The Iranian government had been a major backer of Shiite militia groups, including the Mahdi Army, led by radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.�But the Iranians also had close ties from the beginning with elements of the Shiite-led coalition government. In 2008, following Maliki’s military operation to clean out militia groups in Basra, Iran’s leaders seem to have decided that this two-faced strategy had run its course.