Iran consulate in Najaf burned for third time
Protesters lay siege at Hakim shrine, accusing it of being Iran’s intelligence hub
Anti-government protesters burned an Iranian consulate in southern Iraq for a third time on Tuesday, as the country’s political leaders continued talks over selecting a new prime minister following weeks of widespread unrest.
Five rockets landed inside Ain Al Asad air base, a sprawling complex in western Anbar that hosts United States forces, without causing any casualties and little damage, said a statement from Iraq’s security media cell on Tuesday evening. The statement gave no further details.
President Barham Salih met Iraq’s main political blocs as a 15-day constitutional deadline to name the next prime minister nears, two Iraqi officials said. Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi announced his resignation last Friday.
The Sairoon bloc, led by influential Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, addressed Salih in a letter and said they gave protesters the right to support a premier of their choice. Antigovernment protesters in the holy city of Najaf burned tires and hurled them toward the main gate of the Iranian consulate, burning it for the third time in a week. The building was empty at the time of the attack and there were no casualties, according to a police official.
The incident came after hours of tense standoff with security forces earlier Tuesday when protesters surrounded a key shrine in Najaf. Tens of demonstrators gathered around the Hakim shrine, demanding that Al Sadr help them enter and symbolically take control.