Zarif Renews Iran's Continued Support for Iraq in Fight against Terrorism

Speaking in a joint press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari in Tehran on Sunday evening, Zarif said Iraqi people and government know Iran is supporting them in their efforts to establish security and stability in Iraq.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has realized the danger of violence and extremism in Iraq since the very first day and stood by the Iraqi nation, and we will stand by the Iraqi people including Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds and Arabs until the end of (their) fight against extremism and terrorism,” Zarif said.

He went on to say that Iran believes that terrorist groups are threatening the entire region.

The Iraqi foreign minister, for his part, said Baghdad calls for further cooperation and assistance from Tehran in its fight against the ISIL terrorist group.

Jaafari stressed that the presence of ISIL in Iraq is a common strategic threat that requires both countries of Iran and Iraq to expand their cooperation.

The Iraqi minister arrived in Iran on Sunday, heading a delegation to attend an international conference on the World Against Extremism and Violence (WAVE) in Tehran.

The representatives of 40 countries will take part in this international meeting in Tehran to seek new strategies to curb the menace of violence and extremism in the world.

The main subject of the conference, slated for December 9-10, includes ways to address the “global concern about the violent conditions in the cotemporary world.”

Iran attracted attention last year as one of the first countries that anticipated a growing trend in extremist moves in the world. On December 18, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to approve Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s WAVE proposal.