Iran Not Interfering in Iraq: President Fuad Masum
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iraq’s President Fuad Masum rejected claims that Iran has allegedly interfered in the internal affairs of the Arab country, saying that Tehran’s military support for Baghdad in its campaign against terrorists cannot be regarded as interference.
“Iran’s military supports (for Iraq) in the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL terrorist group) do not mean meddling in the internal affairs of Iraq,” Masum was quoted by the Arabic-language El-Nashra newspaper as saying.
He emphasized that the ISIL terrorist group's power in Iraq is a threat to Iran and the entire region.
The Iraqi president further stressed the necessity to deepen Tehran-Baghdad relations in all fields, saying that during his upcoming visit to the Islamic Republic, he will exchange views with the Iranian officials on bilateral and regional issues.
Iraq has been facing the growing threat of terrorism, mainly posed by the ISIL terrorist group.
The ISIL militants made swift advances in much of northern and western Iraq over the summer, after capturing large swaths of northern Syria.
However, a combination of concentrated attacks by the Iraqi military and the volunteer forces, who rushed to take arms after top Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa calling for fight against the militants, have blunted the edge of the ISIL offensive.
Amid tensions in Iraq, Iran is known as the first country to help the Arab country and has always voiced support for Iraq’s solidarity and prosperity.