to end the 5 year war the saudi led coalition announced on wednesday that some airport would reopen to limited flights allowing patients to fly out for medical care. for movies president i mean has been handed a 5 year prison sentence for money laundering the court ruled you mean and taken a $1000000.00 in state money collected for land fees he's also been ordered to pay a $5000000.00 fine the president served for 5 years until a surprise different last year. and activists in hong kong are calling on world leaders to follow the u.s. after president donald trump signed a bill backing pro-democracy protesters thousands of people rallied to express their gratitude to the united states the north could see sanctions imposed on chinese officials deemed responsible for human rights abuses. those were the headlines the news continues here on al-jazeera of the inside story station that's watching.

iran out stats what angry iraqi protestors were shouting as they set fire to the iranian consulate in the city of najaf a significant anti test run escalation but how much influence does iran wield in iraq is it a force for good or is it holding back the country and its people this is inside story. hello and welcome to the program i'm adrian finnegan after months of violent antigovernment protests in iraq anger has turned towards neighboring iran demonstrators stormed the iranian consulate in the holy city of knowledge of the

for setting fire to it on wednesday a number of people were killed in the crackdown which followed adding to the hundreds who died in the last 2 months of protests it's the strongest expression of anti iranian sentiment in recent months with demonstrators accusing to iran of supporting the government that they're trying to fight it comes off to similar attacks on iranian properties in karbala earlier this month and in bastra last year well baghdad has condemned the attack sending army reinforcements to try to suppress the violence a curfew has been put in place and so-called crisis cells have been set up meanwhile iran's foreign minister says that iraq has a responsibility to protect the consulate and must send a responsible strong at effective response. we'll get to our guests for our discussion in just a moment but 1st let's look at why protesters accuse iran of meddling in the country's affairs like many iraqi politicians prime minister other abou marty has long running ties with iran having worked with its leadership before the fall of

saddam hussein others include former prime minister nouri al maliki at every amount of fiery and former islamic supreme council leader amar al hakim and his late father is al hakim both political and military leaders said to maintain a quote special relationship with tap round which was detailed in a series of intelligence reports leaked to u.s. media earlier this month iran's also allied with the armed group the popular mobilisation forces the group is sanctioned by baghdad but some say the group represents an iranian military presence in the country. so let's bring in our guests for today's discussion from london we're joined by joe what a member of the research committee of the middle east center at the london school of economics via skype from hartford ship me the legal advisor to the national council for iraqi opposition and a cd

a solicitor from turkey iran for what is already a professor at the university of tehran in the faculty of world studies a warm welcome to you all gentlemen let's start with you it's clear that protesters are angry about what they see as iranian influence in iraq but are they right is iran i'm ally an actor influencing or meddling in iraq ie politics religion and economic affairs. they are not only a right but that are very much example. very much. too much examples about this. as the iranian have the last one was then when this is the most racist the illustrations started and they were asking for the prime minister to resign and the e.u. . was ready to resign by the way then the iranian stepped in and influenced him to remain in power defying all the protests of the people the 2nd example is

that says 2003 the iranian have been supporting corrupt sectarian affective failing politicians to rule iraq and they kept all recycling them through these 17 years and they have protests even supported them to the to the and even to the fact that they kept them in power for all these 17 years then they have created this or they have. mobilized or i should say. taken advantage of the creation of the popular mobilization forces and they have taken control of of 60 or 70 percent of this forces by them by by their political by by by their lay their. cost and survey monies controlling them and they declare in public that they follow orders from iran and

not from the iraqi government although the prime minister was supposed to be their commander in chief so all these things have instigated the iraqis the iraqis and they feel that the other iranians are really happy with such a gut corrupt failing and an effort of government sectarian government and they would like to keep it like this because they could control the country through these through these people so hashmi najaf is the seat of the shia religious authority in iraq what are your thoughts on the attack on the consulate and its significance or the demonstrations concerns legitimate. first of all thank you very much for having me and i would like to offer my sincere condolences to the church of the terms who have. the money to buy the pricing and to their families now in terms of the significance the significance and the high seas because the jobs are really known to your heroes is the holiest shrine in share islam and therefore

the time on it signifies time to i think the message from somebody you may then. be on within the demonstrators might have been sent to the iranians that you're on hold the welcome because also programs come to the city in order to so-called home religious duties now. i think we need to be very very careful in our life situation i don't think it's a full on conclusion that the demonstrators all the ones who attacked the embassy or consulate sorry because 1st of all there are always a few bad apples within a huge group of people like the demonstrators they may be some number 2 we have also the possibility of a self-inflicted wound on the whole flag attack. nearing it's all looking in to see it in iraq this time of openly and the open force this could provide them with

a pretext although i see you tell me i think for you by the way the irony of this was when it was attacked and the iraqi security forces would have informed the u.a.e. and to evacuate the embassy they also strive yes now that is the case i think iraq is security is almost all that capable of defending this also that against demonstrators who are largely on all the exception to a lot now this raises a number questions if that is the case law orchestrates i'm not know if i have the answers because the attack is being very recent and i don't have much information about it just getting back to the ones that made. us and mother. i think the roots of your reading of homer those are very early on since the invasion of iraq has been 3 when the better forces who are openly funk who were in the front it aligned and trained by the iranians and to iraq and impose themselves on the

security forces went in to me and they detain all of those security forces they are excused all human rights breaches since early from the invasion so i don't think it's and then there are also the most recent revelations by intercept to the new york times the papers that were revealed documenting. that almost the individuals with whom the iranians have had contact and that was the revelation the entire government is corrupt and abusing human rights perhaps somebody like the iranians backing them up i think will invoke some restraint that is not to say that me and don't the he attack on the consulate it is hiding it for all but i would also say this is a whole lot during practice to get a rainbow was blessed with an attack on the american embassy but early on in

$97.00 janata the hostages were held all maybe 2 years a year year and it so therefore i don't think this is an iraqi whole mark it seems to be that there is some outside interference and now we have reinforcement coming in from baghdad. to crush the demonstrators who always a lot always change. ok let's bring in. saudi into round you'll no doubt want to response to respond to some of or you you've heard there especially whether this attack was orchestrated or whether it was a false flag attack but but 1st. tell me does iran seek to control or influence those in political power in iraq is it no longer welcome that. you know i think you know one tries to have good relations with iraq we remember what happened when we had someone like saddam hussein in iraq that fast for

8 years and that was ended in having hundreds of thousands of people kids so having good relations with your neighbors is not something that the iranians want that is the norm in international relations that you should have close economic links culture links political links with the neighboring countries especially when you live in the middle east where you have lots of wars and terrorism and other security problems having good relations that your neighbors become even more important so if. iran is that iran wants to have close links with different iraqi parties or iran wants to make sure that another saddam hussein does not come to power in iraq then that's

a face of accusations are going alright is interested in helping those are they sure but does iran accusing the seek a totally wrong seek control r.t. what happens in iraq to what extent is what happed what's happening in iraq today does does iran accept that it that it's it's false. and it's just totally exaggerated if iran had that much power maybe they could have. secured their own consulates in niger so exaggerating iran's influence in iraq is of a of the losing parties in iraq elections to accuse the winners of elections of some foreign connection when you accuse the iraqi government you're basically insulting the iraqi people that voted for that government you know that iraq is one of the few arab countries that actually as representative government to be have monarchy is they have dictatorships we have a general that's come to power to work with its allies in the arab world and we

have iraq that actually holds elections and they want to have leadership change and some some of these monarchies don't like to see democracy in iraq that's why the excuse that i see government of difference so how do you explain the anger in iraq at the moment particularly directed at iran. yeah that's a very good question the basic question is that the people who act track. you down and installations in there are the consulate are they were presenting there are key people dance that is absolutely not i encourage you to take part in that a brain walk makes yes i don't know if you know this but there is this religious ceremony for the database in the for the it day that mom was sane and the sound was martyred at that religious seminary in. just a ceremony in iraq and you have 20000000 iraqis are walking from now just to care

about every year and about 5000000 iranians join this people and iraqi people feel that is that 1000000 iranians that it has that has nothing to do you know that has nothing to do that i think of going has actually been going on for centuries now no no that's not doing saddam's time that 1st prohibited people were not allowed to take take that so if you want to live off the force and now yes and i was going to not know the people who attacked the one and consulate based on the local police and local authorities in they just came from outside niger they are not fun measure for us we have some a look a sound ok in iraq that there are i don't like you dance so what do you make a what you heard just there that it's a total exaggeration that iran has that much power and that the protesters are insulting the iraqi electorate well let me correct

a few things to start with no iraq you want to have another war with iran iraqis are keen to have good relations with the 2nd thing it's an insult to the iraqi people if you tell them that the last elections well it through are genuine and it was not it was not false because 80 percent people of the people did not participate in these elections and there was a lot of. question marks about the result that even the government talked about these things 3rd thing is iraq was not the only responsible part about the iraq iran war the 2 countries were keen to have such what every country every leader ship thinking that it could defeat the other part strike a victory over it in within a month or 2 now if you come to your questions i think that the religious ceremonies that takes place in the jeff and ceremonies that take place in the jeff

at karbala have nothing to do with the feeling of the iraqi people or the iranian polygamy's are always welcome by the iraqis they've never attacked them like that what the iranian does with some of the archipelagos when they went to iran to mush that now we with the iraqis are happy to have these people and mind you under saddam hussein there were hundreds of thousands of people from iran coming to the spelling of em's and the saddam hussein found that this was a very good way to improve this economic situation and that the sanctions the problem is that the uranian responsible erin in the visions speak clearly or spoke clearly about how they are controlling 5 arab capitals nowadays baghdad damascus road and and and and and santa and bahrain and how they ad out they are the ones the government and how they regard by

that is the capital of their empire all these talks have insulted the iraqis have been injured they're there they're more out there their national feelings and that's why they do not want to see. an inflow furcal influence they could they are ready to see good relations with the iranians but political influence and most of all supporting corrupt governments. i mean come any and there are i mean now trying people been over the lips of all the president and religious leaders so why do they don't not the police why do they prevent the iraqi government or the iraqi courts from trying of fishes already now under the name of iran sell a house for me. twixt into iran and the u.s. using iraq right now as a pawn in the in their regional strategies. well unfortunately of course iraq the

change open place you don't since the invasion of 2003 inches an insult to anyone's intelligence to suggest the iranians or the iranian government what are you talking about the iranian people we all sympathies for all that reason against their government directly talking about the iranian government yet since the american invasion it opened a huge gap in iraq it all takes since of course the dismounting or iraq infrastructure like the state including the long and the security forces that opened the door or uranium trained proxy used to enter the country and she used to do this a couple seen since then they have been building up to their credit quite successfully . and so they but it's a call in to structure in order to control the country and to make cronies whole. neighboring iran and they have in as i said successful now what has happened is

that the americans also lost most control on the ground because the iranians have been preparing this for years and i will give you an example because what happened in the uprising against saddam hussein $99.00 too long there are credible reports which suggest that there are iranian backed forces to cross the border to support the revolutionaries at the time but of course there are costs why the iraqi army was reasonably powerful during those bacteria now as i said you know americans have conceded but conceded power all the grounds to iranian influence because what has happened is that those critical of usefulness of all travel and also directed by the reigning government sees all of the open corruption in iraq and they have built . a mountain of wealth they just finished a school the creation ok nowadays. armed militias who are backing them up and this

is exactly the problem this is what the demonstrators are complaining about people are talking about this mysterious 3rd party i do not think that this 3rd party is no longer mysterious if there are they are on the militia mediations but. who are supporting this corrupt because they share on interests this was a so the corruption of those arms on to them and their own pocket waiting. for an idiot in tehran iran's foreign ministry spokesman condemned the attack in jeff and demanded decisive effective and responsible action against what he called destructive agents and addresses this mysterious 3rd power. who did he mean when he said that and can you answer me this question iranian security forces involved in any way there is advisors or directly on the ground in

confronting demonstrators in iraq. i think he's talking about the u.s. government the u.s. embassy in baghdad that has about 5000 employees which is an amazing number iranian embassy in baghdad has about 50 employees so then when you're talking about foreign influence you need to talk about the number of people that the u.s. government has in baghdad and the number of people that iran has in baghdad we have the u.s. forces r.q. pieing iraqi military installations to be hard. u.s. vice-president pense visiting iraq and not visiting baghdad going to the kurdish region violating at our facility we have the saudis that have interfered in iraqi affairs for many years using petro dollars and paying anyone who is available

to attack you that we had isis that's try to overtake baghdad and based on what we hear from our iraqi brothers if it was not for iranian help there are there would not be able to. resist against isis in starts and they even try to take over the core of this huge and based on what the core dish leaders say that it was iran's help that saved iraqi court the sun from isis so when you're attacking iran and you're entitled to it to do that that's ok iran is mature enough to be able to take this type of attack and are its forces how its forces on the ground that. are its forces involved on the ground in confronting the demonstrators in iraq or are advising iraqi security forces very briefly if you can please. the iraqi security forces capable of security in their

country fight against isis there are key government does not have good relations with the united states that's why the us government officials don't visit back that they want to basically overthrow the government rocky prime minister wanted to have contracts with chinese and the u.s. ambassador event to his office ask him not to go to china they don't like the fact that iraq is buying weapons from russia we have a lot of geopolitics going on here and then you see 50 people a 100 people attacking anybody and installation please remember that this is not because i think they're actually for their work in sort of the people who i disappeared in that have been walk for i needed to give me a brief answer here as we're almost out of time is iran ready to accept an iraqi prime minister who has not lived in iran or or blynde been influenced by iran in any way. that's not an iranian decision that's iraqi decision iraqi

people participate in elections and if they don't like the prime minister they will change it and if some of your guests don't like the current prime minister they need to work next time maybe they get a prime minister that they like because there is a democracy in iraq unlike a lot of i have and it's not the guest i think it it's the demonstrators in iraq who don't like it south joe it would give the final word to you could this attack be the beginning of the end of the rainy and influence in iran and if a new government is formed in iraq due to the protests is it going to be possible to appoint politicians who are not some weight linked to or influenced by iran i need a very brief answer from you please to start with by when we criticize you and that doesn't mean that we are supporting the americans we we look at them both as harmful influence they have ample of influence in iraq the 2nd thing this could that could be done because the prime minister tried to resign and the president of

the republic said that on t.v. that he was ready to resign and all things were moving towards finding someone else to replace him but there anyone with a stop to step to change this decision so i think unless the iranian government i was thinking that i always thought that the iranians were clever in politics and they would not support failing or secretary are corrupt politicians but in iraq they are doing their own that they could always support people who are on the iranian side but clearly not nationalist and could do the good things for their country. i'm sorry to keep it so brief there gentlemen we're out of time thank you for joining us today salah joe what for it is a day and solemn hashmi thank you as always for watching don't forget you can see the program any time again. by visiting our website at al jazeera dot com for

further discussion on this issue join us on our facebook page at facebook dot com forward slash a.j. inside story and you can join the conversation on twitter handle at a.j. inside story for me adrian figure the whole team here and so thanks for watching us either. when was the last time you were out on the streets testing whether on line you feel the weight of the system when you walk through each and every leg or layer further and further into the jail or if you join us on say entry has to start from day one

whether again you and attention or your participants this is a dialogue everyone has a voice for the not just those that support the rush coverage will be varying accounts but i want to give people the reason for joining the global conversation on al-jazeera. and investigation of how foreign companies plunder africa's natural resources the trust is showing for them in a big question revealing how no media's officials demand cash in exchange for favors. a. confidential documents provided to al-jazeera by wiki leaks are going to save you committee country so i will fight to the crunch and i'm not dealing it out dizzy or investigations the anatomy of a braai. join me many often as i put the upfront questions to my special guests and challenge them to some straight talking political debate here on al-jazeera.

hello i'm daryn jordan and with a quick reminder the top stories here on al-jazeera donald trump has announced peace talks have resumed with the afghan taliban the u.s. president made the revelation during a surprise visit to afghanistan's back graham air base where he met president ashraf ghani and u.s. soldiers stationed there in september trump declared talks with the taliban dead the deal was reached in principle to pull u.s. troops from afghanistan the taliban wants to make a deal we'll see if they want to make a deal it's going to be a real deal but we'll see but they want to make a deal and they only want to make you feel good you do a great job that you know is they want to make you.