Muqtada al-Sadr appeared in a surprising video Sept. 10. At an assembly commemorating the third Shiite Imam Hussein Ibn Ali, Sadr can be seen sitting between Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.

Sadr has criticized Iran’s regional policies, especially in regard to Iraq, since former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took office for the second time in 2010. Sadr showed a clear divergence from Iran, leaning more toward the Arab world and calling for Iraq to return to its Arab environment. The Arab world welcomed Sadr's continued criticism of Iraqi Shiite militias backed by Iran and their presence in Syria.

Sadr visited Saudi Arabia in August 2017, while the conflict between Iran and Saudi was growing. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed Sadr, and the mainstream Arab media praised him for his independent nationalistic position.

Sadr's presence at Khamenei's recent religious assembly has Iraqis asking questions. Former senior member of the Sadrist movement, Sheikh Ghaith al-Tamimi, commented on the issue, saying, “Who sits under the feet of the supreme leader cannot be the head of the Iraqis.” Tamimi was referring to how Sadr sat on the ground at the assembly and Khamenei sat in a chair. He added, “You [Muqtada] have devalued yourself before all Iraqis.”