He made the remarks Tuesday in a meeting with Iraqi elites, and heads of different ethnic and religious groups.

“Enemies wanted to set the region on fire and cause war and enmity between regional countries,” he said, adding that nations of the region, especially Iraqi nation, managed to foil this plot and defeat terrorism.

Despite all propaganda, Western countries have had no influence in defeating terrorism and they just threw some bombs in fake operations, he added.

He warned that terrorism has not yet been completely destroyed in the region, noting that the United States is devising other plans for the Middle East by transferring terrorists to Afghanistan, Caucasus, and Central Asia.

“Sowing discord among the countries and people of the region, creating rifts among the ethnic and religious groups, justifying their illegitimate presence in the region, destroying Iraq and Syria and other countries in the region and finally, introducing themselves as the savior and portraying a violent face for Islam were among the goals of the hegemonic powers,” the official website of Iran’s Presidency quoted Rouhani as saying.

“In combating ISIL, the Islamic Republic of Iran stood by the people of Iraq,” he said.

“The Muslims of the region could tell the world that these terrorists are not real Muslims and, despite anti-Islamic propaganda, Islam is the religion of justice, mercy and peaceful coexistence with all ethnic and religious groups,” he noted, adding that the peoples of the region showed it to the world that imperialism is the main sponsor of terrorism.

“It was crystal clear where the terrorists were being sponsored, and how and where they were selling oil and plundering relics.”

“Nobody in the world doubts that the people of Iraq were the ultimate victors of this war, and the terrorists had nothing to do with Islam, the Prophet, or his progeny,” he said.

“We need a great unity and coalition for creating a major power in the region so that when the superpowers think about this region, the first things that come to their mind would be the unity and civilization of this region, rather than oil and plundering.”

“We want to build a great power in the region through unity, not against another country, but rather attract other friendly countries in the region, increasing it to three, four and five powers alongside each other,” said the president.

Stating that an integrated, united Iraq is beneficial for the country, the region and Iran, he said, “unity among the Iraqi nation is very important and we know that if ethnic and religious groups are not united in a society, they cannot show their true power in dealing with enemies.”