An Iraqi parliamentary session on Wednesday to discuss the Iraq-US security pact was adjourned for a day after lawmakers loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr shouted down the second reading of the agreement's text.
The agreement, which allows the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq for three more years, was signed by both sides on Monday.
The Sadrists have vowed to sabotage the pact with legislative maneuvers and mass demonstrations.
Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani adjourned the session until Thursday after Sadrist MP Ahmed al-Massoudi aggressively approached a lawmaker from the ruling coalition, who was reading aloud the text of the agreement.
The 275-member Iraqi parliament should approve the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) before November 24, failing which it cannot be signed into law by the Iraqi president.
Meanwhile, Sunni and Shiite tribes supporting Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki held demonstrations in several cities across the country in favor of the accord.
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June 19, 2026 16:46 ET Major central banks continued to dominate the economic news flow this week too, led by the Federal Reserve, as they announced their latest policy decisions. The Federal Reserve policy session was in focus as it was the first to be led by the new chief Kevin Warsh. In Europe, central banks of the U.K. and Switzerland announced their rate decisions. In Asia, the Bank of Japan drew attention for its policy moves, while data out of China threw some light on the state of the economy.