DUBAI, UAE - The Iraqi government began efforts to reduce US diplomatic presence in the country months before powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's recent call to do so, a senior lawmaker said Tuesday.

“The government started working toward this goal several months ago, prior to Sadr’s statement," Ruqayya Rahim al-Nouri, head of the Al-Furatain bloc in the Iraqi Parliament, told The New Region.

"It [Iraqi government] has paid significant attention to decreasing the US military presence and requested tangible actions from the American side,” she added.

Nouri said specialized committees have been established to oversee the withdrawal process and to restructure the relationship between Iraq and the US.

Iraq has called for the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country following a series of American retaliatory attacks targeting Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The groups have launched hundreds of attacks on US personnel in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria since the start of Israel’s Gaza offensive in October 2023.

A US-Iraq joint military commission was formed in January to discuss the future of American personnel and the rest of the US-led coalition forces stationed in the country.

“These efforts highlight the government’s commitment to achieving sovereignty and stability, and emphasize Iraq’s desire to establish relations based on mutual respect and shared interests,” she said.

Nouri also praised Sadr’s recent call to reduce US diplomatic representation, describing it as a political and public motivator due to the cleric’s influence on the national stage.

As a prominent Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr has been a vocal critic of US influence in Iraq and Israel’s actions in the region.

In October 2023, he called on the Iraqi government and parliament to shut down the US embassy in Baghdad, citing Washington’s strong support for Israel.

Sadr has also organized large-scale protests and urged boycotts of pro-US and Israeli products. In response to the ongoing Gaza conflict and Israeli military actions in Lebanon, Sadr on Sunday for reducing US diplomatic representation in Iraq and urged Arab and Muslim nations to “impose isolation” on any countries that normalize relations with Israel.