UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has expressed "deep concern" over attacks on Iranian diplomatic missions in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala.

Iran PressMiddle East: "Diplomatic premises must not be a target of violence," he said in a statement on Friday reacting to the escalation of violence in Iraq.

Masked rioters attacked the Iranian Consulate General in the southern city of Basra on Wednesday night setting fire to sections of the mission. Earlier in November, a mob gathered outside Iran's Consulate General in Karbala and tried to torch its building.

Some Iraqi cities have witnessed demonstrations in recent weeks in protest to inadequate public services, lack of jobs, particularly for young people, and bureaucratic corruption.

Iraqi officials have warned of behind-the-scenes efforts to undermine friendly and strategic Iran-Iraq relations, that were crucial in the successful and decisive fight against ISIS terrorists that had taken large swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014-2016.

The statement also called for "a peaceful, political solution to the unrest in Iraq" and encouraged the Iraqi government to work with the UN on "credible electoral reform".

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