SCIRI's Badr urge Khalilzad expulsion

Mehran Riazaty: Iran Analyst

March 28 - IRIB News: An Iraqi organization urged expulsion of US ambassador to Iraq, Zelmai Khalilzad. In a statement, Badr Organization affiliated to Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), announced: "It is very clear that the US embassy now is used as a tool in the hands of some political parties to influence Iraq's political process." READ MORE

"It also noted that the US embassy follows putting Iraq's political process at risk by violating basic human rights. The statement also condemned the American hostile raid on the Al-Mustafa Mosque killing at least 16 innocent worshippers.

United Iraqi Alliance: US ambassador to Iraq is the main cause of recent disaster in the country

March 28- Al Iraqia TV via FarNews: The United Iraqi Alliance by issuing statement blamed the US military forces and US ambassador to Iraq for recent criminal act in Iraq. The member of the United Iraqi Alliance, Javad al Maleki, said that the American forces and the Iraqi special forces (operating directly under command of the US forces) are the main cause of the recent massacre of tens of the Iraqi prayers in Masque of Hossenie Al Mostafi.

Analyst Comment:

The Badr Corp is the armed branch of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). In the December election the United Shiite Alliance emerged as the largest bloc in the 275-seat Iraqi parliament by winning 130 seats. Some members of the United Iraqi Alliance are Dawa Party (Ibrahim Jafari), SCIRI (Hakim), Mahdi Army (Moqtada Sadr), Fadhila Party (Nadim Jabiri), and the Shiite Idenpendents (Hussein Shahristani).

Right after fall of Saddam it was a rumor that Baqir Hakim (killed in Najaf on August 29, 03) and Sadr dislike each other. On July 14, 2003 –Baztab news agency reported that in the last three months there has been the highest point of conflict between Moqtada Sadr and Hakim. The most evidence of these highest points of conflict happened yesterday in Najaf. During Friday Prayer when supporters of the SCIRI tried to install a shade on the Shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf, the supporter of Moqtada Sadr destroy the shade.

The Islamic Republic of Iran supports and finances Hakim and Moqtada Sadr. Yesterday, Abdul Aziz Hakim said that that Iran isn't interfering in internal Iraqi affairs as some US officials have contended. In recent visits to Iran, Sadr has expressed his solidarity with Iranian leaders.

Now, the SCIRI and Army of Mahdi which used to dislike each other are both members of the United Iraqi Alliance and working together. The main question is that did really Sadr and SCIRI dislike each other in the past or this scenario was designed by Iranian authorities to take advantage of the situation in Iraq. During Khatami’s presidency, Hassan Rohani, who used to be Iran’s Supreme National Security Chief, wrote a letter to him and explained Iran’s Political Strategy: Creating crisis, shifting crisis to opportunities then take advantage of these opportunities.

For example: Iran created the conflict between Hakim (good guy) and Sadr (bad guy). This conflict between the Iraqi Shiite clerics will keep Coalition Forces busy. Iran can benefit from this situation tremendously. The U.S. poses a lesser threat to the Iranian government as long as it is preoccupied in Iraq.

Mehran Riazaty: a former Iran analyst for the Central Command of the Coalition Forces in Baghdad.
Keyword: Iran