US behind Attack on Iran’s Consulate in Basra: Iraqi MP
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iraqi parliamentarian warned against “a dangerous plot” hatched by the US government to destroy the Arab country’s southern city of Basra, saying that Washington is responsible for all recent incidents, including a mob attack on Iran’s consulate in the city.
“The demonstrations in the Basra Province were originally followed legitimate and real demands and we agree with all of them,” Faleh al-Khazali, the representative of Basra at the Iraqi parliament, told the Tasnim News Agency.
However, the demonstrations were derailed by some saboteurs and intruders, who set fire to the offices of political groups and the Iranian consulate, he said, adding that these moves are part of a plot hatched to destroy Basra.
Targeting the headquarters of the Hashd al-Shaabi, and attacking the hospital where the group’s wounded members had been admitted and burning photos of the martyrs indicate that there is “a bigger and more dangerous plot”, the Iraqi lawmaker said.
He went on to say that the US consulate in Basra accompanied by some civil organizations are completely held accountable for the recent incidents in the city.
In the Friday attack, a mob of Iraqi protestors stormed the Iranian Consulate in Basra, destroyed the diplomatic mission’s properties, took down the flag of Iran and torched the building.
Later in the day, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Iraqi ambassador to Tehran in protest at the attack and the Iraqi police’s inaction despite the recent threats against the Iranian diplomatic mission.
Eleven people have been reported killed in the violent protests against corruption and lack of basic services in Basra over the past week.
The Iranian consulate’s building was not the first to be set on fire. The angry demonstrators had earlier set government buildings ablaze as well. The buildings included the headquarters of the local government, the ruling Dawa Party, the Supreme Islamic Council and the Badr Organization.
