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Iran's Weakening Influence in Baghdad
(Wall Street Journal) David S. Cloud - Since the U.S. ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iran has backed a network of Iraqi militias that helps Tehran extend its reach. Now, Iraq's Shia factions are deeply divided in a sign of Iran's weakening influence in the country. One side led by influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has shunned association with the Iranians, is in its fourth week of occupying the parliament grounds in Baghdad's Green Zone. The reluctance to be linked to Iran reflects a widespread weariness with Tehran. Protesters have shouted anti-Iran slogans. Many Iraqis blame Tehran for empowering militias that fought the Islamic State but are now perceived as armed wings of Shiite political factions and as enforcers of a corrupt status quo. "The Iraqi public right now is pushing against sectarianism and really wants more of a nationalist government," said Marsin Alshamary, a research fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School. "This is not a good case scenario for Iran because it weakens the political parties that it is close to."