logo
Ayatollah Sistani's office raided in Damascus, Baghdad protests to Syrian authorities

Ayatollah Sistani's office raided in Damascus, Baghdad protests to Syrian authorities

Shafaq News06-06-2025
Shafaq News/ Individuals claiming ties to the General Security Directorate in Rural Damascus raided the office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, vandalizing property and abusing staff, according to a complaint from the Iraqi Embassy in Damascus.
The embassy, in an official note addressed to the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urged Syrian authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable and prevent similar incidents, describing the raid, as 'a provocation to the feelings of millions of followers of the supreme religious authority in Iraq and around the world.'
The statement warned that the actions amounted to a clear affront to the religious standing of the Shia cleric, whose role is widely recognized for 'moderation, wisdom, and a tolerant approach across the Islamic world and beyond.'
Reaffirming Iraq's position, the embassy stressed its commitment to 'preserving Syria's social peace and ensuring the rights of all religious, sectarian, and ethnic groups.' It called on Syrian authorities to 'hold those responsible to account and prevent such practices from recurring.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Kurdistan accuses Baghdad of failing on salary commitments
Kurdistan accuses Baghdad of failing on salary commitments

Shafaq News

timean hour ago

  • Shafaq News

Kurdistan accuses Baghdad of failing on salary commitments

Shafaq News – Erbil On Thursday, Kurdish Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, Pshtiwan Sadiq, criticized the Iraqi government's handling of funding monthly salaries for public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region. Addressing a group of religious leaders in Erbil, Sadiq noted that since 2014, Baghdad's policies have created difficulties for the people of the Kurdistan Region, highlighting that Kurdistan agreed to all federal demands, including transferring oil and non-oil revenues to Baghdad in exchange for salary payments. 'We have fulfilled our commitments, but the federal government has not honored its side of the agreement,' Sadiq noted. Sadiq also pointed to efforts by the federal government aimed at 'weakening and economically marginalizing Kurdistan', warning that opposition parties in the Region are further undermining its constitutional status. Since May, tensions have escalated between Erbil and Baghdad over the release of public sector salaries. Iraqi authorities linked disbursements to the Kurdistan Region's full transfer of oil exports to the state-run SOMO company, along with increased oversight of non-oil revenues. The Kurdish government rejected those terms as exceeding earlier agreements. The resulting deadlock has delayed salary payments for hundreds of thousands of public employees in the Region. As a temporary measure, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani authorized the payment of May's salaries through a federal loan, pending further resolution.

Austrian ambassador praises President Barzani's role in Iraq
Austrian ambassador praises President Barzani's role in Iraq

Rudaw Net

time2 hours ago

  • Rudaw Net

Austrian ambassador praises President Barzani's role in Iraq

Also in Iraq Sudani orders monitoring of water flow from Turkey Iraq reports 34 percent revenue decrease in four months Who is behind recent rocket, drone attacks in Kurdistan Region, disputed territories? Car accident kills four in Diyala province A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Austria's ambassador to Iraq hailed his country's relations with Baghdad as 'excellent,' saying Vienna is committed to strengthening ties between Baghdad and Erbil while praising Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani's profile and connections with Iraqi officials. 'We are committed to fostering robust relations with both Baghdad and Erbil. In this context, we highly value President Barzani's high political profile and his strong personal connections, both with Prime Minister [Mohammed Shia' al-] Sudani, within the Iraqi political landscape and throughout the region as a whole,' Andrea Nasi told Rudaw. Describing Vienna's relations with Baghdad as 'excellent,' Nasi said that 'Iraq considers Austria an important partner in the EU and Austria considers Iraq as an important partner in the region.' 'We have strengthened our partnership through agreements on security, political dialogue, air transport, and cooperation between our Chambers of Commerce,' he explained. Austria closed its embassy in Baghdad in 1991 over security concerns. The country had a representation in the Iraqi capital since 2022, and reopened its embassy in September. It does not have a consulate in Erbil but has had a commercial office in the Kurdish capital since 2006. Nasi said that 42 Austrian companies work in Iraq, reporting a 20 percent increase in exports to the country in 2024 for a total volume of €123.5 million, primarily in the dairy, optical equipment, mechanical equipment, and steel and iron sectors. 'Austria's current engagement in Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region, is primarily characterized by targeted loans and contractual agreements, rather than large-scale equity investments,' he added. Regarding the Kurdistan Region, the ambassador said that Vienna aims to explore opportunities with Erbil in the security, migration, economic development, and energy initiatives sectors, with nine Austrian companies operating in the Region. 'Austria has a lot to offer when it comes to environmentally friendly technology, sustainable industrial products, telecommunications infrastructure, friendly technology, sustainable industrial products, telecommunications infrastructure, as well as crisis management and fire fighting vehicles and equipment,' Nasi said. In July of last year, President Barzani visited Austria and met with top officials, including Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and then-Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, to highlight opportunities and avenues to strengthen Vienna's ties with Erbil and Baghdad. During his visit, Barzani said that Erbil has a 'very long-lasting relationship' with Vienna, and requested the opening of Austria's consulate in Erbil. Niyaz Mustafa contributed to this report.

Sudani orders monitoring of water flow from Turkey
Sudani orders monitoring of water flow from Turkey

Rudaw Net

time2 hours ago

  • Rudaw Net

Sudani orders monitoring of water flow from Turkey

Also in Iraq Austrian ambassador praises President Barzani's role in Iraq Iraq reports 34 percent revenue decrease in four months Who is behind recent rocket, drone attacks in Kurdistan Region, disputed territories? Car accident kills four in Diyala province A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani has ordered the monitoring of water flows from Turkey, following an apparent increase in releases by Ankara in line with directives from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Iraq's Water Resources Minister Aoun Diab. The state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) quoted Diab on Wednesday stating that Sudani 'has directed the monitoring of flows, especially those entering northern Iraq across the borders [from Turkey].' 'We have gauges that will continue to monitor levels and discharges around the clock,' Diab added, stressing the importance of monitoring Turkey's compliance. 'We must continue to monitor the extent of the Turkish side's commitment to President Erdogan's directives - especially since they came from the highest level - and we hope they continue.' Earlier the same day, Iraq's parliament announced that Turkey had agreed to increase the daily release of water into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers by 420 cubic meters per second, starting Wednesday. The agreement followed a meeting between the Turkish President and the Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani in Ankara on Tuesday. According to an Iraqi parliament statement, Erdogan approved Mashhadani's 'request to release 420 cubic meters of water per second daily, starting Wednesday." Mashhadani had urged the Turkish leadership to address Iraq's worsening water crisis and ensure adequate water supplies, particularly in the drought-stricken souhern regions. According to a parliamentary statement, Erdogan approved the request, saying, 'Turkey shares what God has bestowed upon it with its brothers in Iraq and will not withhold it from them.' On Thursday, Diab confirmed that improvements in water flow had been observed. 'The Tigris River releases increased from 66 cubic meters per second to 133 cubic meters, and the Euphrates River also saw an increase,' he said. 'We want these flows to remain stable and continuous.' The Iraqi minister further explained that the water dossier has seen many negotiations between Baghdad and Ankara, noting that 'the most important' of these discussions occurred during Erdogan's April 2024 visit to Iraq. In April 2024, Iraqi Prime Minister Sudani and Turkish President Erdogan signed a multi-billion-dollar strategic framework agreement in Baghdad to manage shared water resources. The 10-year pact included joint river management projects and opened the door for increased Turkish investment under Iraqi coordination. Despite this significant diplomatic achievement, Iraq remains in the grip of a worsening water crisis. The country depends heavily on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, both of which originate in Turkey. Major Turkish dam projects, particularly the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), have significantly reduced the volume of water reaching Iraq. In late May, Iraq's water reserves dropped to their lowest level in 80 years, according to water resources ministry Spokesperson Khaled Shamal. 'At the start of the summer season, we should have at least 18 billion cubic meters of water. Today, we only have about 10 billion,' he told Rudaw, warning that agricultural activities had been severely curtailed as a result. Amid the deepening crisis, Iraqi leaders have repeatedly called for a binding, comprehensive international agreement with Turkey to secure Iraq's fair share of water and ensure long-term sustainability. Public frustration is mounting as well. Southern provinces like Basra have witnessed growing protests in recent weeks over severe water shortages and ongoing water pollution.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store