Hakim, who heads the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) spent the 20 years preceding the US-led invasion of Iraq in Iran.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The waning of American will

The leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri), Ayatollah Muhammad Baqr al-Hakim, was among about 100 people killed in a massive car bombing in the Shia holy city of Najaf in August 2003.

BBC: News | Who's who in post-Saddam Iraq

Formerly known as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, its leaders were sponsored by Iran during former dictator Saddam Hussein's rule -- and its Badr Corps militia fought alongside Iranian troops during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.

CNN: Iraqi leaders turn wary of Iran, Petraeus says