Ali Shamkhani, who also represents the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in the Supreme National Security Council, made the remarks in a Monday meeting with visiting President of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq Ammar al-Hakim in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
He added that regional states including Iraq must dismiss the promises made by extra-regional countries in regard to fighting terrorism and must, instead, mobilize all their capacities and strength to eradicate the ever increasing threat of this scourge.
“The US does not intend to destroy ISIL, but rather it seeks to benefit from terrorism as political and propagandist instrument to legitimize its long-term presence in the Middle East and Muslim countries,” he said.
Shamkhani referred to the UNSC 2245 resolution and the efforts to settle Syrian crisis through political means, adding “the Islamic Republic from the onset of military aggression in Syria had stressed the need for the adoption of political solutions, yet the supportive approaches of certain countries toward terrorist groups regrettably continue and that only leads to great human and material losses and an uncontrollable spread of terrorism in Syria.”
Elsewhere, the Iranian top diplomat touched upon the US new visa restrictions, saying the policy is an obvious contradiction to the good-faith implementation of the JCPOA and causes distrust among public opinion.
Ammar al-Hakim, for his part, deemed expansion of all-out cooperation between Iran and Iraq ‘inevitable’ and in line with common interests and establishing sustainable security in the region.
He also hailed the Islamic Republic for its valuable efforts in political, security, and military fields in fighting terrorism and its comprehensive support for Iraqi people and government during the country's most severe security conditions.
MS/3011457