Muhammad Shayya al-Sudani (born 4 March 1970) is an Iraqi politician who has been the
Prime Minister of Iraq
The prime minister of the Republic of Iraq is the head of government of Iraq and the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces. On 27 October 2022, Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani became the incumbent prime minister.
History
The prime minist ...
since 27 October 2022. Prior to his premiership, he held a number of ministerial positions; namely, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, acting
Minister of Industry and Minerals, acting
Minister of Trade, acting Minister of Migration and the Displaced, acting
Minister of Finance
A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position .
A ministry of finance's portfolio ...
, acting
Minister of Agriculture, and
Minister of Human Rights.
Furthermore, he has also held the position of Governor of
Maysan
Maysan Governorate () is a governorate in southeastern Iraq, bordering Iran. Its administrative centre is the city of Amarah, and it is composed of six districts. Before 1976, it was named Amara Province.
Etymology
This region was called ''Messè ...
, and Mayor of
Amarah
Amarah (), also spelled Amara, is a city in south-eastern Iraq, located on a low ridge next to the Tigris River waterway south of Baghdad about 50 km (31 mi) from the border with Iran. It lies at the northern tip of the marshlands between ...
. On 19 January 2019, al-Sudani founded the
Furatayn Movement
The Furatayn Movement () is an Iraqi centrist political party founded by Muhammad Shayya al-Sudani. The party secretary is Bashar al-Saedi.
History
On December 13, 2018, Muhammad Shayya al-Sudani announced his resignation from the Dawa Party an ...
and has been its leader since. In 2025, ''
The Muslim 500'' included him among the most influential Muslim politicians.
Early life and education
Al-Sudani was born in
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
on 4 March 1970, to a middle-class
Shia
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
Arab
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
family.
Hailing originally from the province of
Maysan
Maysan Governorate () is a governorate in southeastern Iraq, bordering Iran. Its administrative centre is the city of Amarah, and it is composed of six districts. Before 1976, it was named Amara Province.
Etymology
This region was called ''Messè ...
in southern Iraq, his father worked as an employee at the
Agricultural Cooperative Bank of Iraq. His father as well as five other members of his family were executed for being members of the
Islamic Dawa Party
The Islamic Dawa Party () is an Iraqi Shia Islamist political movement that was formed in 1957 by seminarians in Najaf, Iraq, and later formed branches in Lebanon and Kuwait. The Party backed the Iranian Revolution and also Ayatollah Ruholla ...
, a banned party at the time that opposed the
Ba'athist
Ba'athism, also spelled Baathism, is an Arab nationalist ideology which advocates the establishment of a unified Arab state through the rule of a Ba'athist vanguard party operating under a revolutionary socialist framework. The ideology ...
rule of
Saddam
Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until his overthrow in 2003 during the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He previously served as the vi ...
in Iraq.
Al-Sudani graduated from the
University of Baghdad
The University of Baghdad (UOB) (, also known as Baghdad University) is a public university, public research university in Baghdad, Iraq. It is the largest university in Iraq and the tenth largest in the Arab world.
History
The College of Isl ...
and holds a bachelor's degree in
agricultural science
Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Professio ...
and a master's degree in project management.
Career
Early career
In 1997, al-Sudani was appointed to the Maysan Agriculture Office. He subsequently was appointed to a number of senior positions in the office such as the head of the Agriculture department, head of Ali Al-Sharqi City Agriculture department, and head of Agricultural Production department. He was also the supervising engineer in the National Research Program with the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates t ...
.
Early political career
After the
invasion of Iraq
An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression.
Generally, invasions have objectives ...
in 2003, al-Sudani worked as a coordinator between the Maysan province administration and the
Coalition Provisional Authority
The Coalition Provisional Authority (; , CPA) was a Provisional government, transitional government of Iraq established following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, invasion of the country on 19 March 2003 by Multi-National Force – Iraq, U.S.-led Co ...
. In 2004 he was appointed Mayor of
Amarah
Amarah (), also spelled Amara, is a city in south-eastern Iraq, located on a low ridge next to the Tigris River waterway south of Baghdad about 50 km (31 mi) from the border with Iran. It lies at the northern tip of the marshlands between ...
City, and in the
2005 provincial elections he was elected as a member of Maysan Provincial Council. He was
re-elected in 2009 and appointed Governor of Maysan.
Minister of Human Rights
He was appointed by Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki
Nouri Kamil Muhammad-Hasan al-Maliki (; born 20 June 1950), also known as Jawad al-Maliki (), is an Iraqi politician and leader of the Islamic Dawa Party since 2007. He served as the Prime Minister of Iraq from 2006 to 2014 and as Vice President ...
as the Minister of Human Rights after the
2010 parliamentary election, being approved by parliament on 21 December 2010.
His ministry was in charge of finding
mass graves in Iraq that occurred during the regime of Saddam Hussein. Two were found in 2011, one in
Anbar and another in
Al Diwaniyah
Al Diwaniyah ( ''ad-Dīwānīyah''), also spelt Diwaniya, is the capital city of Iraq's Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate. In 2014 the population was estimated at 700,000.
Overview
The area around Al Diwaniyah, which is well irrigated from the nearby Eu ...
. During 2011, he was briefly chairman of the Supreme National De-Baathification Commission, Justice and Accountability Commission for
De-Ba'athification
De-Ba'athification () refers to a policy undertaken in Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and subsequent Iraqi governments to remove the Ba'ath Party's influence in the new Iraqi political system after the U.S.-led invasi ...
, which had the power to bar individuals from government for links to the former ruling
Ba'ath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...
. He coordinated with the ministry of migration to help Iraqi citizens residing in Syria to return to Iraq during the
Syrian Civil War. He was minister in August 2014 when thousands of
Yazidis
Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish languages, Kurdish-speaking Endogamy, endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The major ...
were
massacred in northern Iraq by the
Islamic State
The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...
(ISIS or Daesh). He described it as "a vicious atrocity" and said it was the "responsibility of the international community to take a firm stand against the Daesh" and to "start the war on Daesh to stop genocides and atrocities against civilians". He asked the
United Nations Human Rights Council
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a United Nations Regional Gro ...
to launch an investigation into crimes against civilians committed by ISIS. He described their crimes as amounting to
genocide
Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...
and
crimes against humanity
Crimes against humanity are certain serious crimes committed as part of a large-scale attack against civilians. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity can be committed during both peace and war and against a state's own nationals as well as ...
. "We are facing a terrorist monster", he explained. "Their movement must be curbed. Their assets should be frozen and confiscated. Their military capacities must be destroyed."
Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
He was appointed minister of Labour and Social Affairs in 2014, and his post in the ministry of human rights was succeeded by
Mohammed Mahdi Ameen al-Bayati in October 2014, when the government of
Haider al-Abadi
Haider Jawad Kadhim al-Abadi (; born 25 April 1952) is an Iraqi politician who was Prime Minister of Iraq from September 2014 until October 2018. Previously he served as Minister of Communication from 2003 to 2004, in the first government afte ...
took office.
Acting minister
During his political career, Al-Sudani has worked as the acting minister of a number of ministries:
Agriculture
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
,
Finance
Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...
, Migration and the Displaced,
Industry and Minerals, and
Trade
Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market.
Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...
.
Prime minister

In a bid to end the
2022 Iraqi political crisis, the coordination framework officially nominated Al-Sudani for the post of prime minister in May 2022. He succeeded in forming a government, which was approved by the
Council of Representatives on 27 October.
In January 2023, in an interview with ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'', al-Sudani defended the presence of U.S. troops in his country and set no timetable for their withdrawal, referring to the U.S. and NATO troop contingents that train and assist Iraqi units in countering the Islamic State, but largely stay out of combat, though he mentioned that the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq is no longer needed.
''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'' has said that al-Sudani is affiliated with the
Popular Mobilization Forces
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF; ), also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), is an Iranian-backed paramilitary umbrella group that operates within Iraq. Although formally and legally part of the Iraqi Armed Forces and reportin ...
(PMF), and his tenure has seen their influence further increase in Iraq.
His government has increased the number of troops for the PMF by 116,000, increasing the total number to around 230,000, and has set its budget to US$2.7 billion. It has also launched a building company affiliated with the PMF, named after killed PMF commander
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis
Jamal Ja'far Muhammad Ali Al Ibrahim ( ', 16 November 1954 – 3 January 2020), better known by his ''kunya'' Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (), was an Iraqi paramilitary leader and former chief of staff of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). At th ...
; the company gives preferential access to government contractors and the government has awarded the company with strategic land.
On 20 July 2023, al-Sudani expelled the
Swedish ambassador to Iraq and revoked work permits for Swedish companies after Sweden permitted a planned
Quran burning.
On 10 October 2023, al-Sudani arrived in Moscow and met with Russian president
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
. On 21 October 2023, he called for a ceasefire in the
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
. In November 2023, during a meeting with Iranian president
Ebrahim Raisi
Ebrahim Raisolsadati (14 December 1960 – 19 May 2024), better known as Ebrahim Raisi, was an Iranian politician who served as the eighth president of Iran from 2021 until 2024 Varzaqan helicopter crash, his death in a helicopter crash in 202 ...
, he described the
Hamas attack on Israel as "a result of years of criminal policies of the Zionist regime against the people of Gaza."
On 17 February 2024, he met with German chancellor
Olaf Scholz
Olaf Scholz (; born 14 June 1958) is a German politician who served as the Chancellor of Germany from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice-Chancellor of Ge ...
in Munich while he was attending the
Munich Security Conference
The Munich Security Conference (MSC), formerly Munich Conference on Security Policy, is an annual conference on international security policy that has been held in Munich, Germany, since 1963.
Over the past four decades the Munich Security Con ...
where he met with various world leaders.
In April 2024, al-Sudani condemned the
Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus. Also in this same month he visited the United States and met with President Joe Biden. Also he received the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and they signed a revolutionary project called the
Iraq Development Road.
In May 2024, he attended the memorial ceremony for late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash, in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
In September of 2024 at the
UNGA he condemned the Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon and met various leaders who discussed bilateral relations with him.
During the 2024
Syrian opposition offensives against the
Assad regime
Ba'athist Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR), was the Syrian state between 1963 and 2024 under the one-party rule of the Syrian regional branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. From 1971 until its collapse in 2024, it was rule ...
, he stated that "what is happening in Syria today is in the interest of the
Zionist entity Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, which deliberately bombed
Syrian army
The Syrian Army is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. Up until the fall of the Assad regime, the Syrian Arab Army existed as a land force branch of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, which dominanted the military service of the fo ...
sites in a way that paved the way for terrorist groups to control additional areas in Syria." However, he avoided intervening in the conflict on the side of
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator
Sources characterising Assad as a dictator:
who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...
despite pressure to do so from some domestic groups.
In April 2025, he made an unannounced visit to Qatar and met with Syrian President
Ahmed al-Sharaa
Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa (born 29 October 1982) also known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Mohammad al-Julani, is a Syrian politician and former rebel commander serving as the president of Syria since January 2025. He previously served as the coun ...
and Qatari Emir
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (; born 3 June 1980) is Emir of Qatar, reigning since 2013.
Tamim is the fourth son of former emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, born to his second spouse, Moza bint Nasser, Moza bint Nassir. He became heir ...
.
Personal life
Al-Sudani is married and has four sons.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sudani, Mohammed Shia
Living people
1970 births
Iraqi Muslims
University of Baghdad alumni
Human rights ministers of Iraq
Industry ministers of Iraq
Labour ministers of Iraq
Social affairs ministers of Iraq
Governors of Maysan Governorate
Prime ministers of Iraq
Maysan Governorate in the Iraq War