Sistani condemns war on Iran, calls for immediate halt

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on Wednesday condemned US-Israel ongoing war on Iran, warning that the conflict could lead to widespread chaos and prolonged instability in the region.

In a statement issued by his office in Najaf, Sistani said the military attacks on Iranian territory over the past several days have resulted in the deaths of many people, including fighters defending their country as well as children and other civilians, while also causing extensive damage to public and private property.

The US and Israel launched a devastating air campaign on Saturday, taking out the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Dozens of top military commanders have been killed. 

“As expected, the scope of the retaliatory military operations [by Iran] has expanded to include several other countries, with many of their regions and facilities suffering damage and harm, in scenes unfamiliar to the region for a long time,” Sistani’s office cited him as saying in a statement. 

The statement added that Sistani strongly condemns “this unjust war and calls on all Muslims and the free people of the world to denounce it and show solidarity with the oppressed Iranian people.” 

He called on “all influential international actors and countries of the world—especially Islamic nations—to exert their utmost efforts to immediately stop the war and find a fair and peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue in accordance with the rules of international law.”