Sistani

Via Juan Cole:

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has again called for all military forces to be withdrawn from Najaf and Karbala, the two holiest cities for Shiites. His statement seems calculated to put pressure on both sides. He wants the US to stop being so aggressive. And he wants the Muqtada al-Sadr supporters to leave Najaf. Muqtada has apparently called for Shiites to come to Najaf from all over Iraq to make a stand against the Americans, and Sistani is trying to countermand him.

Instead, Sistani is calling for the Shiites to gather at mosques in their own provinces to protest the fighting. (Implicitly this step would equally condemn the US and the Sadrists).