A powerful car bomb near a Shiite shrine in Iraq's holy city of Najaf on Saturday killed two Iranian pilgrims and an Iraqi and injured at least 54 people, police and medical officials said.
The blast occurred despite intense security measures put in place across Iraq in the lead up to Sunday's parliamentary vote, which has already been marked by violent attacks in Baghdad and the restive city of Baquba.
A local official said the bomb exploded about 500 metres (yards) from the shrine to Imam Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed and one of Shiite Islam's most revered figures.
Of those injured, 33 were Iranian pilgrims, according to a medic at the Hakim hospital.
Thousands of Shiite Muslims visit the shrine to Imam Ali every month, many who make the pilgrimage from neighbouring Iran.
