The Prime Minister of Iraq, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, met with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, this Tuesday evening, July 21, 2020.
"Iran has never had and never will have any intention to meddle in Iraq's affairs. Iran seeks a dignified, independent Iraq with its territorial integrity and internal unity and cohesion protected," said Ayatollah Khamenei, according to his official website.
"Iran is certainly against anything that weakens Iraq. The US outlook concerning Iraq is exactly the opposite of our outlook because the US is the enemy in the true sense of the word and opposes an independent, strong Iraqi government elected by popular vote."
"The US's crime in assassinating General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis is an example of the US’s presence. They killed your guest in your home, and they blatantly confessed to this crime. This is not a trivial matter," he said, adding, "The Islamic Republic of Iran will never forget the martyrdom of Hajj Qasem Soleimani and will definitely strike a reciprocal blow to the U.S."
In this visit, Leader of the Islamic Revolution called relations between Iran and Iraq ‘amicable and friendly’ due to the rich historical, religious, cultural commonalities and emphasized that the security, dignity, regional authority and improvement of the situation in Iraq is of paramount importance for the Islamic Republic of Iran.
He went on to say that the Islamic Republic of Iran is certainly against what can undermine and weaken the Iraqi government.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that Iran does not interfere in Iraqi relations with the United States, adding, “Iran expects Iraqi officials to recognize the nature of the United States and know that presence of the US in any country is the source of corruption and destruction.”
The Islamic Republic of Iran expects the Iraqi government, Parliament to pursue expulsion of the US forces from the region, because, presence of Americans in the region causes insecurity both in the region, he added.
"One should never fear the US at all because the US can't do a single thing"
"The consensus reached between political groups and currents in Iraq to elect Mr. Al-Kadhimi's government is very good. The US and its agents always seek to create a power vacuum in the region’s countries through which they seek to cause chaos and prepare the ground for their intervention," he added.
"We stress Iran's support of Mr. Al Kadhimi’s government. Wisdom, religion and experience require the expansion of Iran-Iraq relations. Obviously, such relations have opponents; leading them is the US But, one should never fear the US at all, because the US can't do a single thing."
"The Religious Authority and person of Ayatollah Sistani is a great blessing for Iraq. Hashd al-Shabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) is also another great blessing in Iraq, which should be safeguarded."
Heading a high-ranking delegation, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran on Tuesday noon to hold talks with senior Iranian officials.
MA/4979985/Khamenei.ir