Iraqi electoral coalition Sairun, headed by Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr, has called on Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi to resign amid the escalation of violence in the country's southern city of Basra, local media reported on Saturday, citing Sairun's statement.

The Iraqi security forces are controlling the situation in the south of the country, where the Russian Consulate General in Basra is located, as well as at the oil and gas objects where employees of the Russian companies are working, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

The security forces of the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Saturday declared a curfew in the city amid violent riots over the poor state of public services, unemployment as well as widespread corruption that have been shaking Basra since the beginning of the week, local media reported on Saturday.