Iran, Iraq Remain Supportive of Each Other

Iraq Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi’s visit to Tehran and the joint stand taken by both countries strengthened and revealed more the depth of their joint strategy amid the close multilateral interests of both nations. Without any doubt, the U.S. will consider the depth of this strategic tie in the region against itself, and its support of countries, so called, “Western, Arab, Hebrew Alliance,” and it will definitely try to destroy it. So all in Iraq and Iran are assigned to protect and support this deep strategic tie with full strength. Not providing pretext to the opposition current will safeguard Al-Kadhimi in fulfilling his expressed undertakings to Tehran.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

After assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, anti-Iran media created a vast hype which was aimed to show that Iran’s position in Iraq has weakened, and with designation of al-Kadhimi as prime minister, they accused Al-Kadhimi of being a figure close to Saudi Arabia and the U.S., and Iraqi government will distance itself from Iran more and get closer to Saudi Arabia and the West.

Even it was said that Al-Khadhimi had scheduled his first visit to Saudi Arabia and his second visit was to happen in Tehran, and in order to make Iranians happy, he had invited Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to visit Baghdad one day before his flight to Riyadh in order that he was not forced to have a visit to an impartial country like the UAE. But despite all preparations, Saudi King’s illness was a pretext for postponement of Al-Kadhimi’s visit to Saudi Arabia, and against all predictions and expectations, Al-Kadhimi’s first visit took shape in Tehran to overshadow ties with Saudi Arabia.

His visit to Tehran and his important meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has rejuvenated boom in the application of bilateral relations. Supreme Leader’s references to some past events in Iraq should have captivated the soul of the young Iraqi Prime Minister. In Iraq the Shiite majority will unlikely accept the expansion of ties with Saudi Arabia and unlikely they welcome closeness to the Saudis. Of course the number of negative propagations against Al-Kadhimi’s visit to Tehran was not few but despite all hype from anti-Iran media in the region, Al-Kadhimi was warmly welcomed in Tehran and the Supreme Leader in his first official visit after almost five months symbolically received him in order to signal this message to Iraqis that even the prime minister who is allegedly to distance Iraq policies from Iran is revered by Iranians because Iranians respect Iraqi people’s choice. This is while the U.S. President, due to different pretexts and despite former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi demands, had refrained from meeting him due to his closeness to Iran. In fact, the U.S. president was irreverent about Iraqi nation’s choice and even when he paid a visit to Iraq, he did not inform Iraqi government.

Al-Kadhimi’s remarks in Tehran indicated his smartness and awareness regarding Iraq’s brotherly ties with Iran and despite the U.S. demands from Baghdad to cut its economic relations with Tehran while the Americans increase the pressures, he insisted on continuing economic and non-economic cooperation and even called for expansion of strategic criteria in relations with Iran.

After his remarks in Tehran and taking stands in return to Baghdad, most analysts believe that Al-Kadhimi’s stands in Tehran as well as his sincere meeting with the Supreme Leader could affect his relations with Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Today and after serious damages that Iran and Iraq have suffered from the U.S. and its allies in the region, unity and consolidation among neighboring states under the shade of resistance can be a solution for the future and the compensation for the past. And smartness of other involved countries would understand the significance of this issue that the West and especially the U.S. is on the verge of decline and subsequently on the course of collapse. Investment on a broken roof is to the benefit of no investor.

 By: Hamid Reza Naghashian