Shi'ite rifts deepen

The situation has been exacerbated, US commanders allege, by Iranian agents training and arming hard-line Shi'ite militia units known as "Special Groups" to carry out kidnappings and attacks on US-led forces.

Tehran has always vehemently denied trying to destabilise Iraq, and al-Maliki's government maintains close ties with its larger Shi'ite neighbour.

The slain governors' party, formerly known as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, was founded in Tehran under the auspices of the Iranian government as an Iraqi opposition force in exile.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is planning to make his first visit to Iraq, the Isna news agency reported. Meanwhile, al-Maliki arrived on Monday in Syria for a visit to another US foe and ally of Iran.

The latest political violence coincided with meetings between French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and the country's divided political leaders to learn about the crisis.

Kouchner's Baghdad visit is the first by a senior French official since the US-led invasion and, while he brought no concrete offers of assistance, it has been welcomed by Iraqi leaders keen for international support.

Al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led ruling coalition has crumbled in recent months with the loss of 17 ministers, and emergency talks are under way to cobble together a power-sharing deal and save the government from collapse.

Read More