Najaf Friday imam calls on government to address electricity crisis

NAJAF, Iraq — The imam leading Friday prayers in Najaf, Sadr al-Din al-Kabanji, called on the Iraqi government to disclose the real causes of the country's electricity crisis. Delivering the sermon, he demanded that the price of amperes be reduced or that citizens be provided five free amperes. Al-Kabanji also raised social concerns, saying 617 suicide cases were recorded in the first half of 2026 and reporting six suicides in Baghdad over the previous 24 hours. He urged relevant ministries and institutions to provide employment, housing, free education and recreational opportunities for citizens. On diplomacy, the imam described the prime minister's recent visit to Iran as a step in the right direction, expressing hope it would have a positive impact on Iraq's economic and service crises. He criticized some Arab and Islamic countries for opening their territory to military bases used to bomb Iran, calling on them to avoid partnership in war, and warned against linking any U.S.–Saudi nuclear agreement to a normalization project with Israel. Al-Kabanji condemned the bombing of visitors at the Shalamcheh border crossing as a serious escalation and expressed gratitude to the Yemeni people and Houthi leadership.