In comments on Sunday, Hashim al-Mousavi denounced the recent violent unrest in Basra as an engineered “sedition”, one of whose main purposes was to pave the way for the formation of an emergency government.
The other objective behind the sedition in Basra was “dissolution of Hashd al-Shaabi” and political revenge on the opponents, Al-Mayadeen quoted him as saying.
Mousavi also noted that the “American plot” in Basra was thwarted thanks to the vigilance of people, Hashd al-Shaabi forces and the resistance groups.
On Friday evening, a mob of angry protestors stormed into the Iranian consulate in Basra, destroyed the diplomatic mission’s properties, took down the flag of Iran and torched the building.
The consulate’s building was not the first to be set on fire. The angry demonstrators had earlier set government buildings ablaze as well. The buildings included the headquarters of the local government, the ruling Dawa Party, the Supreme Islamic Council and the Badr Organization.