After storming Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone in protest at a rival bloc’s nomination for prime minister, hundreds of supporters of powerful Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr danced and sang in parliament Wednesday.

The crowds surged forward and entered parliament even though police fired barrages of tear gas in a bid to stop the protesters from breaching the gates of the heavily fortified Green Zone. Despite soaring global energy prices, oil-rich Iraq has been mired in a political and socioeconomic crisis.

Deadlock persists over the establishment of a new government even though Sadr’s bloc emerged from elections in October as the biggest parliamentary faction.

Chanting, cheering and taking photographs, crowds wandered around the parliament building waving national flags.

Calling on the protesters to “immediately withdraw”, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi warned that the security forces would prevent any harm to order.

In support of the protesters, Sadr wrote on Twitter “Revolution of reform, and rejection of injustice and corruption.”

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— مقتدى السيد محمد الصدر (@Mu_AlSadr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mu_AlSadr/status/1552344349593190400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Talks to form a new government have stalled since Sadr’s bloc won 73 seats out of total 329 seats in last year’s election.

Hampering reforms needed as the country struggles to recover from decades of conflict, Iraq marked its longest post-election deadlock on Wednesday as infighting among Shi’ite and Kurdish groups in particular prevents the formation of a government.

Bringing the country to a record 290 days without a head of state or cabinet, lawmakers tasked with choosing a president and prime minister looked no closer to an agreement over nine months since an October election.

(With inputs from agencies)

Watch WION's live TV here:

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After storming Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone in protest at a rival bloc’s nomination for prime minister, hundreds of supporters of powerful Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr danced and sang in parliament Wednesday.

After storming Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone in protest at a rival bloc’s nomination for prime minister, hundreds of supporters of powerful Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr danced and sang in parliament Wednesday. The crowds surged forward and entered parliament even though police fired barrages of tear gas in a bid to stop the protesters from breaching the gates of the heavily fortified Green Zone. Despite soaring global energy prices, oil-rich Iraq has been mired in a political and socioeconomic crisis. Deadlock persists over the establishment of a new government even though Sadr’s bloc emerged from elections in October as the biggest parliamentary faction. Chanting, cheering and taking photographs, crowds wandered around the parliament building waving national flags. Calling on the protesters to “immediately withdraw”, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi warned that the security forces would prevent any harm to order. In support of the protesters, Sadr wrote on Twitter “Revolution of reform, and rejection of injustice and corruption.” pic.twitter.com/1p12ZexLu4 — مقتدى السيد محمد الصدر (@Mu_AlSadr) July 27, 2022 × Talks to form a new government have stalled since Sadr’s bloc won 73 seats out of total 329 seats in last year’s election. Hampering reforms needed as the country struggles to recover from decades of conflict, Iraq marked its longest post-election deadlock on Wednesday as infighting among Shi’ite and Kurdish groups in particular prevents the formation of a government. Bringing the country to a record 290 days without a head of state or cabinet, lawmakers tasked with choosing a president and prime minister looked no closer to an agreement over nine months since an October election. (With inputs from agencies) Watch WION's live TV here: ×

Iraq: Supporters of cleric Moqtada Sadr storm parliament in fortified Green Zone

Saudi&nbsp;Arabia's crown prince on Tuesday struck a conciliatory tone towards the kingdom's arch-nemesis Iran, saying he sought "good" relations, after sources said the rivals held secret talks in Baghdad.

The two countries, locked&nbsp;in a fierce struggle for regional&nbsp;dominance, cut ties in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;diplomatic missions following the kingdom's execution of a revered Shiite cleric.

"Iran is a neighbouring country, and all we aspire for is a good and special relationship with Iran,"&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a television interview broadcast late Tuesday.

"We do not want Iran's situation to be difficult. On the contrary, we want Iran to grow... and to push the region and the world towards prosperity."

He added that Riyadh was working with regional and global partners to find solutions to Tehran's "negative behaviour".

That marks a change in tone compared to Prince Mohammed's previous interviews, in which he lashed out at Tehran, accusing it of fuelling regional insecurity.

The prince did not mention any negotiations with Tehran.

The talks in Baghdad, facilitated by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, remained secret until the Financial Times reported that a first meeting had been held on April 9.

An Iraqi government official confirmed the talks to AFP, while a Western diplomat said he had been "briefed in advance" about the effort to "broker a better relationship and decrease tensions".

Riyadh has officially denied the talks in its state-backed media while Tehran has stayed mum, asserting only that it has "always welcomed" dialogue with&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia.

The initiative comes at a time of shifting power dynamics, as US President Joe Biden is seeking to revive the tattered 2015 nuclear deal that was abandoned by Donald Trump.

Saudi&nbsp;Arabia&nbsp;and Iran have backed opposite sides of several regional conflicts, from Syria to Yemen, where a&nbsp;Saudi-led coalition is fighting the Huthi rebels.

Iran supports the Huthi rebels, who are battling the&nbsp;Saudi-led military coalition that intervened in Yemen's war in 2015.

The rebels have also stepped up drone and missile strikes on&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;targets, including its oil facilities.

In his interview, Prince Mohammed renewed calls for a ceasefire and negotiations with the rebels.

Saudi Arabia's crown prince on Tuesday struck a conciliatory tone towards the kingdom's arch-nemesis Iran, saying he sought "good" relations, after sources said the rivals held secret talks in Baghdad.

Saudi Arabia's crown prince on Tuesday struck a conciliatory tone towards the kingdom's arch-nemesis Iran, saying he sought "good" relations, after sources said the rivals held secret talks in Baghdad. The two countries, locked in a fierce struggle for regional dominance, cut ties in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following the kingdom's execution of a revered Shiite cleric. "Iran is a neighbouring country, and all we aspire for is a good and special relationship with Iran," Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a television interview broadcast late Tuesday. "We do not want Iran's situation to be difficult. On the contrary, we want Iran to grow... and to push the region and the world towards prosperity." He added that Riyadh was working with regional and global partners to find solutions to Tehran's "negative behaviour". That marks a change in tone compared to Prince Mohammed's previous interviews, in which he lashed out at Tehran, accusing it of fuelling regional insecurity. The prince did not mention any negotiations with Tehran. The talks in Baghdad, facilitated by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, remained secret until the Financial Times reported that a first meeting had been held on April 9. An Iraqi government official confirmed the talks to AFP, while a Western diplomat said he had been "briefed in advance" about the effort to "broker a better relationship and decrease tensions". Riyadh has officially denied the talks in its state-backed media while Tehran has stayed mum, asserting only that it has "always welcomed" dialogue with Saudi Arabia. The initiative comes at a time of shifting power dynamics, as US President Joe Biden is seeking to revive the tattered 2015 nuclear deal that was abandoned by Donald Trump. Saudi Arabia and Iran have backed opposite sides of several regional conflicts, from Syria to Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting the Huthi rebels. Iran supports the Huthi rebels, who are battling the Saudi-led military coalition that intervened in Yemen's war in 2015. The rebels have also stepped up drone and missile strikes on Saudi targets, including its oil facilities. In his interview, Prince Mohammed renewed calls for a ceasefire and negotiations with the rebels.

Saudi prince strikes conciliatory tone with rival Iran

The US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> will soon be announcing the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

An official has said that an official announcement for Iraq is expected by the end of Wednesday, and the news for Afghanistan will follow soon after.

The decision has been taken after Trump met with the&nbsp;Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi in August and decided to pull back troops from Iraq. However, Trump had not issued a timeline for the same to the Iraqi Prime Minister.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-justice-department-seeks-to-defend-trump-in-e-jean-carroll-defamation-lawsuit-326113">Also read|&nbsp;US Justice Department seeks to defend Trump in E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit</a>

The meeting's main agenda and the reason behind this pull back of the American troops was an increase in the attacks aimed at American targets by pro-Iranian fighters. The Iraqi government was also facing pressure domestically to ask the American troops to leave the country.

The US military withdrew from Iraq in late 2011, leaving a small mission attached to the US embassy. However, an additional unit was deployed a few years later to provide aid to the Iraqi forces in their war against Islamic State

In Afghanistan, the US currently has 8,600 soldiers in accordance with a bilateral agreement signed in February between Washington and the Taliban.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-kamala-harris-becoming-first-woman-president-will-be-insult-to-us-says-trump-326114">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: Kamala Harris becoming first woman president will be insult to US, says Trump</a>

As per the initial plans drawn in August this year, Trump plans to bring down the number of US troops in Afgahnistan to less than 5,000. The decision is being seen as a huge help in promoting the inter-Afghan peace talks.

Trump had earlier, in an interview, suggested that he plans to bring down the number of American troops to nearly 4,000 in time for the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/us-election">US Presidential elections</a> scheduled on November 03, in which Trump will be running against Joe Biden.

Under the US-Taliban deal, all foreign troops must leave the country by the spring of 2021, in exchange for security commitments from the militants.

(With inputs from agencies)

The US President Donald Trump will soon be announcing the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. An official has said that an official announcement for Iraq is expected by the end of Wednesday, and the news for Afghanistan will follow soon after.

The US President Donald Trump will soon be announcing the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. An official has said that an official announcement for Iraq is expected by the end of Wednesday, and the news for Afghanistan will follow soon after. The decision has been taken after Trump met with the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi in August and decided to pull back troops from Iraq. However, Trump had not issued a timeline for the same to the Iraqi Prime Minister. Also read| US Justice Department seeks to defend Trump in E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit The meeting's main agenda and the reason behind this pull back of the American troops was an increase in the attacks aimed at American targets by pro-Iranian fighters. The Iraqi government was also facing pressure domestically to ask the American troops to leave the country. The US military withdrew from Iraq in late 2011, leaving a small mission attached to the US embassy. However, an additional unit was deployed a few years later to provide aid to the Iraqi forces in their war against Islamic State In Afghanistan, the US currently has 8,600 soldiers in accordance with a bilateral agreement signed in February between Washington and the Taliban. Also read| US election 2020: Kamala Harris becoming first woman president will be insult to US, says Trump As per the initial plans drawn in August this year, Trump plans to bring down the number of US troops in Afgahnistan to less than 5,000. The decision is being seen as a huge help in promoting the inter-Afghan peace talks. Trump had earlier, in an interview, suggested that he plans to bring down the number of American troops to nearly 4,000 in time for the US Presidential elections scheduled on November 03, in which Trump will be running against Joe Biden. Under the US-Taliban deal, all foreign troops must leave the country by the spring of 2021, in exchange for security commitments from the militants. (With inputs from agencies)

US election 2020: Ahead of polls, Trump plans to withdraw US troops from Iraq, Afghanistan