At least three people have been killed and hundreds other wounded since Tuesday in clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in Iraq, according to local media outlets.

Thousands have been demonstrating on the streets of Baghdad and other cities, against alleged government failures.

The Iraqi government has condemned the protests but vowed to address the concerns.

Earlier on, the United Nations top envoy in the country called for calm and restraint from both sides.

"The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert calls for calm, and deeply regrets the casualties among both the protesters and security forces," said a statement by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

The protests are the largest to hit the Western Asian country since Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi took office a year ago.

(With input from BBC)