Ayatollah Yassine al-Mousawi Warns Iraqi Leaders Against U.S. Pressure

Baghdad Friday Prayer Leader Ayatollah Yassine al-Mousawi Issues Strong Warning Against Powerful Forces, Voices Support for the Axis of Resistance

Shiite News: Prominent Baghdad cleric and Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Sayyid Yassine al-Mousawi said in his Friday sermon on August 21, 2026, that Iraq’s current crisis is the result of governmental incompetence and the prioritization of personal interests over national interests. He said the responsibility of a Friday prayer leader is not merely to point out shortcomings but also to address public concerns and adopt a strong and effective position against what he described as destabilizing foreign schemes.

He expressed deep concern over Iraq’s worsening economic conditions, rising poverty and unemployment, and strongly criticized government officials over the situation. Ayatollah al-Mousawi said that the dependence of certain political factions on the United States was highly concerning and warned that calls for crackdowns or arrests targeting national and resistance-oriented groups supporting oppressed people could pose a serious threat to Iraq’s sovereignty.

Discussing the regional situation, the Baghdad Friday prayer leader strongly addressed what he described as U.S. and Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran. He rejected Iraq’s declared position of “neutrality” in the conflict, arguing that the confrontation was the result of what he characterized as Israeli ambitions to expand its influence in the region. He therefore called on Iraq to stand alongside the Axis of Resistance.

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He warned Iraqi leaders to move away from U.S. pressure and reconsider their policies, saying that otherwise the country’s current course could push it toward further and more dangerous crises.