Zarif Condemns US’ Dangerous Move to Attack Iraqi Forces
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif condemned the US’ “dangerous” decision to hit the Iraqi forces at a border area of Syria, also warning that some recent suspicious moves are aimed at souring relations between Iran and Iraq.
In a Saturday meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein in Tehran, Zarif condemned the US’ dangerous measure in targeting the Iraqi forces at a border region inside Syria, saying the illegal strikes have violated the sovereignty of that country.
He also noted that a series of recent suspicious attacks on the Iraqi soil appear to be aimed at upsetting the relations between Baghdad and Tehran and disrupt the security and stability of Iraq.
“We stress the need for the Iraqi government’s action to find the perpetrators of these incidents,” the top Iranian diplomat said about a recent attack on the airport of Erbil, which killed one foreign civilian contractor and wounded several others.
On Thursday, the US military carried out airstrikes on facilities in Syria’s eastern province of Deir Ez-Zur in what it called a response to the Erbil attack.
Elsewhere in the meeting, Zarif called for efforts to promote economic cooperation with Iraq, saying the completion of a railroad linking Iran’s Shalamcheh to Iraq’s Basra would enhance bilateral trade between the two neighbors.
Hussein, for his part, expressed Iraq’s readiness to expand relations with Iran in various fields.
Pointing to a breakthrough in the negotiations about Iran’s access to its financial resources held in Iraq, the visiting foreign minister underlined that his country will not allow anybody to disturb the perfect relationship with Iran.
During his second trip to Tehran after taking office, the senior Iraqi diplomat has also held a meeting with Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.