(CNN) Iran has called on Iraqi authorities to respond "firmly and effectively" to protesters who attacked Tehran's consulate in the southern city of Najaf. The Iranian statement comes amid ongoing demonstrations in Iraq against government corruption, and a rejection of Iranian involvement in the country's affairs. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi expressed "hatred" for the rioters who stormed and torched the consulate on Wednesday. Iraqi demonstrators gather as flames start consuming Iran's consulate in the southern Iraqi holy city of Najaf on November 27, 2019, two months into the country's most serious social crisis in decades. Iran's diplomatic staff evacuated the consulate before the attack, state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said Thursday.

Source: CNN November 28, 2019 12:11 UTC