MNA � Iran�s Ambassador to Iraq Iraj Masjedi reacted to Wednesday�s attack of rioters on Iranian consulate in Najaf, noting that enemies want to ruin ties between Iran and Iraq.

�Last night, a number of hooligans attacked Iran�s mission in Najaf and after confronting with security forces and harming some of them, entered the consulate and set the place on fire,� he told IRINN on Thursday.

�All our diplomats are now sound and safe,� he said, adding that however �Heavy damages have been inflicted on the consulate building and it cannot be used anymore.�

�The purpose of those behind this incident is to destroy relations between Iran and Iraq,� Masjedi stressed.

�They are foreign mercenaries who are encouraged by TV channels of enemies; they seek nothing but to hamper brotherly relations between Iran and Iraq,� said the envoy, noting, �This is not what the Iraqi people and government want.�

According to local media, 47 Iraqi security staff have been injured during the attack. The Saudi-led media Al-Arabiya, activities of which is illegal in Iraq, has broadcasted the attack in a live report from its beginning which raises the probability of a pre-planned attack.

The attackers were a group wearing masks who had come from other cities to Najaf in a planned move to set the consulate ablaze, the report added.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi condemned the attack while also urging the Iraqi government to give a decisive response to rioters.