Iraqi Shiite cleric's Saudi, UAE trips show Gulf realpolitik
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An influential Iraqi Shiite cleric, notorious for his followers' deadly attacks on US troops in Iraq and often linked to Iran, has two new stamps in his passport -- from two fiercest Sunni critics of Tehran in the Gulf.
Muqtada al-Sadr's recent trips to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates come as the two nations want to limit Iran's influence in the wider Middle East, especially with Iranian-backed Shiite militias leading the fight against the Islamic State group on Iraqi battlefields.
Meanwhile, the chameleonic cleric hopes to cement his own standing ahead of Iraq's parliamentary elections next year but how far any possible alliance with Gulf Arab countries would go remains to be seen.
For now, photos of the black-turbaned al-Sadr meeting Sunni rulers have stirred speculation in Iran.
