Shia coalition launches new contact bid to bring Muqtada al-Sadr back into Iraqi politics

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A leading Shia faction within the Coordination Framework has launched a fresh contact effort at the al-Khanana headquarters in Baghdad aimed at reopening dialogue with opposition leader Muqtada al-Sadr, who withdrew from politics 11 months ago. A source within the Framework said the aim of the move is to bring Sadr back into the political process. The Framework has tried in different ways to persuade Sadr since his decision to step back following his bloc's 73 seats in the October 2021 election. The source said the leadership of one party approved opening a channel through Sadr's National Shia Stream, but the effort has so far drawn no response. Political researcher Salam al-Zubaidi, who is close to the Framework, reiterated that Sadr's conditions for returning are the consolidation of arms under state control, reforms and the end of the quota system. Sadr announced his withdrawal from politics on August 29, 2022, after his 73 lawmakers resigned in June 2022, a period that saw his supporters storm the Green Zone and the parliament building. The Framework later became the largest bloc and formed the government, while Sadr boycotted the November 2025 elections.