Senior Shiite cleric fatally shot in attack in northern Iran

A senior Shiite cleric in Iran was shot and killed Wednesday in an attack in a northern province along the Caspian Sea, authorities said. An attacker shot to death Ayatollah Abbas Ali Soleimani in Babolsar in Iran’s Mazandaran province, state television reported.

Populist Iraqi cleric announces suspension of his movement

Influential Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr announced on Friday that he would suspend the movement he leads for one year, citing “corruption” among some of his followers. A group within his Sadrist movement, which has dubbed itself the “Owners