Iraq Tensions Soar as Protesters Rally against Parliament Occupation

Security forces use a water cannon to prevent supporters of the Coordination Framework from entering the capital Baghdad's high-security Green Zone on August 1, 2022, during a counter-protest against Sadr's loyalists who have been occupying parliament. (AFP)

Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad Monday in counter-protests as rival supporters of Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr extended their occupation of parliament into a third day.

Almost 10 months after Iraqis went to the polls, a political standoff pits two key factions of the Shiite political scene, between the populist Sadr with a devoted following of millions, and the pro-Iran Coordination Framework.