Unrest intensifies in Iraq as Iranian consulate and oil facility stormed

Iraqi protesters stand on concrete blast walls during an anti-government protest near the building of the government office in Basra, Iraq September 7, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani

BASRA/ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Civil unrest fuelled by anger against perceived corruption and misrule by Iraq's political elite intensified across the south of the country on Friday, as protesters stormed the Iranian consulate in Basra while others briefly took workers hostage at a nearby oilfield.

After five days of deadly demonstrations in Basra in which government buildings have been ransacked and set alight, protesters broke in and damaged the consulate's offices, shouting condemnation of what many perceive as Iran's sway over Iraq's political affairs.