Iran Fully Supports Iraq’s Territorial Integrity, Speaker Larijani Says

Speaking in a meeting with Second Deputy Secretary General of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Barham Salih in Tehran on Sunday, Larijani slammed some Western states’ plans to break up Iraq.

“The inexperienced view of some Western leaders has led them to think that they can resolve countries’ problems in the region through dividing them,” he said, adding that such belief is totally wrong.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy toward Iraq is to support the country’s territorial integrity and the promotion of unity among all Iraqi groups, including Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites,” the Iranian parliament speaker said.

He emphasized that Iraq can overcome its current problems only through promotion of unity and integrity.

Salih, for his part, appreciated Iran’s all-out support for the Iraqi people and government in the fight against terrorism, and said the spirit of his country’s forces to fight ISIL terrorists is increasing day by day.

Iraq has been facing the growing threat of terrorism, mainly posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (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.