Iran: Hashd al-Sha’abi head’s removal Iraq’s internal affair

Iran says Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s decision to sack national security adviser and head of Hashd al-Sha’abi Falih Alfayyadh is an internal affair which it will not meddle with.

“This is an internal Iraqi issue and we do not interfere in it,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi told Iran’s Arabic-language Al-Alam television network.

“For us, as a neighbor, a safe, unified, and advanced Iraq has priority over everything else,” he added.

Alfayyadh was removed from office on Friday, with Abadi’s office stating that the decision had been taken due to his involvement in “political and partisan work”.

The decision has largely been attributed to the country’s ongoing efforts to form a new government following parliamentary elections in May.

Senior cleric Muqtada Sadr’s Sairoon bloc came first in the polls, while the Fatah (Conquest) Alliance led by Hadi al-Amiri, and Prime Minister Abadi’s Nasr finished second and third.

Before Abadi’s decision, reports surfaced alleging that Alfayyadh was working with other heavyweight political groupings to establish the largest parliamentary bloc with expected influence in the make-up of the next government.

Abadi’s office said Alfayyadh’s alleged involvement in government formation talks would undermine the performance of the country’s security apparatus.

As an apparent answer to the prime minister’s move, a number of Nasr’s leaders have made Alfayyadh their candidate for premiership, according to various media reports.