Iran is calling on the Iraqi people to show restraint, an Iranian government spokesman said on Monday, after six days of unrest in Iraq in which more than 100 people have been killed.
"Iran will always stand by the Iraqi nation and the Iraqi government. We are calling on them to preserve unity and to show restraint," government spokesman Ali Rabiei told a news conference.
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The unrest is the biggest security and political challenge for Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi's government since it took power a year ago.
Clashes between police and anti-government protesters have revived fears of a new spiral of violence that could suck in influential militia groups and be exploited by Islamic State.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) – Iraq's umbrella grouping of mostly Shiite Muslim paramilitaries backed by Iran – played an important role in defeating ISIS and formally became part of the armed forces last year, reporting to the prime minister.
Some Iranian officials have accused the United States and Israel of stoking the unrest in Iraq. A cleric said on Friday the unrest was planned by Tehran's longtime foes to disrupt a major annual Shiite Muslim pilgrimage planned to be held there this month.
Rabiei also said Iran would continue efforts to ease tensions in the Gulf by improving ties with its Gulf Arab neighbors.
In a related development, Iraq's army command says the prime minister has ordered that police replace the army in the heavily populated Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad where dozens were killed or wounded in clashes over the weekend.
Monday's order for the withdrawal of the army from Sadr City appears aimed at calming tensions in the neighborhood, where a populist Shiite cleric enjoys wide support.
Iraq's national security adviser vowed to fight attempts to "bring down the Iraqi state." Falih Alfayyadh said an ongoing investigation would prove who was behind the violence in Baghdad and predominantly Shiite southern provinces.
