Copy in clipboard...
Speaker hails ‘unbreakable’ unity with Iraq
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf described the unity between Iran and Iraq as “unbreakable,” saying the two countries will continue to stand against the United States.
Speaking on Friday after paying tribute to Martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at the Wadi Al-Salam Cemetery in Najaf, Qalibaf said the United States and the Israeli regime should understand that unity within the Muslim world, particularly between Iran and Iraq, is “unbreakable.”
This relationship, he added, is cemented by shared religious and cultural foundations. He pointed to periods when Iranian and Iraqi forces stood together in response to shared threats, Press TV reported.
Qalibaf recalled the fight against the Daesh terrorist group, saying Iranian and Iraqi forces stood alongside one another when they needed each other.
He also pointed to the recent aggression against Iran, saying the Iraqi people rose up during the “Ramadan War,” referring to the war launched by the US and the Israeli regime against Iran in late February, during the month of Ramadan.
Furthermore, he cited the US assassination of anti-terror commanders Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in January 2020 as a symbol of the close ties between the two nations. “The symbol of this struggle is the blood of the martyr Abu Mahdi and the dear martyr Haj Qassem, which was mixed in this land,” he said. Qalibaf said the cooperation between the two countries would continue.
On Thursday, speaking with a host of Iranian and Iraqi businesspeople in Baghdad, Qalibaf said Iran does not seek war, but diplomacy can only be effective when backed by readiness for war, as the US resorts to economic threats against Iran following defeat in the military war.
“We are neither warmongers nor seeking war,” he said. “But as Muslims, we believe in a principle in the Islamic Ummah: We will not allow people to trample on our dignity and honor. On this path, we will sacrifice our wealth and lives, stand firm, and defend our dignity and honor.”
Qalibaf traveled to Iraq on Wednesday for a three-day visit, during which he held talks with several Iraqi officials including prime minister, president and parliament speaker.