Muqtada al-Sadr calls for closure of US embassy in Iraq over support for Israel

Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr called on Friday for the Iraqi government to close the US embassy in Baghdad in protest of what he described as "unlimited support" from the United States to Israel amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

He warned of taking "further action" if this demand is unmet.

In a statement posted on X, al-Sadr urged the Iraqi government and parliament, representing all its various factions and orientations, to vote for the closure of the US embassy in Iraq in the interest of the public good, not any private interests. This call comes in response to what he referred to as "unlimited US support for the Zionist terrorists against Gaza."

Furthermore, he emphasized that if the government and parliament do not respond to this demand, they should expect "another stance" from him to be announced later.