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BAGHDAD (Reuters) - One of Iraqs most influential clerics called on Friday for the government to resign as the death toll rose to 65 in three days of violent national protests against official corruption.

Demonstrators gather at a protest during a curfew, three days after the nationwide anti-government protests turned violent, in Baghdad, Iraq October 4, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani

Moqtada al-Sadr, a populist political leader who has a huge following on the Iraqi street, said new elections should be held soon.

Respect the blood of Iraq through the resignation of the government and prepare for early elections overseen by international monitors, a statement from his office said.

Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi called for calm as more than 190 people were wounded in the capital on Friday, but protesters scorned his promises of political reform.

Sadrs intervention appeared likely to encourage them to continue their uprising until the government backs down.

On the streets of Baghdad, police appeared to be targeting individual protesters. Reuters reporters saw one fall to the ground after being shot in the head. He was pronounced dead in hospital.

Elsewhere, a Reuters television crew saw a man critically wounded by a gunshot to the neck after snipers on rooftops opened fire at a crowd. Sporadic shooting could be heard in Baghdad into the late evening.

Police shot dead three people trying to storm the provincial government headquarters in the southern city of Diwaniya, police and medics said.

The violence is the worst since Iraq put down an insurgency by Islamic State two years ago. The protests arose in the south, heartland of the Shiite majority, but quickly spread, with no formal leadership.

Security and medical sources gave a death toll on Friday of 65 killed and 192 wounded across Iraq in three days, the vast majority of the deaths in the last 24 hours as the violence accelerated.

It is sorrowful that there have been so many deaths, casualties and destruction, Iraqs most influential cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said in a letter read out by his representative during a sermon.

The government and political sides have not answered the demands of the people to fight corruption or achieved anything on the ground, said Sistani, who stays out of day-to-day politics but whose word is law for Iraqs Shiites. Parliament holds the biggest responsibility for what is happening.

Sadr, who leads the largest opposition bloc in parliament, ordered his lawmakers to suspend participation in the legislature until the government introduces a program that would serve all Iraqis.

The speaker of Iraqs parliament called the protests a revolution against corruption but urged calm and proposed reforms such as better state housing support for poor people and ensuring Iraqi graduates are included on lucrative foreign projects for energy sector development.

Many government officials and lawmakers are widely accused of siphoning off public money, unfairly awarding contracts in state institutions and other forms of corruption.

The violence is an unprecedented test for Adel Abdul Mahdi, a mild-mannered veteran politician who came to power last year as a compromise candidate backed by powerful Shiite groups that have dominated Iraq since the downfall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

In his overnight address, Abdul Mahdi pledged reforms but said there was no magic solution to Iraqs problems. He insisted politicians were aware of the suffering of the masses: We do not live in ivory towers - we walk among you in the streets of Baghdad, he said.

A young man in a crowd fleeing sniper shots at a central Baghdad square was scornful. The promises by Adel Abdul Mahdi are to fool the people, and today they are firing live gunshots at us, he said.

Today this was a peaceful protest. They set up these barricades, and the sniper is sitting right there since last night.

Police and medical sources told Reuters the death toll so far included 18 people killed in the southern city of Nassiriya, 16 in Baghdad, four in the southern city of Amara and four in Baquba as unrest spread north of the capital. Deaths were also reported in the southern cities of Hilla and Najaf.

Curfews were imposed in a number of cities. Authorities shut roads into the capital from the north and northeast and were sending reinforcements to Baghdads densely populated east. Military convoys were being sent to Nassiriya.

Abdul Mahdi said late on Friday that a curfew in Baghdad would be lifted from 5 a.m. local time on Saturday.

The unrest occurs on the eve of Arbaeen, a Shiite pilgrimage which in recent years has drawn 20 million worshippers, trekking for days on foot across southern Iraq in the worlds biggest annual gathering, 10 times the size of the Mecca Hajj.

Some pilgrims were already taking to the roads on Friday, although in smaller numbers than in recent years. Iran has closed one of the border crossings used by millions of pilgrims. Qatar has told its citizens to stay away.

A senior Iranian cleric blamed the unrest on the United States and Israel, saying they aimed to thwart the pilgrimage.

The protests could grow if they receive formal backing from Sadr, who has long denounced corruption and the political elite. Parliament was set to hold a session dedicated to finding a solution, but Sadrs faction was staying away.

Sadr has not called on his followers to join the protests, but his faction has expressed sympathy with their aims. One senior Sadrist politician, Awad Awadi, described the protests to Reuters as a revolution of hunger.

Reporting by John Davison, Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters Television staff in Baghdad, Aref Mohammed in Basra and Ali Hafthi in Hilla; Writing by Peter Graff and Giles Elgood; Editing by William Maclean, Howard Goller and Grant McCool

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Amman Culture: Tea, Art und Markets

We start exploring Amman, City of the brotherly love, which was called "Philadelphia" by the ancient Greeks. With a knowledgeable local tour guide the enjoyment is accordingly high.Start with a photo stop at King Abdullah mosque. Then head to the citadel, called Jebel al-Qala'a, from which you can enjoy a fascinating panoramic view of the Former 7 Hills of Amman. On the highest terrace of the citadel hill are parts of the Omayyad palace, Al Qasr, and not far from it, rise the mighty columns of the former Hercules temple in the sky. On the circular route you will visit the archaeological museum, which presents finds from a period of over 50,000 years.As long as this place was interesting for people, they settled here already at the Stone Age, here they manufactured hand axes, here they created artifacts, which are still highly artistic today. 8,000-year-old figures from the Neolithic settlement of Ain Ghazal witnessing the artistic characteristics of the civilizations lived here.We visit Amman downtown, which is referred to as Wast Al Balad, which made up Amman until 50 years ago, before the construction boom broke out. Today, 4.4 million people live in the new neighborhoods, mainly immigrants from Palestine, Iraq and currently from Syria.2 hours walk from the Citadel through one of Amman's oldest neighborhoods is planned for beautiful snapshots, it highlights the top experiences of the old town. On the way visit Amman Panorama Art Gallery, in one of Amman's oldest houses where you can have a cup of Arabic coffee with Jordanian dates or enjoy tea with typical Jordanian flavors.The most significant in the old town is the astonishingly well-preserved Greco-Roman theater with its six thousand seats in the southeast of the city. You go past gold dealers, perfumeries offer original Jordanian fragrances with a special oriental touch, spice shops, the obligatory clothing stores for child, man, woman bring us closer to the city. Not far away is the Al-Husseini Mosque. Behind the big mosque the fruit and vegetable market lure us. Humus & falafel shops are to be discovered almost every corner. Not to mention the sweetshops famous for Knafa,a traditional Arab dessert made with thin noodle-like pastry, or alternatively fine semolina dough, soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup, and typically layered with cheese.

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Iraq travel - Lonely Planet

As the head of Jordans Nafith Logistics, Nourah Mehyar is used to being one of the few women in an industry dominated by men. She doesnt want others to get used to it, though. Her work to integrate and promote women in Iraqs logistics industry earned her MIGAs first Gender CEO Award, which honors outstanding leaders for their commitment to gender equality in a challenging environment.

Nafiths groundbreaking work in Jordan led to a $5 million equity investment from IFC in 2014 so the company could take its expertise to Iraq, where its systems help manage freight at four major Iraqi ports. Mehyar heads a workforce of about 250 employees in total and says the role has definitely had its challenges.

Most of the time youre sitting in a meeting where you are the only woman and men are the main stakeholders, she says. In the beginning, we only had three women out of 250 employees. Since 2008, weve managed to introduce women in several sectorsIT, finance, and HRbut my biggest accomplishment was to actually introduce women in operations.

Mehyars main goal in Iraq, she says, was to ensure that women were given equal opportunities to apply for jobs.

I have been happily surprised with the number of women that have applied and have the right qualifications, she says. Today, women comprise around 40 percent of our operations team.

Mehyar says bringing women into the logistics sectorand to work in generalrequires constant mentoring of both women and men to help with skills like communication, teamwork, and collaboration.

Introducing women in such industries also needs a culture change from within the organization to ensure sustainability and growth, she adds.

Mehyars hopes to expand Nafith further and take its expertise into other countries, where she will continue to encourage more women to join the sector.

Women are an untapped potential in logistics, and I think they can bring a new perspective to the table, she says. I hope this award will inspire women and girls to make their own life choices and get rid of internal and external limitations.

Published in April 2016

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The U.S. ordered its non-emergency government staff to leave Iraq amid increasing Middle East tensions that American officials are blaming on Iran, as fears rise that the region may be heading toward another conflict.

Most employees at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and the consulate in Erbil, in the majority Kurdish region, will leave due to an increased threat stream, according to an embassy statement Wednesday that didnt give more details. The move comes after the Pentagon accelerated a carrier battle groups transit to the region and deployed a Patriot anti-missile battery to bolster forces.

U.S. officials on Wednesday reiterated that the Trump administration isnt seeking a war, but said it will seek to hold Iran accountable for its actions and those of its proxies. The officials, who asked not to be identified, said the decision to withdraw embassy staff was based on considerations of safety and not meant as political signaling.

Denying reports of infighting in his administration over Iran policy, President Donald Trump said in a tweet Wednesday that Im sure that Iran will want to talk soon.

@realDonaldTrump

.Different opinions are expressed and I make a decisive and final decision it is a very simple process. All sides, views, and policies are covered. Im sure that Iran will want to talk soon.

Sent via Twitter for iPhone.

View original tweet.

Yet critics of the Trump administration warned the U.S. isnt sharing enough clear evidence of Iranian threats and say that without better intelligence, the latest buildup is reminiscent of the lead-in to the Iraq war in late 2002, which was based on faulty intelligence. Iranian officials have said that National Security Advisor John Bolton and other administration hawks are hyping the threat of war.

Separately, Saudi Arabia restarted its main cross-country oil pipeline after a drone attack by Iran-backed rebels based in neighboring Yemen. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates both Iranian rivals reported attacks on Monday on several vessels including Saudi oil tankers.

.@realDonaldTrump : ICYMI, before you hired him, this was the plan that @AmbJohnBolton and his #B_Team cohorts had for Iran. A detailed blueprint for #FakeIntelligence, #ForeverWar and even empty offers for talksonly phone numbers were not included.https://t.co/beCZByEaCT pic.twitter.com/q5fXBGcwtj

Javad Zarif (@JZarif) May 12, 2019

While its not yet clear who was behind the shipping attacks, the combination of events has raised the risk of conflict in a region that exports more than 16 million barrels of oil a day enough to supply all of Europes demand and more.

The U.A.E.s minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said the country is still investigating the attacks on the ships and said hes not going to jump the gun on blaming any nation until the probe is completed. Addressing tensions in the region, Gargash said we are very committed to deescalation.

Trump has long said he wants to pull the U.S. out of Middle East conflicts, but this week he also warned that the Islamic Republic would suffer greatly if it provokes America.

Trump on Tuesday rejected a report that the Pentagon is updating scenarios for war with Iran, but then warned hed send a hell of a lot more than 120,000 troops to the Middle East in the event of hostilities. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are demanding briefings on the latest intelligence on Iran, with Secretary of State Michael Pompeo expected to meet with House members next week, according to an official.

Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said a classified briefing is needed as soon as possible.

While the administration didnt elaborate, it blamed Iran-backed Shiite militias after pulling staff from the consulate in Basra in southern Iraq in September and Pompeo used an unannounced May 7 visit to the country to denounce what he called an escalating threat from Tehran.

Yet unlike in other hot spots such as Venezuela and North Korea, where the U.S. managed to forge an international coalition to advance its goals, Trump is diplomatically isolated on Iran after unilaterally quitting the 2015 nuclear deal a year ago, a move that alienated allies including the U.K. and Germany.

Amid the tensions, oil prices rebounded on Wednesday as a government report showed shrinking supplies of U.S. gasoline, suggesting more demand ahead for crude suppliers.

The series of events has increased concerns of a military confrontation, whether deliberate or otherwise.

Pompeo canceled a trip to Germany last week in order to make the unannounced visit to Iraqs capital, where he spoke with leaders about an escalating threat from Iran and possible big energy deals to help wean the Iraqi economy away from its neighbor. This week, Pompeo made scant progress in persuading EU counterparts to take a harder line toward Iran in an last-minute trip to Brussels to share what the U.S. says is fresh intelligence on the threat posed by Tehran.

I made clear once again that we are worried in view of the developments and the tensions in the region, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after the meetings. We dont want a military escalation. German officials on Wednesday said the country wasnt aware of a concrete threat or change to the security situation in Iraq.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said the departures announced Wednesday did not amount to an evacuation, but to an ordered exit of non-essential personnel. He declined to say how many employees would remain. The last such drawdown took place in 2014, when Islamic State swept through the north of the country toward the capital. It lasted several months.

Shiite Muslim Iran has played a prominent role in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 put Iraqs majority Shiite community in power. Tehran supports several powerful Shiite militias in Iraq, including some that played a significant role in the successful fight against Islamic State.

Trump says Irans missile program and support for militant groups is destabilizing the Mideast region and he has made countering the Islamic Republic a primary focus of his foreign policy, encouraged by Iranian foes led by Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and Israel.

In recent weeks, the U.S. ratcheted up the pressure on ruling clerics by scrapping waivers that had allowed some countries to carry on importing Iranian crude, and designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Irans elite military unit, as a terrorist organization.

Iranian officials have warned of what they said is a disinformation campaign. Last month, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that the targeting of his nation could take a dangerous turn and trigger a wider crisis. He suggested hard-liners in Washington and Saudi Arabia may be plotting an accident anywhere in the region.

The U.S. assessment of an increased Iranian threat was disowned on Tuesday by the British deputy commander of the international campaign to defeat Islamic State, Major General Christopher Ghika. Theres been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria, he said in a briefing for Pentagon reporters.

In an unusual airing of differences, U.S. Central Command then issued a statement rejecting Ghikas comments as running counter to the identified credible threats available to intelligence.

Gargash, the U.A.E. minister of state, said that the current situation in the region means we need to emphasize caution and we need to emphasize good judgment. Its a very brittle, difficult situation.

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U.S. officials have said they believe Iranian combat divers were behind the attacks on four oil tankers near the Persian Gulf over the weekend, and they tell CBS News senior national security correspondent David Martin there's still no sign Iran is backing off purported plans to attack Americans in the region.

Martin said American officials have him there is "credible" and "urgent" intelligence that Iran has ordered Shiite militias in Iraq to prepare to conduct attacks against U.S. troops and diplomats in the country.

On Wednesday the State Department ordered all non-emergency staff and their families to leave Iraq, a nation on Iran's southern border in which the Iranian government backs various militia groups which have fought U.S. troops before.

"U.S. citizens in Iraq are at high risk for violence and kidnapping. Numerous terrorist and insurgent groups are active in Iraq and regularly attack both Iraqi security forces and civilians. Anti-U.S. sectarian militias may also threaten U.S. citizens and Western companies throughout Iraq," the State Department said in its advisory.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo renewed the Trump administration's warning on Tuesday that the U.S. would retaliate against Iran if it does attack American interests in the Middle East, but he declined to pin the blame for the tanker sabotage on Tehran.

He said he didn't have anything "concrete about the connection" between Tehran and the tanker attacks, adding: "I think in the coming hours and days we'll know the answer to that."

At a campaign rally on Tuesday evening, President Trump emphasized what is becoming one of the hallmarks of his hardline foreign policy, telling supporters that his administration was "holding dangerous regimes accountable by denying them oil revenue to fund their corruption, oppression and terror."

But as Martin reports, while the U.S. has put a stranglehold on Iran's economy, the country remains dangerous.

U.S. officials told Martin it was highly likely that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards were responsible for Sunday's attacks that blew holes in the hulls of Saudi and Norwegian tankers anchored off the Emirati port of Fujairah, just outside the Persian Gulf.

Iranian combat divers are believed to have attached explosives to the ships' hulls, but a defense official told CBS News that further investigation was still needed.

Mr. Trump, meanwhile, dismissed a New York Times report saying the administration was planning to send 120,000 American troops to the region to counter Iran. The U.S. has already sent an aircraft carrier strike group and four B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf.

President Trump's denial of the Times report came with a caveat: "Would I do that? Absolutely," he said as he left the White House on Tuesday. "We have not planned for that and if we did that, we'd send a hell of a lot more troops that."

On Capitol Hill, Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine blasted the president's thinking.

"It would be the height of idiocy. It would be unconstitutional. There's no way this president should get us into a war with Iran," Kaine said.

Iran has vehemently denied being involved in the attacks on the oil tankers and accused President Trump of playing a "very dangerous game, risking devastating war."

But on Wednesday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: "There is not going to be a war. Neither are we seeking war, nor is it to their (the United States') benefit to go after a war. They know this. We never start a war and have never started any wars. This is a confrontation of will-powers and our will-power is stronger than theirs."

He ruled out any negotiations with the current U.S. administration, saying they would be "poison" for Iran.

But while he downplayed the possibility of a conflict with the U.S., the ayatollah also dropped a loosely-veiled threat that Iran could take steps -- within a few months -- that would almost certainly draw a significant American response.

Iran announced a week ago that in response to President Trump pulling the U.S. out of the nuclear deal agreed in 2015 with world powers, it would partially withdraw from the terms of the agreement, too.

The Iranian regime said if the other parties to the agreement, which still want to keep it viable, couldn't figure out a way to work around new U.S. sanctions to keep doing business with Tehran within 60 days, it would resume enriching uranium to levels barred under the deal.

Iran is permitted under the terms of the nuclear deal to enrich uranium to just under 4% concentration -- a level at which it can be used for medical and scientific purposes, but not be easily refined to a level required to make nuclear weapons.

The regime said if no agreement was reached with Europe, Russia and the Chinese to keep the 2015 deal in play, it would resume enriching uranium to 20% -- which officials in the country have said could be done within four days. That benchmark is significant because once uranium is refined to 20%, it becomes much easier to enrich it to the 90% needed for weapons.

On Wednesday, the Ayatollah said "achieving 20% enrichment is the most difficult part. The next steps are easier than this step."

It was the first hint from the Iranian regime that it might try to obtain the highly-enriched uranium needed for an atomic bomb -- though Iranian officials have always denied any interest in obtaining one.

Both the U.S. and Israel have made it clear they will not allow the Islamic Republic to obtain a nuclear weapons capability.

There have been signs of frustration from European allies over the Trump administration's decision to not only bail on the nuclear deal, but to mount the new pressure on the Iranian regime.

The Trump administration and U.S. military officials said just over a week ago that they had detected, "a number of preparations for possible attack" on U.S. forces at sea and on land in the Middle East.

The U.S. has about 5,000 troops still in Iraq, on Iran's border, and while the State Department order on Wednesday for non-emergency personnel to leave the country did not specifically mention a threat from Iran, that was the implication.

Again without specifically citing Iran, a spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq told CBS News on Wednesday that Pompeo ordered the non-emergency U.S. personnel out of the country because, "these threats are serious."

On Tuesday, however, a British deputy commander of the U.S.-led joint military operation in Iraq disputed the claim of an elevated threat to allied forces in the region.

"There's been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria," Maj. Gen Christopher Ghika said in a video briefing from Baghdad to the Pentagon, according to The Guardian. "We're aware of that presence, clearly. And we monitor them along with a whole range of others because that's the environment we're in. We are monitoring the Shia militia groups I think you're referring to carefully, and if the threat level seems to go up then we'll raise our force protection measures accordingly."

But the U.S. military's Central Command, which oversees Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) in Iraq and all other American operations in the region, directly refuted Ghika's statement later on Tuesday.

"Recent comments from OIR's deputy commander run counter to the identified credible threats available to intelligence from US and allies regarding Iranian-backed forces in the region," Central Command spokesman Capt. Bill Urban said in the statement.

One U.S. officer told Martin he was "flabbergasted" by the British commander's assessment.

Martin said the Pentagon has released very little detail of the intelligence pointing to the purportedly heightened threat from Iran, "and without the details it's easy to become skeptical about exactly how good the intelligence is."

But Martin said he had spoken to multiple U.S. military officials, including some who privately disagree with the Trump administration's policy in Iraq, and that they all agreed there is intelligence pointing to possible attacks by Iranian proxy groups which appears credible.

Germany's military, meanwhile, announced a halt to its training operations in Iraq on Wednesday, but said it had no information about heightened threats to German troops in the country from Iran.

Defense Ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff cited heightened regional tensions as he confirmed Germany's military was temporarily suspending training of Iraqi forces, "orienting itself toward our partner countries," but adding there were "no concrete warnings of attacks against German targets."

The Netherlands made a similar announcement, putting its training operations on hold citing an unspecified security threat, but France defense officials said their training mission in Iraq was continuing unaffected.

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Iran news: U.S. pulls most personnel from Iraq as U.S ...