Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Iraqi Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr Returns to Iran VOA News 22 January 2011 Shi'te cleric Muqtada al-Sadr attends Friday prayers in Kufa, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, 14 Jan 2011 Photo: AP Shi'te cleric Muqtada al-Sadr attends Friday prayers in Kufa, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, 14 Jan 2011 An aide to the anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr says he has returned to Iran after arriving in Iraq a few weeks ago. Sadrist officials say the radical and influential figure returned to Iran earlier this week. It is not clear whether he will return. Sadr has spent the past three years living in Iran, and just returned to Iraq on January 5. The radical cleric emerged as a key U.S. foe after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, leading two uprisings carried out by his Mehdi Army against American forces. Sadr's political movement was a key player following last year's disputed elections in Iraq. The cleric's bloc worked out a deal to be part of the new Iraqi government, and its support helped Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki secure a second term.  Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. NEW: Follow our Middle East reports on [1]Twitter and discuss them on our [2]Facebook page. References 1. http://twitter.com/VOAMidEast 2. http://www.facebook.com/pages/VOAMiddleEastVoices/124360240958667? v=wall .