During the interview Sadr warned Barzani not to cooperate with the US saying that the Americans were “conquerors” and argued that working with them has “no benefit.”

Erbil relies heavily on Washington for political and military support, especially in its fight against Islamic State. Sadr has long opposed the presence of US troops in Iraq and ran on an explicitly nationalist platform during the 2018 elections, while enjoying a measure continued support from Iran.

Sadr also addressed the ongoing government formation process in Baghdad and made a call for the parties to unite and cooperate.

“Let go of political agendas that separate us. We all need to try to create a good government for Iraq,” he said.

In a part of his interview Sadr referred to a demonstration on Saturday in Sulaimani that demanded better public services and that the Kurdistan Regional Government do more to fight corruption.

He said that corruption has deep roots in both the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

“It’s not only Shiite senior officials who are corrupt. It is the same for Sunnis and Kurds,” Sadr said.

More than 500 people have been killed since the beginning of the protests, most young and working class demonstrators, and more than 17,000 have been wounded.

Reporter’s code: 50101