Raeisi: Iraq must not be used for threats against neighbors
Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi said Iraq must not be used for plots and threats against its neighbors.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran supports the Iraqi government’s efforts for the economic and military reconstruction of this country,” Raeisi said in a meeting with Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Muhammad Saeed al-Abbasi in Tehran on Sunday.
He said that Iran and Iraq have joint borders of friendship and cooperation, adding, “The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the security of Iraq as its own security and supports the strengthening of stability and security in this country.”
The Iraqi defense minister, for his part, hailed Iran’s support for the Iraqi nation during the foreign invasion of the country and its battle against Daesh terrorists.
The Iraqi official also held talks with a number of Iranian top military officials, including Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri. The Iranian official said Iran and Iraq are boosting security cooperation to ensure regional security and counter “common threats”.
“The situation in the region requires that Iran and Iraq work together to ensure security because the two countries are facing common threats,” he said.
World powers, he continued, created the Daesh terrorist group to wrest control from regional states, but the plot failed due to cooperation between the Iranian and Iraqi nations and warriors.
The top general also said many Iranians were martyred in the path of bringing about security for Iraq. He described General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, senior Iranian and Iraqi anti-terror commanders who were assassinated by the U.S. in 2020, as a symbol of the Tehran-Baghdad unity and brotherhood.
The Iraqi official also held separate meetings with Iran’s Army Chief Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani, and Chief Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami.