I missed that about Sistani. I had long wondered where he was on this issue. He has ofen in the last five years probably correctly for a religious leader tried to stay above the politics. Then at key moments he has weighed in. Him weighing in on this is one more sign this is a key moment.
Sistani is a Quietists of the Shi’a School. He favors a role for the mosque in the state, but opposes the concept of union of Mosque and State seen in Iran.