A drone view shows supporters of Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr attending Friday prayers to protest against repeated violations of Iraqi airspace and to denounce attacks on Iran, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Baghdad, Iraq on June 20, 2025. — Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani
A drone view shows supporters of Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr attending Friday prayers to protest against repeated violations of Iraqi airspace and to denounce attacks on Iran, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Baghdad, Iraq on June 20, 2025. — Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani

 Supporters of Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr walk past posters of Sadr and his father, the late Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr, during a protest following Friday prayers against repeated violations of Iraqi airspace, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Basra, Iraq on June 20, 2025. — Reuters/Essam Al-Sudani
Supporters of Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr walk past posters of Sadr and his father, the late Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr, during a protest following Friday prayers against repeated violations of Iraqi airspace, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Basra, Iraq on June 20, 2025. — Reuters/Essam Al-Sudani

 Supporters of Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr protest Israel’s strikes on Iran, following the weekly Friday noon prayers in Baghdad’s Sadr City on June 20, 2025. — AFP
Supporters of Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr protest Israel’s strikes on Iran, following the weekly Friday noon prayers in Baghdad’s Sadr City on June 20, 2025. — AFP

 Supporters of Iraq’s Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr burn the flag of Israel after Friday prayers to protest Israel’s strikes on Iran in the holy shrine city of Najaf on June 20, 2025. — AFP
Supporters of Iraq’s Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr burn the flag of Israel after Friday prayers to protest Israel’s strikes on Iran in the holy shrine city of Najaf on June 20, 2025. — AFP

 Supporters of Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather to attend Friday prayers to protest against repeated violations of Iraqi airspace, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Baghdad, Iraq on June 20, 2025. — Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani
Supporters of Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather to attend Friday prayers to protest against repeated violations of Iraqi airspace, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Baghdad, Iraq on June 20, 2025. — Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani

Opinion

A long week

A long week

There’s some wariness about the excitement surrounding this moment of international glory.

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