Muqtada al-Sadr condemns attack on Iranian Consulate

Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has condemned an arson attack on the Iranian consulate in Najaf, dismissing allegations that his followers were behind the incident.

Iran PressMiddle East: Muqtada al-Sadr an influential figure in Iraq stated that attack on diplomatic missions and Iran's Consulate is condemned because such acts are not characteristic of the Sadr Movement.

He said through Iraq's Al-Ahad TV.

Muqtada al-Sadr comments were issued after a group of masked assailants stormed the Islamic Republic’s consulate in Najaf and set it ablaze on Wednesday night. 

Iraqi Prime Minister has ordered the formation of a fact-finding committee on the incidents in the two provinces of Dhi Qar and Najaf.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi's office said in a statement on Thursday that a dedicated committee will be formed led by his military adviser to investigate the incidents in the two provinces of Dhi Qar and Najaf.

It comes after Iran called on Iraqi authorities to respond "firmly and effectively" to rioters who attacked Tehran's consulate in the southern city of Najaf on Wednesday.

Also, Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Thursday strongly condemned the riotous act of masked assailants in setting fire to Iran's Consulate General in the southern city of Najaf.

On Wednesday night, a group of masked assailants, who were not locals from Najaf, stormed the Iranian consulate in Najaf and burned parts of it with the Saudi Arabian news network Al-Arabiya broadcasting live the incident. This happened while Al-Arabia is banned from operating in Iraq. 

The Iraqi Government through a statement declared that the attack on Iranian consulate was aimed at impairing Iraqi-Iranian relations. 

Following the aggressive attack on the Iranian Consulate in Najaf, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs described that the aim of this move was to damage Iraqi-Iranian relations, and urged the protesters to watch out for those who want to discredit the real Iraqi's people protests. 

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