BAGHDAD: Iran was accused on Saturday of hijacking protests in the Iraqi city of Basra in an effort to sow chaos, disrupt oil exports and pave the way for an administration in Baghdad that supports Tehran.
The accusations followed four days of protests in which at least 12 people died, and culminated in the Iranian Consulate being set on fire on Friday night.
“Our intelligence suggests that the aim is to drag the Shiite factions into fighting each other in Basra,” a senior national security official told Arab News.
“It is all about blocking oil exports, so they have to take Basra out of Baghdad’s control to reach that goal. There are no clear details so far but we have been connecting the lines.”
Basra has the largest oil fields in Iraq, and its revenues are the backbone of the Iraqi economy. Destabilizing security there is in the interests of many local and regional parties as political maneuvering continues in an effort to form a new government in Baghdad.
Local tribes in southern Iraq are concerned that the Basra protests, originally about inadequate water and power supplies and poor public services, are providing cover for political and armed conflict between the Shiite political rivals competing to control the next administration.
They now believe the protests have lost their legitimacy, and called for them to end.
However, there was more violence on Saturday when Basra airport was targeted by rocket fire. Iraqi security sources said three Katyusha rockets hit the perimeter of the airport, although no damage or casualties were reported.
In Iraq’s Parliament, the two leading political blocs called on Prime Minister Haider Abadi to resign, after MPs held an emergency meeting on the unrest.
“We demand the government apologize to the people and resign immediately,” said Hassan Al-Aqouli, spokesman for the list of populist cleric Moqtada Sadr that won the most seats in the May election.
Ahmed Al-Assadi, spokesman for the second-largest list, the Conquest Alliance, condemned “the government’s failure to resolve the crisis in Basra.”
Abadi defended his record, described the unrest as “political sabotage” and said the crisis over public services was being exploited for political ends.
At a Cabinet meeting earlier, ministers agreed to send a delegation to Basra, and Abadi ordered an investigation into the security forces “for not fulfilling their duties” in protecting government buildings and the Iranian consulate. The heads of Basra Operations Command and the Basra Police were both sacked.
Basra’s streets were mostly quiet as security officials re-imposed a curfew from 4 p.m., and there was a heavy presence of security forces.
The unrest has thrust Iraq into a major crisis at a time when politicians are vying to form a new government after May’s inconclusive election. The new parliament met for the first time on Monday, but failed to elect a speaker, much less name a new prime minister.
