Despite public anger, no progress in Iraq political deadlock


              FILE - Protesters try to remove concrete barriers and cross the bridge towards the Green Zone area in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 30, 2022, as thousands of followers of an influential Shiite cleric breached the building for the second time in a week to protest the government formation efforts lead by Iran-backed groups. Iraq’s two rival Shiite political camps remain locked in a zero-sum competition, and the lone voice potentially able to end the rift — the revered Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani — has been conspicuously silent. (AP Photo/Adil al-Khazali, File)
            
              FILE - Supporters of Iran-backed Shiite Coordination Framework attend a rally to denounce their rivals, followers of an influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who stormed the parliament last month and have since been holding a sit-in outside the assembly building in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. On the photo is a revered Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)
            
              FILE - Shiite pilgrims make their way to the shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim, passing by a poster of Shiite spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, right, in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, May 22, 2014. Iraq’s two rival Shiite political camps remain locked in a zero-sum competition, and the lone voice potentially able to end the rift — the revered Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani — has been conspicuously silent. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File)
            
              FILE - Supporters of Iran-backed Shiite Coordination Framework attend a rally to denounce their rivals, followers of an influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who stormed the parliament last month and have since been holding a sit-in outside the assembly building in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. Iraq’s political crisis shows no signs of abating weeks after followers of an influential cleric stormed parliament. That’s despite rising public anger over a debilitating gridlock that has further weakened the country’s caretaker government and its ability to provide basic services. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)
            
              FILE Iraqi protesters rest in the Parliament building in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 30, 2022. Iraq’s political crisis shows no signs of abating weeks after followers of an influential cleric stormed parliament. That’s despite rising public anger over a debilitating gridlock that has further weakened the country’s caretaker government and its ability to provide basic services. Iraq’s two rival Shiite political camps remain locked in a zero-sum competition, and the lone voice potentially able to end the rift — the revered Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani — has been conspicuously silent. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)
            
              FILE -  A protester holds a poster depicting Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on a bridge leading towards the Green Zone area in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 30, 2022 — days after hundreds breached Baghdad's parliament Wednesday chanting anti-Iran curses in a demonstration against a nominee for prime minister by Iran-backed parties. Iraq’s political crisis shows no signs of abating weeks after followers of an influential cleric stormed parliament. That’s despite rising public anger over a debilitating gridlock that has further weakened the country’s caretaker government and its ability to provide basic services. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)
Despite public anger, no progress in Iraq political deadlock