At least 26 people have been killed in a car bombing near a Shia mosque in the town of Howaider, 60km northeast of Baghdad.
The bomb went off on a busy market street in the town and left at least 70 other people injured.
Sectarian violence has engulfed the country since the bombing of a Shia shrine in Samarra in February and the subsequent surge in violence has raised fears of civil war.
The latest blast came after parliament announced it would convene next week in a bid to break months of deadlock on the formation of a new government.
A key point of contention has been the candidacy of Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, who has continued to defy mounting pressure to step down.
