Iraq, Iran fuming over Mubarak 'civil war' comments

He also expressed alarm about Shia Iran's influence in Arab countries.

"There are Shias in all these countries (of the region), significant percentages, and Shias are mostly always loyal to Iran and not the countries where they live," he said.

"Naturally, Iran has an influence over Shias who make up 65 percent of Iraq's population," added the 77-year-old Mubarak, who has ruled Sunni-dominated Egypt for a quarter of a century.

Ibrahim Jaafari, Iraq's incumbent premier and a devout Shia, unequivocally condemned Mubarak's remarks.

"The comments have upset Iraqi people who come from different religious and ethnic backgrounds and have astonished and discontented the Iraqi government," he told reporters Sunday.

As Jaafari spoke, he was flanked by President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and Adnan al-Pachachi, a Sunni and the parliament's acting speaker.

Jaafari's government has come under repeated accusations of collusion with Tehran from Sunni Arab factions in Iraq.

Egypt had been one of the main driving forces behind an attempt at uniting Iraqi ranks by sponsoring a national reconciliation conference, still due to take place in the near future.

Expressing his anguish at Mubarak's statements, Talabani said these "accusations against our Shia brothers are baseless and we have asked our foreign minister to talk to Egypt about this."

Iran, with its 90 percent Shia Muslim population, many of whom make frequent pilgrimages to the shrines of revered Shia imams in Iraq, did not take kindly to Mubarak's comments.

"It is evident that the Islamic republic of Iran is only interested in seeking security and stability in Iraq and the region," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters in Tehran.