“US is determined to ruin Iran’s relations with its neighboring countries and Iraq is after offsetting the negative atmosphere against Iran,” said Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, the Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, on Monday.
The Iranian lawmaker made the remarks touching upon the recent remarks made by Iraqi prime minister who recounted that Iraq has sent a delegation to US to reach an agreement on Iraq-Iran interactions.
“This delegation is visiting US to make US treasury department exempt Iraqis from sanctions and the consequential punishments and to let Iraqis have the permission to have contracts with Iranians as Iran is one of three countries of the region with the highest volume of trade and transaction with Iraq,” reiterated Falahatpisheh.
“On the other hand, this delegation is trying to offset the negative atmosphere created inside Iraq against Iran,” he added.
“The ties between Iran and Iraq are beyond the scope of US decisions and if Iraq enter the atmosphere of anti-Iran sanctions, the eastern provinces of Iraq will face a financial crisis,” the Iranian legislator warned.
The Iranian senior lawmaker recounted that the eastern provinces of Iraq are currently having an annual $13bn trade transaction with Iran which means that it is of harsh consequence for Iraq to abide by US unilateral sanctions against Iran.
“On the other hand, the Iraqi government has been under economic pressure after 2003, and in addition to political and historic reasons, needs relations with Iran,” he added.
Falahatpisheh concluded that the Americans are not after some economic objectives in levying sanctions against Iran and this move is politically motivated. “Because of political objectives, which they bear in their mind, the Americans are after ruining Iran’s relations with its neighboring countries and allies.”
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