Demonstrators torch Iranian consulate in Iraq’s Basra

BASRA, Iraq

Iraqi demonstrators on Friday set fire to the Iranian consulate in the southern city of Basra, local sources have said.

According to witnesses in the area, an angry mob stormed the consulate on Friday evening before setting the building alight.

Only one day earlier, demonstrators had attacked several government buildings in the city, including Basra’s provincial headquarters and the state television broadcast building.

Angry protesters had also targeted the offices of certain pro-Iran Iraqi political parties.

Since July 9, Iraq’s Shia-majority central and southern provinces -- especially Basra -- have been rocked by protests to demand better public services, more job opportunities and an end to government corruption.