Leading Iraqi Shia cleric Sadr heads to Abu Dhabi for rare official visit

Influential Iraqi-Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is on a rare visit to the UAE after receiving an official invitation two weeks after he travelled to Saudi Arabia.

Sadr travelled on a private jet to Abu Dhabi on Sunday after being invited to visit the Gulf state, Sadr's office said in a short statement.

A lawmaker close to the Sadrist movement told The New Arab that Sadr was invited to visit the UAE during his trip at the end of July to Riyadh, where he was promised $10 million to help rebuild Iraq.

"This trip comes within the framework of the last one and is a part of Saudi efforts to move closer to Iraqi political parties after a long period of estrangement," the parliamentarian, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.

Despite Iran being ruled by a Shia theocracy, Sadr has been a critic of the regime, which is Saudi Arabia's regional rival.

The popular cleric met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last month and discussed "improving trade relations" through a new Saudi consulate in Najaf.

Relations between Baghdad and Riyadh were only restored recently since their severing in 1990 following former dictator Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.

The Saudi embassy was reopened in Baghdad for the first time in 25 years in early 2016.

A few months later, Baghdad asked Riyadh to replace its ambassador, Thamer al-Sabhan, after he urged Iraq to exclude pro-government militias from the war against the Islamic State group.

Earlier this month, Sadr called on Baghdad to dismantle the paramilitary Hashd al-Shaabi [Popular Mobilisation Forces] umbrella organisation dominated by Iran-backed Shia militias.

The UAE has designated several Hashd al-Shaabi militias as terrorist organisations.