Katyusha rockets fired at Basra airport in Iraq

Basra (Iraq): Unknown assailants fired three Katyusha rockets at Iraq's Basra airport Saturday, an airport official said, after a chaotic and violent night that saw hundreds of protesters burning tires on main streets and highways and setting ablaze the Iranian consulate in the city.

The protests in Basra are the most serious to shake Iraq's oil-rich southern Shiite heartland in years. Protesters are calling for an end to endemic corruption, soaring joblessness and poor public services and have turned their rage on neighbouring Iran, blaming its outsized influence in Iraq's political affairs for their misery. The official said it was not clear who was behind the Saturday morning attack on Basra airport, which also houses the U.S. consulate. He said the attack occurred at about 8 am local time and did not cause casualties or disrupt flights in or out of the city.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing security concerns. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Hours earlier, protesters shouting anti-Iranian slogans including "Iran, out, out!" stormed the Iranian consulate and set a fire inside. They also burned an Iranian flag and trampled over a portrait of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Ghasemi, condemned the attack, which he said caused significant damage to the building. He called for maximum punishment for the assailants.

Although the US government has disagreements with Iran, the State Department criticized the attack, without explicitly mentioning Iran.

"The United States condemns violence against diplomats, including that which occurred today in Basrah," it said in a statement.