Shia political leaders push for calm despite escalation

Reactions by Shia political factions to the US strikes in Jurf al-Nasr were relatively tempered despite the serious nature of the escalation. The Sudani government along with its political backers are opting to maintain a composed posture despite pressure from resistance factions to up the ante.

All of the major Shia factions in Iraq issued statements condemning the US strikes on resistance factions in Jurf al-Nasr on Wednesday. But all of the leading Shia parties were keen to demonstrate that there was no rift between them and the government’s position.

In a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Iraqi government asserted that it had no advance warning of the US attack, declaring it a “flagrant violation of sovereignty and an attempt to destabilize the security situation”.