Iraq will be deeply marked by weeks of demonstrations demanding sweeping reform, its top Shiite cleric said on Friday in some of his strongest remarks yet on the protest movement. In his weekly sermon delivered by a representative in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani piled pressure on authorities to enact sweeping reforms in response to the deadly demonstrations. “If those in power think that they can evade the benefits of real reform by stalling and procrastination, they are delusional,” Sistani said.
