Iraqi Government bears responsibility to secure the diplomatic headquarters, Iran’s foreign minister says

Shafaq News / The IRNA News Agency reported on Monday that a phone call had taken place between Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif and his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, to discuss the attack on the consulate in Karbala.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s statement which is reported by IRNA, Zarif stressed the need to disclose the identity of the "aggressors" on his country's consulate in Karbala Governorate, calling Iraq to taking a decisive stance to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.

Iran’s Foreign Minister said, to the Iraqi side, Iran is “protesting against this behavior, which is inconsistent with the law and diplomacy and is a violation of the 1963 Vienna Convention on diplomatic Relations.”

He added that the Iraqi Government bears responsibility to secure the diplomatic headquarters in the country.

For his part, the Iraqi Foreign Minister expressed regret at “violent incidents” in the vicinity of the Iranian Consular; confirming Baghdad’s commitment to protecting diplomats and securing diplomatic headquarters in Iraq.

Hussein also noted that he had ordered to tightening security measures to prevent other incidents.

On Sunday evening, hundreds of angry protesters set fire to cars and guards' rooms in front of the Iranian consulate building in Karbala in protest against the assassination of the civil society activist Ihab Al-Wazni.

The protestors accused pro-Iranian Iraqi factions of being behind the assassination.