**Account header:**

The image is an authentic-looking social card attributed to Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) reporting that influential Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr urged Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and allied armed groups to stop launching attacks from Iraq. The core factual claim is CONFIRMED. Middle East Eye published this exact wording, and it is independently corroborated by multiple reputable outlets (IranWire, The War Zone/TWZ, FDD's Long War Journal, The National) reporting a 29 July 2026 statement by al-Sadr posted on X, in which he condemned attacks on Iraqi territory by both the IRGC and Iran-aligned 'rogue militias' and urged Baghdad to assert state control. The visual description (bearded man in black turban and dark robes) is consistent with known imagery of Muqtada al-Sadr. The wording matches al-Sadr's translated remarks near-verbatim. Minor caveats: the report reflects a rapidly evolving conflict situation, and the framing 'stop launching attacks from Iraq' is a paraphrase of a longer statement that also addressed the IRGC striking Iraq, so context matters.

What checked out (5)

• The quoted body text matches Middle East Eye's own published reporting: 'Influential Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has urged Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and allied armed groups to stop launching attacks from Iraq'.
• Muqtada al-Sadr issued a statement on 29 July 2026 (posted on X) addressing the IRGC and Iran-aligned armed factions amid escalation, calling for Iraq not to be dragged into war.
• Al-Sadr called on the Iraqi government in Baghdad to assert state control/sovereignty, and warned 'rogue/outlaw militias' not to give Gulf states a pretext to target Iraqi territory (corroborated by MEE, IranWire, TWZ).
• Muqtada al-Sadr is an influential Iraqi Shia cleric and leader of the Sadrist Movement, associated with the Saraya al-Salam militia (corroborated by FDD/Long War Journal).
• The statement came amid joint US-Saudi strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq and IRGC strikes, in late July 2026 (corroborated by TWZ, FDD, The National).

• The precise authenticity of the specific screenshot/graphic as an untampered official Middle East Eye social post (the underlying reporting is confirmed, but the exact image asset could not be pixel-verified against MEE's account).
• Exact chronology of al-Sadr's remarks relative to individual strike events (fast-moving situation; timelines across sources differ slightly).

Confidence

High — The exact claim text appears verbatim in Middle East Eye's own reporting and is independently corroborated by four dated (29 July 2026), ideologically diverse reputable outlets quoting al-Sadr's X statement. The only residual uncertainty concerns pixel-level authentication of the screenshot image and the fast-moving conflict context, which slightly lowers confidence from Very High to High.

Search journal

Muqtada al-Sadr Iran IRGC stop attacks Iraq

• https://iranwire.com/en/news/155623-iraqs-influential-shiite-cleric-muqtada-al-sadr-warns-irgc-against-escalation/
• https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/muqtada-al-sadr-condemns-attacks-pro-iranian-iraqi-factions-saudi-arabia
• https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/07/us-saudi-arabia-strike-iranian-backed-militias-in-iraq-afte...

Sadr urges Iran-aligned factions cease attacks Iraq

• https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/al-sadr-tells-iran-backed-groups-keep-iraq-out-war
• https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/07/29/iraq-says-its-not-an-arena-to-settle-scores-after-us-a...

Muqtada al-Sadr IRGC allied armed groups stop launching attacks from Iraq July 2026

• https://www.twz.com/news-features/trump-vows-revenge-for-iranian-missile-attack-u-s-and-saudis-join-forces-...
• https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2026/07/29/us-saudi-arabia-strike-iranian-backed-militias-in-iraq-after-militi...

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