TEHRAN (Iran News) – In a bilateral conversation with Faiq Zidan, chairman of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, Raeisi said that the relationship between the people and the government of Iran and Iraq is not only the relationship between the two neighboring countries but also it has rooted in commonalities.

These relations have increased day by day, despite the wishes of the enemies, and thank God, there are good interactions in the political, economic, trade, and cultural relations between the two countries added the Judiciary Chief.

Stating that the Iranian people emphasize the observance of rules and regulations, he added, “Those who ignore some rules because they are interested in pilgrimage are not doing the right thing, but it is possible to differentiate between them and those who deliberately break the law.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Raeisi pointed to the drug-trafficking issue, saying, “Iran is at the forefront of the fight against drugs in the world. We are the victims of the drug trade, and we have many martyrs in the fight against drug-trafficking and paid a lot in this path.”

“Drugs and traffickers have their roots in the West, and the conversion of traditional narcotics into industry and trade is for those in the West, not Afghanistan or Pakistan. Today, the Islamic Republic has been repeatedly encouraged for its seriousness in the fight against drugs, and we have been serious in this area since the beginning of the victory of the Islamic Revolution,” he added.

Accordingly, Raeisi suggested that a small number of those detained for illegal entry as well as drug trafficking for personal use in Iraq be pardoned and returned to the Islamic Republic, saying, “If we can transfer the prisoners to Iran, the work of the Iraqi judiciary will be reduced and the worries and concerns of the families of these prisoners will be removed.”

He also referred to a number of Iraqi prisoners in Iran and announced Iran’s readiness to return them to Iraq.

Referring to the increasing number of Iranian pilgrims to the holy shrines, Raeisi expressed hope that with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and Iraq, the affairs of the pilgrimage will be facilitated and become transparent, so that the people and officials will arrange the judicial and legal issues of the pilgrimage.

He called the abolition of visas between the two countries a positive step.

Raeisi also praised the chairman of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council for pursuing the case of the assassination of resistance commanders and issuing an arrest warrant for former US President Trump as the perpetrator of this criminal assassination. “You know very well that if the Americans are not prosecuted for this crime, they will dare to commit similar crimes not only in Iraq but also in different countries.”

“The system of domination may not allow access to the main culprits by its own means, but the serious will to prosecute the perpetrator is a very important, effective, and admirable issue to prevent similar crimes,” he added.

He warned Americans that they have committed state terror in an independent sovereign state that has its own administrative and legal system, saying that by violating the sovereignty of that country, they committed an unforgivable crime.

Raeisi also announced Iran’s readiness to have the necessary cooperation with the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council and try to gather the necessary documents for the legal follow-up of the issue by forming special committees.

Chief of Iran’s Judiciary Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Iraq on Tuesday at the official invitation of Faiq Zidan, chairman of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council.

Raeisi is slated to hold talks with a host of senior Iraqi officials to discuss bilateral ties and issues of mutual interest. He is also to follow up on the case of the assassination of General Soleimani and his companions.