Baghdad daily reported on Monday. Iran Focus
The daily al-Watan wrote that in a statement, the governorate said, There was cooperation between Irans Ministry of Intelligence and Security [MOIS”> and certain Iraqis inside this city to assassinate the current provincial governor of Basra Mohammad Mesbah al-Waeli.
The statement accused a prominent member of the Basra city council, a member of the Iraqi national assembly, and the secretary general of the pro-Iran Tharollah organisation, all of whom are under police investigation, of planning the terrorist act.
A neighbouring countrys intelligence and official organs had planned a secret armed attack which was foiled, the governorate said.
Dozens of Iraqi officials and personalities who have been outspoken in their criticism of the Iranian regimes meddling in Iraq have been assassinated in recent months. Another former official, Abdullah al-Jabouri, was the target of a dozen assassination attempts while he was the governor of the strategically-located Diyala Province. Al-Jabouri repeatedly accused neighbouring Iran of sending gunmen, arms, and money into Iraq to support the insurgency.
United States and British officials in Iraq have also accused Tehran of backing insurgent groups and dispatching undercover military or intelligence agents to Iraq disguised as pilgrims.
London claims that Tehran has armed insurgents in southern Iraq with sophisticated explosive devises leading to the deaths of more than half a dozen British troops.
