June 13 (UPI) -- The leader of Iraq's leading parliamentary coalition announced an unexpected alliance with a pro-Iranian political bloc to form a new government.
Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Sairoon alliance that won Iraq's May 12 parliamentary elections with 54 seats, has been openly opposed to Iranian involvement in his country. Tuesday evening, however, Sadr said he was partnering with the Fatah coalition, led by Hadi al-Amirir -- a fluent Persian speaker and Iran's closest ally in Iraq.