Safaa Al-Mashhadani, a parliamentary candidate in Iraq, was killed in a car bombing north of Baghdad on Wednesday. He was running in the upcoming elections scheduled for November.
Mashhadani was a current member of the Baghdad Provincial Council. A bomb was attached to his vehicle and detonated. It killed the candidate and wounded four other people who were with him, according to reports.
This is the most high-profile assassination of these elections and the most prominent attack in Iraq in recent memory. Assassinations have happened in this country in the past, often at the hands of Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias.
For instance, in 2020, Shi’ite militants murdered Hisham al-Hashimi, a historian and expert on strategic affairs. He was killed in Baghdad by gunmen. The killers were linked to Kataib Hezbollah, the same group that kidnapped researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov in Baghdad in 2023. Tsurkov, who holds Israeli and Russian citizenship, was released in September 2025.
According to reports, Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, has ordered an investigation into Mashhadani’s murder.
Mashhadani was running in the elections for a group called the Sovereignty Alliance. Al Arabiya described this as “one of the major Sunni parties running in the elections. Khamis al-Khanjar and the speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadan, lead the party.”
The Sovereignty is known in Arabic as the Al-Siyada Alliance. Kurdistan24, a network in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, noted that, “according to initial reports, the explosion occurred in Baghdad’s Tarmiyah district, setting Mashhadani’s car ablaze and killing him instantly. Video footage circulating on social media shows the moment of the blast, with thick smoke rising from the vehicle engulfed in flames.”
It added that “Mashhadani, a Sunni politician and one of the prominent figures within the Siyada Alliance led by... Khanjar was widely regarded as one of Baghdad’s most popular and influential local leaders. His growing popularity, especially among young voters and Sunni communities in the capital, made him a strong contender in the upcoming parliamentary race and a key vote-winner for his alliance.”
Family ties unclear
It was not clear at the time of publication what family ties the victim may have had with Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, the parliament speaker, who, as aforementioned, leads the Siyada party.
The speaker is mourning Mashhadani’s death, and he has called the attack “cowardly.” A member of the Council of Representatives of Iraq since 2005, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani was elected soon after the US invasion of Iraq, and has been the parliament’s speaker since 2024.
This role – the parliament’s speaker – has been a key Sunni-held position in Iraq. Shi’ite parties generally control the country, and Shi’ites typically become the prime ministers, while the president of Iraq is Kurdish.
This enables a seeming balance between the groups, similar to how Lebanon is governed.
However, Iraq is more of a majoritarian democracy than Lebanon is, meaning that seats are not reserved for groups in the same way as in Beirut.
Last year, Shafaq News reported that the Siyada Alliance had sought to push its candidate, Mashhadani, into the speakership role.
The party put out a statement urging Sunni parties to “avoid succumbing to individuals or groups attempting to bypass the Sunni majority’s rightful claim and undermining the democratic principles and national rights that ensure all Iraqis participate without exclusion or marginalization in shaping their future.”
Shafaq News noted that “despite several parliamentary sessions held to elect a new speaker, political factions have failed to reach a consensus.”
“The Taqaddum bloc, led by [Mohammed] al-Halbousi, insisted on retaining the position as its entitlement. In contrast, the Siyada bloc, led by [Khamis] al-Khanjar, and other Sunni groups argued that the seat should represent the entire Sunni community, not just a single party or bloc,” it said.
Reports indicate that the Siyada Alliance has allied with other parties, including the Azem Alliance. Headed by businessman Khanjar, it also includes former defense minister Khaled al-Obaidi, who played a key role in the defeat of ISIS.
Mashhadani’s assassination in Iraq may be a prelude to more attacks before the elections. On the other hand, it could also be a message from either Sunni or Shi’ite rivals directed at the Siyada party and its leadership.