TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s consulate in Najaf has resumed its activities after about two months of a halt due to the ransack and arson attacks by rioters in November.

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“After achieving the intended aim, we pulled out from US Embassy triumphantly,” Fadhil al-Gezzi, one of the Iraqi protesters, told AP.

“We rubbed America’s nose in the dirt,” he added.

Helicopters of US Marines had arrived overnight to help guard the main area of the embassy complex. US forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the protesters.

On Sunday, US forces conducted drone strikes on a number of Kata’ib Hezbollah bases in Iraq’s western Anbar province, killing at least 25 individuals and leaving another 51 injured, according to the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).

Following the strikes, the Pentagon issued a statement saying that it had targeted three locations of the Iraqi fighters in Iraq and two in Syria in response to alleged attacks targeting American forces.

Kata’ib Hezbollah is part of the PMU. The PMU, also known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, played a key role in defeating the Daesh terrorist group that had occupied parts of Iraq since 2014.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday, in his reaction to anti-US protests, called Iraqi armed forces as ‘terrorist’.

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Asked about the possibility of tensions spiraling into a war with Iran, Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, “Do I want to? No. I want to have peace. I like peace. And Iran should want to have peace more than anybody. So I don’t see that happening,” Reuters reported.

In response to US accusations, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman called on the White House to quit its destructive policies in the region.

“The surprising impudence of the American authorities is at such a level that after slaughtering at least 25 people, wounding many Iraqi people, inflicting financial damages on Iraq and violating the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, they (Americans) are now blaming the Islamic Republic of Iran for the protests from the Iraqi people against their own ferocious measures in a blatant and cheap act of pinning the blame on others,” Abbas Mousavi said.

On Sunday, US forces conducted drone strikes on a number of Kata’ib Hezbollah bases in Iraq’s western Anbar province, killing at least 25 individuals and leaving another 51 injured, according to the PMU (Popular Mobilization Units).

Following the strikes, the Pentagon issued a statement saying that it had targeted three locations of the Iraqi fighters in Iraq and two in Syria in response to alleged attacks targeting American forces.

Kata’ib Hezbollah is part of the PMU. The PMU, also known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, played a key role in defeating the Daesh terrorist group that had occupied parts of Iraq since 2014.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – Up to 4,000 forces of the US troops have been ordered to deploy to the Middle East region following mass protests outside the US embassy by Iraqi protesters infuriated over Washington’s recent deadly military aggression on the Arab country.

The US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division’s alert brigade of roughly 4,000 paratroopers, known as the Deployment Ready Brigade (DRB), has been issued orders to prepare troops for possible deployment in the days ahead in Middle East countries like Kuwait, three US defense officials told Fox News on Tuesday.

At least 500 paratroopers are already making their way to Kuwait, the officials added.

Earlier in the day, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a statement that at least 750 paratroopers were set to swiftly deploy to the region.

Esper added that additional forces from the Immediate Response Force (IRF) were prepared to deploy over the next several days.

“This deployment is an appropriate and precautionary action taken in response to increased threat levels against US personnel and facilities, such as we witnessed in Baghdad today,” The US defense Secretary said.

The US embassy in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad was evacuated on Tuesday after thousands of angry demonstrators gathered outside the gates of the compound to condemn Washington’s fatal military aggression that targeted Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) on Sunday.

The protesters held up signs calling for the US mission to be shut down and for the parliament to order US forces to leave Iraq.

American forces deployed inside the compound fired tear gas, flashbangs and stun grenades to disperse the crowd, however, the Iraqi protesters breached the outer wall of the high-security compound, throwing bricks and stones at the surveillance cameras around the building.

Reacting to the developments in Iraq, US President Donald Trump accused Tehran of being behind the mass protests outside the US embassy in Baghdad.

Trump issued what he called a threat against Iran, saying in a tweet that Tehran will be held fully responsible for any US lives lost in Iraq and claimed Iran would pay a “big price” in case US facilities are damaged or its forces are attacked in the Arab country.

Rejecting the US accusations, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said Washington should abandon its destructive policies in the region and warned US officials against taking any uncalculated action.

Iraqi President Barham Saleh called on protesters to avoid any escalation and withdraw from the embassy’s vicinity.

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Iraqi government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi told the official Iraqi News Agency on Saturday that a special central court, formed in coordination between executive and judiciary bodies, deals with important corruption cases, involving the prosecution of top officials.

Hadithi added that the court has ordered investigative bodies in the courts of appeal nationwide to summon, issue arrest warrants and seize the assets of anyone found guilty of corruption.

He further highlighted that dozens of subpoenas have been issued, detentions have taken place and even prison sentences have been handed down to senior officials at the levels of ministers, governors, lawmakers, and members of provincial councils.

“Work is underway in this regard, and other relevant decisions will be made within the next few days,” Hadithi pointed out.

On October 11, the Iraqi Supreme Anti-Corruption Council said in a statement that nine high-ranking officials had been referred to the judiciary to be prosecuted on charges of corruption.

The senior officials included former ministers and former provincial governors, according to the statement.

Iraqi PM submits resignation to parliament

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has submitted his resignation, following weeks of protests demanding he steps down.

An unnamed parliamentary source told Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network that the premier had handed his letter of resignation to the legislature.

Abdul-Mahdi had announced in a statement on Friday that he will submit his resignation to parliament amid anti-government demonstrations.

“I will submit to parliament an official memorandum resigning from the current prime minister so that parliament can review its choices,” he said.

Earlier on Friday, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani had urged lawmakers to reconsider their support for the government.

“We call upon the House of Representatives from which this current government emerged to reconsider its options in that regard,” Ayatollah Sistani said in a statement read out by his representative Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalaei during a weekly sermon in the holy city of Karbala.

Abdul-Mahdi said he had “listened with great concern” to the sermon, and made his decision in response to the revered cleric’s call and in order to “facilitate and hasten its fulfillment as soon as possible.”

Nearly two months of protests have rocked primarily the capital city of Baghdad and southern areas of Iraq.

The protesters have expressed frustration with the failing economy and have demanded political and anti-corruption reforms.

The rallies have, however, turned into violent confrontations on numerous occasions, with reports alleging that certain foreign-backed elements have been seeking to wreak havoc in the country.

Since October 1, more than 300 people have been killed in the country, according to the Iraqi parliament’s human rights commission.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraqi authorities have announced curfew in the holy city of Najaf after masked assailants attacked and set fire on the Iranian consulate.

The rioters entered the compound and torched the entire consulate building late Wednesday, police and civil defense sources said.

The staff members at the Iranian consulate had been evacuated under heavy protection just before the building was set on fire, according to the Iraqi police.

According to reports, nearly 50 security forces sustained injuries during the clashes with the masked assailants.

Shortly after the incident, the Iraqi authorities declared curfew in Najaf and closed the roads linking the city with neighboring provinces.

Israeli journalist and political analyst Edy Cohen took to his Twitter account immediately after the attack on the Iranian consulate and asked his followers which one they would choose: peaceful demonstrations or subversive ones when it came to countering Iran.

So far, the majority of respondents (82%) have chosen the “peaceful” option.

Cohen had earlier in October called for an “Iraqi revolution” against what he called “the Iranian occupation”.

Back on November 3, another group of assailants had scaled the concrete barriers surrounding Iran’s Karbala consulate and spray-painted scurrilous writings on its perimeter walls.

Some other rioters also threw stones and burned tires around the Iranian consulate building, prompting Iraqi security forces to fire in the air to disperse the crowd.

In reaction to the Karbala incident, Iran urged the Baghdad government to take all necessary measures to protect Tehran’s diplomatic missions in Iraq.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi condemned the attack on the Iranian consulate building, and said the Islamic Republic “has conveyed its concerns to the host government through political channels and stressed the importance of guaranteeing the security of Iran’s diplomatic and consular missions in Iraq within the framework of international regulations and conventions.”

At the start of October, street protests erupted in several Iraqi cities over unemployment and a lack of basic services.

The rallies resumed on October 25 after a pause of about two weeks but took a violent turn. Over 150 people lost their lives in the first round, according to official figures.

Police and medics estimate that over 300 people have been killed and thousands more wounded so far during Iraq protests.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – Reports of clashes in Baghdad and southern Iraq indicate that at least seven people were killed and dozens wounded in the latest spate of ongoing protests against economic hardships and corruption, police and medical sources said Sunday.

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In a statement on Monday, al-Sadr said that the Iraqi people want an early election free from the US intervention, as the country does not need arrogant countries and the help of others, Iran News quotes.

“Once again it (America) proved that it interferes in the affairs of others,” he said, noting that Iraq belongs to the people of Iraq who can decide their fate democratically and peacefully.

He added that Iraq does not want any interference from either the US or any other country, especially if they are going to bring corrupt officials and their authority “on the necks of the people”.

“Iraqis will not allow Washington to turn their country into another Syria,” said the leader of Sadrist Movement and Sairoon parliamentary alliance.

“Enough interference in our affairs! Iraq has a senior who can protect it and does not need the intervention of either you or anyone else,” al-Sadr noted.

He also warned that if Washington repeats its interference in the Arab country, he would take millions of angry protesters to the Iraqi streets, which will mark the end of the US existence.

Al-Sadr’s statement came after the United States called on Iraqi officials to hold early polls as more people fall victim to ongoing anti-government protests that Baghdad says are being hijacked by foreign-backed elements.

In a statement on Sunday, the White House asked the Iraqi government “to halt the violence against protesters and fulfill President [Barham] Salih’s promise to pass electoral reform and hold early elections.”

“The United States is seriously concerned by continued attacks against protesters, civic activists, and the media, as well as restrictions on internet access, in Iraq,” it said.

The US has been openly backing protesters in Iraq since they flooded the streets for the first time in early October to vent their anger over corruption and poor living conditions in one of the world’s wealthiest countries in terms of energy resources.

However, the relatively peaceful movement soon turned violent as armed elements opened fire on police and protesters alike and attempted to infiltrate the heavily-protected Green Zone in the capital Baghdad, which is home to the government as well as foreign diplomatic missions.

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