The distribution of the handouts coincided with a Iranian exhibition at the al-Mansour Hotel in Baghdad that was part of a international bazaar advocating regional goods and merchandise.

The leaflets and posters carried slogans that read, "Iran is using foodstuff to kill the people of Iraq," said London's Asharq al-Awsat. Others showed propaganda depicting the growing influence Tehran is reported to have over the government in Baghdad.

The Arab Bloc for National Dialogue in the Iraqi Parliament launched a similar campaign in Basra in September, though it was unclear if the group was behind the latest calls for boycotts of Iranian goods.