The protests followed the seizure of Iraq’s parliament over the weekend by supporters of powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who called for the overthrow of Iraq’s post-2003 political system through popular uprising, perhaps the most serious challenge Iraq has faced since then. the Islamic State terrorist group captured Mosul and nearly invaded Baghdad in June 2014. Protesters from Iran-backed groups known as the Coordination Group joined the fray as concerns grew about widespread violence among the country’s Shiite communities and deepening chaos for a country wracked by a series of socio-economic crises. Security forces use a water cannon to prevent Coordination Framework supporters from entering Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone on August 1. Photo: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images The unpredictable Sadr performed strongly in national elections held last October, but has ordered his MPs to resign and has recently begun massing his formidable numbers on the streets of Iraq – posing a growing threat to the political establishment. Iran-linked groups on the other hand fared poorly in the poll and have since been trying to recover losses, rejecting attempts to nominate a president or prime minister and insisting their influence remains strong in the 329-seat parliament. Both sides avoided direct clashes on Monday. The Iran-linked blocs ordered their supporters to leave on the same buses that took them to the edge of Baghdad’s Green Zone earlier in the day. Supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr gather at the Iraqi parliament building in Baghdad on Monday. Photo: Ahmed Jalil/EPA Meanwhile, Sadr’s supporters remained inside the Green Zone, where many had camped inside parliament for the past two days, while some set up barber stalls and food carts. Earlier, some government ministries had been evacuated in anticipation of unrest, and several powerful tribes in southern Iraq had expressed support for Sadr, who has a large and powerful base among Iraq’s poor Shiites and is a force to be reckoned with among political leaders. and the Shiite clergy. Although the decision to step down, and the graceful language that followed, was greeted with relief by senior officials, there are still concerns that Monday was a dress rehearsal of the coming days and weeks, where tensions could inevitably boil over, particularly if the Sadr kept his vow to overthrow the system. Iraqi protesters storm parliament for second time this week – video report The standoff was the closest Sadr and his bitter rival, former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, have come to direct conflict since early 2008, when Maliki, as leader, ordered a military crackdown on Sadr’s forces in the southern city of Basra. Maliki was ousted as leader in 2014 as Islamic State threatened Baghdad, but has returned to prominence among Tehran-backed groups and is insisting that a prime minister be named. Baghdad has been central to the battle for influence between Iran and nationalist groups since shortly after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Iran has steadily built a power base in the country over the past two decades and has particular influence in the country’s parliament. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST Tehran’s gains were largely consolidated under the influence of former Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in January 2020 by a US airstrike. A vacuum has been created since then, with several Iranian factions vying for control. Sadr also maintains ties to Iran and was a prominent player in the civil war that tore the country apart from 2004 to 2010. However, he has since sought to build nationalist credentials, speaking of a need to re-enfranchise Iraq’s Sunni sect and forging ties with Kurds in the semi-autonomous north.