexual minority status was the reason for her conviction. ​It was not immediately clear whether Sedighi-Hamadani and Chobdar had attorneys.

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World

Baghdad, Iraq: Several killed in clashes in Green Zone after Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announces withdrawal from politics

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Several witnesses told CNN the security forces pushed protesters out of Iraq’s Republican Palace by firing tear gas and live bullets. Hundreds of protesters stormed the building inside the Green Zone following al-Sadr’s announcement, Iraqi security officials told CNN on Monday.

The Republican Palace is where the Iraqi cabinet meets, and Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has now suspended all meetings of his government until further notice, according to a statement released by his office. The Prime Minister has urged al-Sadr “to help call on the demonstrators to withdraw from government institutions.”

The country’s President Barham Salih also urged calm, saying in a statement on Monday that “the difficult circumstance that our country is going through requires everyone to abide by calm, restraint, prevent escalation, and ensure that the situation does not slip into unknown and dangerous labyrinths in which everyone will lose.”

Al-Sadr said he had made a decision two months ago “not to interfere in political affairs,” but he was now announcing his “final retirement” from politics and shutting down all his political offices across the country, according to a statement released by his office on Monday.

The announcement came after weeks of tensions and protests that were sparked by al-Sadr’s decision in June to order his entire political bloc to withdraw from the Iraqi parliament in an apparent show of force after months of political stalemate.

At that time, he said his request was “a sacrifice from me for the country and the people to rid them of the unknown destiny.”

Iraq has struggled to form a new government since parliamentary elections in October which saw Iran-backed Shiite blocs losing seats to the Sadrists.

Al-Sadr, who has in the past positioned himself against both Iran and the United States, is popular in Iraq. However, his attempts to form a government have foundered in the months following the election amid opposition from rival blocs.

Finally, in July, the Coordination Framework, the largest Shiite alliance in the Iraqi parliament, nominated Mohammed Shiya al-Sudani to lead the country — sparking a wave of protests by those loyal to al-Sadr.

Iraqi security forces on Monday called on thousands of protesters to withdraw immediately from inside the Green Zone. In a statement, the Iraqi military said they were practicing “the highest levels of self-restraint and brotherly behavior to prevent clashes or the spilling of Iraqi blood.”

“The security forces affirm their responsibility to protect government institutions, international missions, and public and private properties,” the statement said, adding: “Dealing with peaceful demonstrations is done through the constitution and laws, and the security forces will do their duty to protect security and stability.”

The military declared a full curfew, including on vehicles and pedestrians, starting from 3:30 p.m. local time in the capital city and 7 p.m. local time in the rest of the country. The curfew will be in place until further notice, according to a military statement.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) has also urged protesters leave governmental buildings and to “allow the government to continue its responsibilities of running the state” for the Iraqi people.

“State institutions must operate unimpeded in service of the Iraqi people, under all circumstances and at all times. Respect for constitutional order will now prove vital,” UNAMI said in a statement released on Monday.

The US embassy in Baghdad also urged calm, tweeting that “now is the time for dialogue to resolve differences, not through confrontation.”
“The right to peaceful public protest is a fundamental element of all democracies, but demonstrators must also respect the institutions and property of the Iraqi government, which belong to and serve the Iraqi people and should be allowed to function,” the embassy added.

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World

Kabul: Deadly explosion hits mosque in Afghan capital, police say

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Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Kabul police chief, told CNN the blast caused casualties, but did not specify further.

The incident occurred in the city’s police district 17 and security forces are on the scene investigating, he added.

Health care organization Emergency said that at least three people had died.

“Following today’s explosion, we admitted 27 patients to our Surgical Centre for War Victims in Kabul, including five minors, one of them a 7-year-old boy,” Stefano Sozza, Emergency’s Country Director in Afghanistan, told CNN.

“Two patients arrived dead, one died in the emergency room,” he said.

“In the month of August alone, we managed six mass casualties in our hospital, with a total of almost 80 patients. Throughout the year, we have continued to receive gunshot injuries, shrapnel injuries, stabbing injuries, and victims of mine and IED explosions on a daily basis. The country is suffering the consequences of a very long conflict that has undermined its future,” he added.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed there were dead and wounded civilians, but did not say how many. He tweeted that the Taliban government “strongly condemns” the explosion, and vowed the perpetrators of “such crimes will be caught and punished for their heinous deeds.”

Another Taliban deputy spokesperson, Bilal Karimi, condemned the explosion in a tweet on Wednesday evening.

“The murderers of civilians and perpetrators of similar crimes will soon be caught and punished for their actions, God willing,” Karimi wrote.

CNN’s Brent Swails and Jonny Hallam contributed reporting.

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World

Kabul: Explosion hits mosque in Afghan capital, police say

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Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Kabul police chief, told CNN that the blast did cause casualties, but did not specify further.

The incident occurred in the city’s police district 17 and security forces are on the scene investigating, he added.

Healthcare organization Emergency later confirmed that at least three people had died.

“Following today’s explosion, we admitted 27 patients to our Surgical Centre for War Victims in Kabul, including five minors, one of them a seven-year-old boy,” Stefano Sozza, Emergency’s Country Director in Afghanistan, told CNN.

“Two patients arrived dead, one died in the emergency room,” he said.

“In the month of August alone, we managed six mass casualties in our hospital, with a total of almost 80 patients. Throughout the year, we have continued to receive gunshot injuries, shrapnel injuries, stabbing injuries, and victims of mine and IED explosions on a daily basis. The country is suffering the consequences of a very long conflict that has undermined its future,” he added.

Bilal Karimi, the Taliban’s deputy spokesman, condemned the explosion in a tweet on Wednesday evening.

“The murderers of civilians and perpetrators of similar crimes will soon be caught and punished for their actions, God willing,” Karimi wrote.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

CNN’s Brent Swails contributed reporting.

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US

Iran blames Salman Rushdie and supporters for his stabbing

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“Regarding the attack on Salman Rushdie, we do not consider anyone other than [Rushdie] and his supporters worth of blame and even condemnation,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a televised news conference Monday, marking the country’s first public reaction to the incident.

“We have not seen anything else about the individual that carried out this act other than what we’ve seen from American media. We categorically and seriously deny any connection of the assailant with Iran,” Kanaani said, according to Iranian state media.

Rushdie, an acclaimed Indian-born British author, has received death threats for decades after Iran issued a fatwa, or religious decree, calling for his killing following the 1988 release of his book “The Satanic Verses.” He spent nearly a decade living under British protection before moving to the United States in recent years, and was repeatedly stabbed during an on-stage attack in western New York on Friday.

The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar of Fairview, New Jersey, pleaded not guilty Saturday to attempted murder in the second degree and other charges.

While Iran did not officially comment on the attack over the weekend, several hardline Iranian newspapers poured praise on the suspect on Saturday — including the conservative Kayhan newspaper, whose editor-in-chief is appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

“A thousand bravos, a hundred God blesses. His hand must be kissed … Bravo to the warrior and dutiful man who attacked the Apostate and wicked Salman Rushdie. The hand of the warrior must be kissed. He tore the vein of Rushdie’s neck,” the paper said.

Another hardline newspaper, Khorasan, published a headline, “The Devil on the Path to Hell,” while showing a picture of Rushdie on a stretcher.

Rushdie — the son of a successful Muslim businessman in India — was educated in England, first at Rugby School and later at the University of Cambridge where he received an MA degree in history.

The publication of the “The Satanic Verses” in 1988 turned him into a household name and brought him notoriety. Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued the fatwa against him a year later.

The bounty against Rushdie has never been lifted, however in 1998 the Iranian government sought to distance itself from the fatwa by pledging not to seek to carry it out.

But in February 2017, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reaffirmed the religious edict.

And in 2019, Khamenei tweeted that said Khomeini’s fatwa against Rushdie was “solid and irrevocable,” prompting Twitter to place a restriction on his account.

CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse contributed to this report.

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World

Five Americans among injured in Jerusalem shooting attack

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Around 1:30 am local time Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET), police said in a statement that a “terrorist armed with weapons shot at a bus and vehicles in a parking lot near the Old City of Jerusalem.”

Two Americans are being treated at the Hadassah Medical Center, and three at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, according to the hospitals. At least two of the Americans injured were tourists, the hospitals said. Israeli media earlier reported that four American victims were tourists and members of the same family.

Two of the victims are listed as in serious condition, while the other six victims are mildly and moderately injured, according to emergency services. One of the wounded was pregnant, and underwent an emergency caesarean operation. Both mother and baby are in serious condition, according to Shaare Zedek hospital.

The US Embassy in Jerusalem said they are “shocked and saddened” by the attack. They confirmed that US citizens were among the victims and that they were gathering more information.

“We strongly condemn all acts of terrorism and actions that exacerbate tensions,” an embassy spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.

“Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the victims and we wish all of them a quick and full recovery,” the statement said.

The US Ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, also condemned Sunday’s attack. “Strongly condemn the terrorist attack outside the Old City of Jerusalem. I am praying for a quick recovery for all of the innocent victims,” Nides said in a tweet.

“Deeply saddened to confirm that Americans were injured in this attack. I’ve spoken with the families and will keep them in my prayers. Continuing to monitor the situation,” he added.

Nides was confirmed as the US Ambassador to Israel in November 2021 and is married to Virginia Moseley, CNN’s executive vice president of editorial for the network’s US operation.

The shooter fled the scene, with security forces, the Shin Bet and the IDF in pursuit. Police said a helicopter from the Israel Police’s aerial unit assisted in the search.

The suspect later turned himself into police. The weapon he carried with him was seized, according to a police spokesperson.

The suspect is an Israeli citizen from East Jerusalem, a security source told CNN.

He was not known for any terror related offenses, but had a criminal record and had spent time in prison, the security source told CNN.

The source said the suspect — whose identity has not been released — was born in 1996.

Israeli media has described him as a Palestinian who holds Israeli citizenship.

Police and forensic investigators have begun operations at the scene to investigate the attack, police said.

Sunday’s shooting comes after hostilities in Gaza last weekend left dozens of Palestinians dead. A ceasefire between Israel and the Islamic Jihad militant group in Gaza was announced last Sunday.

This story has been updated.

CNN’s Alex Stambaugh and Jonny Hallam contributed reporting.

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Gaza: Israel, Islamic Jihad ceasefire holds after deadliest clashes in a year

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The truce, announced on Sunday evening by both sides, came about 50 hours after the escalation began, when Israel launched what it called preemptive strikes on targets of the Islamic Jihad militant group in Gaza.

At least 44 Palestinians, including 15 children and some militants, were killed in the violence, according to Palestinian officials.

The escalation was the most serious in nearly 15 months, when the Israeli military and Hamas fought an 11-day war in May 2021. A key difference this time was the decision by Hamas to stay out of the fighting. Its statements blamed Israel for the escalation but consistently stopped short of threatening attacks in retaliation.

The Israeli prime minister’s office thanked Egypt for its mediation efforts but warned that if the ceasefire was violated, “the State of Israel maintains the right to respond strongly.”

Terms of the agreement were not immediately made public. However, Egypt’s official state news agency reported that in the push for a truce, Cairo was working to see the release of an Islamic Jihad militant captured by Israel six days ago, and ensure a Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike in an Israeli jail would be transferred to a hospital for medical treatment.

In a statement issued by the State Department Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the ceasefire.

“The agreement will bring a welcome respite to Israeli and Palestinian civilians and permit deliveries of critical fuel and other supplies into Gaza,” the statement said.

“The United States remains dedicated to our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and will remain fully engaged in the days ahead to promote calm. We will continue in the months ahead to work with partners to improve the quality of life for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”

Fuel supplies reentered Gaza from Israel on Monday to resupply the territory’s sole power plant after it ran out of fuel stocks on Saturday, in the midst of the weekend flareup. The shortage led to drastic cuts to electricity supplies throughout the territory.

Israel and Egypt have imposed a closure on Gaza since 2007, limiting access to the territory via land, air and sea, including tight restrictions on the movement of residents and the flow of goods.

Around 30 tankers crossed from the Kerem Shalom crossing point to the Gaza’s power plant on Monday morning, a haulier’s representative told AFP.

Mohammed Thabet of the Gazan Power Generating Company told CNN he expected there would be enough diesel arriving at the site to restart three of the plant’s four gas turbines by the end of Monday.

Israel says Islamic Jihad dealt a ‘significant blow’

On Monday a senior Israeli diplomatic official claimed that Islamic Jihad suffered a “very significant blow” and had been set back decades by the Israeli operation, which took out several of the militant group’s senior leaders.

Khaled Mansour, a leader of Islamic Jihad’s operations in southern Gaza, was killed on Saturday in an airstrike on a building in Rafah, close to Egypt’s border. Israel said Mansour was responsible for a number of terror attacks against Israelis.

He was the second Islamic Jihad commander killed in the Israeli operation, which it dubbed “Breaking Dawn.” In one of the Israeli campaign’s opening salvos on Friday afternoon, an airstrike killed Tayseer Al-Jabari, the head of the militant group’s operations in the north of Gaza.

Islamic Jihad, the smaller of the two main militant groups in Gaza, fired around 1,175 rockets towards Israel since Friday, according to the latest Israeli figures, mainly toward Israeli communities close to Gaza. The group also launched rockets toward Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Around 185 rockets landed inside Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday. The Iron Dome aerial defense system, which is deployed against any incoming fire assessed to be a threat to people or buildings, and which intercepted the rockets fired at Jerusalem, was operating at a 96% success rate, an IDF spokesman said Monday.

The Israeli diplomatic official appeared to acknowledge that Israel’s campaign might have been responsible for some civilian deaths, as well as those of militants, saying that initial assessments were that “most” civilian casualties were the result of errant rocket fire from Islamic Jihad. Civilian casualties were always a tragedy, the official said.

There have also been conflicting claims over responsibility for some of the deaths. In one incident Saturday, four children were among seven people killed in an explosion in Jabaliya in northern Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the blast was caused by an Israeli airstrike, but Israel rejected the claim, blaming errant rocket fire. The Israel Defense Forces released a video showing what it said was the Islamic Jihad rocket apparently suddenly losing power and falling to the ground over a built-up area.

The European Union on Monday welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and called for an investigation into Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza.

“The EU deplores the loss of civilian lives over the past days, including a number of children and women, killed and injured in Gaza Strip. The EU calls for a timely and thorough investigation into these civilian casualties,” the EU said in a statement.

The Palestinian Authority presidency, which is based in the West Bank and has very limited influence over events in Gaza, strongly condemned Israel’s military operation and appealed for a strong response when the UN Security Council holds a special session later to discuss the escalation.

The Israeli official also saw the decision by Hamas to stay out of the fighting as vindication of the Israeli government’s policy of taking steps to improve economic conditions in Gaza, for instance through increasing the number of permits for workers to enter Israel. Hamas, the official stressed, was “an enemy not a partner … but there is cooperation we can do, predominantly through Egypt, to improve the situation in Gaza.”

Among the UN’s most pressing humanitarian priorities is restoring the supply of fuel to Gaza, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told CNN. The shutdown over the weekend of Gaza’s power plant caused drastic cuts to electricity supplies throughout the territory.

Two water treatment plants and nine pumping stations were forced to shut down as a result of the electricity shortages, OCHA said, meaning 130,000 cubic meters of dirty water was flowing directly into the Mediterranean Sea.

CNN’s Abeer Salman and Andrew Carey reported from Jerusalem and Ibrahim Dahman reported from Gaza. CNN’s Hadas Gold and Elliott Gotkine in Ashdod contributed to this report.

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World

Israeli airstrikes kill senior lslamic Jihad leader

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Islamic Jihad said in a statement that one of its senior leaders, Tayseer Al Jabari, had been killed in an Israeli strike. He was a commander in the Quds Brigade, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the group said, and a member of its Military Council.

The Palestinian health ministry said at least nine people were killed, including a five-year-old girl, and another 55 were injured.

A CNN producer in Gaza saw medics carrying two bodies out of a building called the Palestine Tower that had been hit in one of the strikes.

An Israeli army statement said the military operation — which it called ‘Breaking Dawn’ — was targeted Islamic Jihad, the smaller of the two main militant groups in Gaza. A “special situation” has been declared in areas around Gaza, in anticipation of possible rocket fire, or other retaliatory attacks, the Israeli army said.

Islamic Jihad has vowed to respond. “All options are open, with all means that the Palestinian resistance has, whether in Gaza or outside,” spokesman Daoud Shehab said on Al Jazeera. “The battlefield is open … The resistance will respond with all force. We will not say how, but it is inevitable.”

Hamas, the militant group which controls Gaza, has condemned the Israeli action. “The Israeli enemy, who started the escalation against Gaza and committed a new crime, must pay the price and bear full responsibility for it,” spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said.

The strikes come after Israeli forces captured a senior Islamic Jihad commander, Bassam al-Saadi, during a raid on Monday night in the occupied West Bank town of Jenin.

During that operation, a 17-year-old Palestinian linked to Islamic Jihad was shot dead in an exchange of gunfire with Israeli soldiers, according to the Israeli military. The Palestinian health ministry said he had been shot in the head by Israeli forces.

Saadi was one of two wanted terror suspects apprehended in that raid, Israel said. The Quds Brigade, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, said it was mobilizing its forces across the Palestinian territories in response.

Recent months have seen repeated Israeli operations in and around Jenin, after several fatal attacks inside Israel were carried out by Palestinian gunmen from the region. Thirty Palestinians have been killed in the raids since the start of the year, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Developing story, more to follow…

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World

Baghdad: More than 100 injured in clashes as demonstrators storm Iraq’s parliament

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Crowds of angry demonstrators loyal to the powerful cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have broken into the secure area where government buildings are located despite security forces using tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.

The protesters then stormed the parliament, according to Iraqi State News agency (INA). Videos circulating on social media appeared to show people waving the Iraqi flag walking past security through the doors of parliament.

At least 125 people have been injured, including 100 civilians and 25 military personnel, according to the country’s Ministry of Health.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) described the recent escalation in tensions as “deeply concerning.”

“Voices of reason and wisdom are critical to prevent further violence. All actors are encouraged to de-escalate in the interest of all Iraqis” UNAMI said in a tweet.

Outgoing Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, who is currently Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, has called for peace and for demonstrators “not to escalate the situation.”

In a statement Saturday, he asked protesters to abide by the orders of security forces and stressed security forces “have a duty to protect official institutions and emphasized the need to take all legal measures to maintain order.”

The protests began after Mohammed Shiya al-Sudani was formally nominated to lead the country on Monday by the Coordination Framework, the largest Shiite alliance in the Iraqi parliament.

His nomination followed the mass resignation of al-Sadr’s parliamentary bloc, a group of over 70 lawmakers who withdrew from the governing body last month in an apparent show of force after months of political stalemate.

Iraq has struggled to form a new government since parliamentary elections in October; Sadr’s own attempts to form a government have previously foundered amid opposition from rival blocs.

“If the Sadrist bloc remaining [in parliament] is an obstacle to government formation, then all lawmakers of the bloc are honorably ready to resign from parliament,” Sadr said in a televised speech in June.

The cleric, who positions himself as against both Iran and the United States, is immensely popular. His bloc’s success in the October vote threatened to sideline Iran-aligned Shiite blocs that have long dominated the oil-rich country’s politics.

On Wednesday, al-Sadr told protesters at the parliament building that their “message” had been received and that they should return home.

“A revolution of reform and rejection of injustice and corruption. Your message has been received. You have terrified the corrupt. Pray, and return home safely,” he tweeted.

The outgoing government of Prime Minister al-Kadhimi also issued a statement calling on the Sadrist protesters to “to immediately withdraw from the Green Zone,” preserve public and private properties and to abide by the instructions of the security forces.

“The security forces will be committed to protecting state institutions and international missions, and preventing any disturbance of security and order,” al-Kadhimi added.

Aqeel Najim reported from Baghdad, Hamdi Alkhshali reported from Atlanta and Eyad Kourdi reported from Gaziantep. Obaida Nafaa in Dubai and Alex Stambaugh in Hong Kong contributed reporting. Ivana Kottasová wrote in London.

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