30 killed in a day of violence in Iraq

At least 30 people, including 10 Iranians, have been killed in a day of violence in Iraq as bombings rocked Karbala, Najaf, and Basra.

On Monday, a car bomb went off near a mosque in the city of Karbala, killing at least 12 people, among them four Iranians, and leaving 42 others wounded.

Within hours, another car bomb was detonated near three buses transporting Iranian pilgrims to the Iraqi holy city of Najaf. The incident, which took place about 500 meters from the shrine of the first Shia imam, Imam Ali (PBUH), killed eight people, including six Iranians, and injured at least 16 people, Khaled Jashani, a member of Najaf’s provincial council, told AFP.

Most of the people injured in the two bombings were Iranians.

Another bombing jolted a crowded market in the southeastern port city of Basra, claiming the lives of at least 10 people and inflicting injuries on 30 others, said a military officer on the scene.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s political rivals have still not been able to work out a deal on the makeup of the new government.

The impasse has dragged on for months, since the country held parliamentary elections on March 7.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition and archrival Iyad Allawi’s al-Iraqiya secured 89 and 91 seats respectively in the 325-seat parliament, both falling short of the 163 seats required for a majority.

In a meeting on Monday, the major parties differed on the terms of an initial agreement, clinched on Sunday, which would have Maliki and current President Jalal Talabani reinstated.

Many political analysts have warned that further delays in the formation of a new government could embolden terrorists to step up their campaign of violence.

And Iraqi voters expect the next government to bring stability to the country.

Over one million Iraqis have been killed since the US invaded the country in 2003, according to the California-based investigative organization Project Censored.