In the wake of the sudden coalition deal struck between Muqtada al-Sadr's Sairoon Alliance and the pro-Iran Fatah Alliance on June 12, the allied parties seem to be trying to soften the reactions of the opposing parties both inside and outside Iraq.

In an official statement aimed at reassuring Washington that the new coalition would not adopt a policy hostile to the United States in Iraq, Karim al-Nuri, a leader in the Fatah Alliance, denied June 13 that his alliance is facing US opposition, saying, “The new coalition is in tune with the vision of Iran and the United States,” meaning that the new government that will result from this coalition will maintain the post-2003 moderate policies adopted by the Iraqi governments in keeping the balance of power between Iran and the United States, work to satisfy the two parties in Iraq and seek to keep their rivalry from affecting the country.

The new coalition is also trying to reassure the religious authority in Najaf that it will be following the directives the authority issued before the recent elections. Nuri said that the new coalition would also “satisfy the religious authority.” Top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani had expressed his outright opposition to the participation in the elections of the Popular Mobilization Units grouped under the Fatah Alliance.

Nuri called on other blocs to join the coalition in order to accelerate the formation of the new government. “This new coalition is open to all blocs and political parties,” he said, as he expected “other political blocs to join the coalition during the next few days.”