TEHRAN (Iran News) The Iranian president and Iraqi prime minister have called for a unified stance among Islamic nations to take serious and practical measures to stop Israeli crimes.

President Masoud Pezeshkian met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on the sidelines of an emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha on Monday, which brings together leaders from the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to forge a collective response to a recent Israeli airstrike against the Qatari capital.

Pezeshkian said that the Israeli regime would not have the audacity to commit such crimes without the support of the United States and European countries. He stressed his long-held position on the need for greater unity. “Iraq PM”

“I have always declared, from the time of the election campaigns until today, that I seek to strengthen unity and cohesion in my country and among Islamic countries,” Pezeshkian said. “I believe achieving cohesion and unity among Islamic countries is the most effective way to confront the criminality of the Zionist regime.”

He argued that Israeli strikes, which targeted a venue for Palestinian Islamic resistance leaders as they were reviewing a US peace proposal, as evidence that Western claims about diplomacy and human rights were “a lie.”

In response, al-Sudani pointed to the attack as proof that Israel “scorns and tramples all international laws and frameworks.” He argued that this situation necessitates that Islamic countries coordinate more closely and employ all their tools for serious practical action to stop the offences.

“The first step must be to maintain the momentum created among Islamic countries following Israel’s attack on Qatar,” al-Sudani said. He called for turning this into an opportunity to form a common Arab-Islamic position and lay the groundwork for practical action and a serious coalition.

The post Iran president, Iraq PM call for united Islamic front against Israel appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Iraq as a signatory to the documents of the International Labor Organization is still facing problems in terms of labor rights and economic weakness.
The Arab country grapples with 30 percent poverty level. Half of the 40 million population of the country are workforce, while its jobless rate stands at 2.5 million people.
The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and the decline of oil prices in 2020 have severely hit the economy and workforce of Iraq, causing spread of poverty in the country with abundance of resources and human capital.
Iraq has started cooperating with the International Labor Organization since 2019 in a bid to improve labor rights and meet requirements of laborers until 2023.
Iranian minister’s visit to Iraq
Experts believe that the visit by Iran’s Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Mohammad Shariatmadari to Baghdad has been made in a proper time, when Iraq needs to utilize Iranian experiences in upgrading the situation of laborers and using opportunities to promote entrepreneurship.
Iran’s Shariatmadari and Iraq’s Labor and Social Affairs Minister Adel al-Rikabi signed a document in Baghdad on Sunday to expand cooperation.
Shariatmadari underlined that the prerequisite to open export markets in neighboring countries is development of labor collaborations.
The exchange of professional delegations in the field of entrepreneurship as well as development of cooperation in technical trainings can be a part of permanent assistances between Iraq and Iran, according to experts.
Ahmad Hamid Al-Alwani, the Iraqi Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, told IRNA that the collaborations between the two ministries include different fields of economy, industry and agriculture.
In the eyes of the Iraqi officials, the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the most important partners of the Arab country, which provides Iraq with electricity, gas, goods and foodstuffs.
In a meeting with Shariatmadari, Iraq’s Minister of Finance Ali Abdulamir Allawi emphasized that strong and brotherly relations with the Islamic Republic is one of the main economic reliance points for the Iraqis.
The joint cooperation document between Iran-Iraq is expected to open a window of opportunity for expansion of mutual ties and create a system for permanent association, which will pave the ground for progress and economic thrive in both countries.

The post Adopting plan for cooperation Iran-Iraq appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The post Iraqi MP Calls for Expulsion of US Forces from Iraq appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The post Adnan al-Zurfi ordered to form cabinet appeared first on Iran News Daily.

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraq’s Parliament accepted the Iraqi PM, Adel Abdel Mahdi, resignation on Sunday, after two months of violent unrest that have left more than 420 people dead.

The post Iraqi PM resignation accepted appeared first on Iran News Daily.

In a statement on Friday, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, Iraq’s PM, said he “listened with great concern” to Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani’s sermon and made his decision about resignation in response to the cleric’s remarks.

“I will submit to parliament an official memorandum resigning from the current prime minister so that the parliament can review its choices,” he said.

“Everyone knows that I had previously suggested this option (to resign) during public and formal statements.”

Abdul-Mahdi was appointed Iraq’s fifth prime minister since 2003 as a consensus candidate following months of political wrangling between rival political blocs.

In his Friday remarks, the grand Ayatollah called on protesters to “separate their ranks from non-peaceful individuals and cooperate on shunning saboteurs” abusing the peaceful protests.

The top cleric also urged security forces to avoid attacking demonstrations of peaceful nature.

He warned that “enemies and their levers” are planning to “plunge the country into internal strife” and bring the country back to the “era of dictatorship” – in an apparent reference to the rule of Saddam Hussein.

Nearly two months of protests have rocked primarily the capital city of Baghdad and southern areas of Iraq.

The protesters have expressed frustration with the failing economy and have demanded political and anti-corruption reforms.

The rallies have, however, turned into violent confrontations on numerous occasions, with reports alleging that certain foreign-backed elements have been seeking to wreak havoc in the country.

The post Iraq’s PM Resignation in Response to Ayatollah Sistani’s Call appeared first on Iran News Daily.

In a statement issued Sunday, as fresh protests in Baghdad begin, the White House asked the Iraqi government “to halt the violence against protesters and fulfill President [Barham] Salih’s promise to pass electoral reform and hold early elections.”

“The United States is seriously concerned by continued attacks against protesters, civic activists, and the media, as well as restrictions on internet access, in Iraq,” it said.

The US has been openly backing protesters in Iraq since they flooded the streets for the first time in early October to vent their anger over corruption and poor living conditions in one of the world’s wealthiest countries in terms of energy resources.

However, the relatively peaceful movement soon turned violent as armed elements opened fire on police and protesters alike and attempted to infiltrate the heavily-protected Green Zone in the capital Baghdad, which is home to the government as well as foreign diplomatic missions.

The first wave of the protests killed more than 150 people before stopping temporarily during the Arba’een processions for Shia Muslims’ third Imam, Imam Hussein.

The second more violent wave, however, began late last month with the demonstrators calling on the entire government of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi to step down.

According to the Iraqi Parliament’s human rights committee, so far 319 people, including demonstrators and security forces, have been killed in the violence.

Iraqi officials have on several occasions arrested armed elements and snipers who indiscriminately killed officers and protesters. They have also reprimanded soldiers who resorted to excessive force in dealing with the unrest.

Protests continued in Iraq on Sunday, a day after police and security forces ended blockades on three key bridges that led to the Green Zone.

More than 20 people were injured in clashes between police and demonstrators. One person died in hospital from wounds sustained the previous day in the same area, police confirmed.

At least three people were shot dead in the southern city of Nassiriya on Sunday, while more than 100 others were wounded.

Police said late Sunday that a car had exploded in an area under the control of security forces, setting fire to several other vehicles parked next to it.

The protests have ended a brief period of relative calm in Iraq, as the war-weary Arab country basked in its historic victory against foreign-backed terrorists of Daesh.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that certain countries were stirring up unrest in Iraq. “We can guess who is behind the unrest in Iraq,” he said.

“What makes us worry about the problems of people who are thousands or tens of thousands of kilometers away from our country is Islam as a common denominator and the consciousness of being an Ummah,” Erdogan said.

The Turkish president speculated that those behind Iraq’s unrest probably planned to spread the protests into Iran, apparently meaning Saudi Arabia and its allies.

US doesn’t want Abdul-Mahdi to stay

Abdul-Mahdi’s government has taken some steps in its efforts to quell the unrest, including arranging cash handouts to the poor and creating job opportunities for college graduates.

However, the demonstrators are now saying that they won’t back down unless the current government resigns.

The immense pressure on Abdul-Mahdi to resign has been partially attributed by some experts to Washington, which sees the prime minister as a major hurdle to its continued military presence in the Arab country.

When last month President Donald Trump announced that he would take US forces out of northern Syria and station them in Iraq, Abdul-Mahdi warned that the presence was unauthorized and the soldiers would be given a limited stay until they headed back to their own country.

Abdul-Mahdi also maintains close ties with Iran, which is a contributing factor to the US pressure for his resignation.

President Salih has already announced that Abdul-Mahdi would resign once a new election law comes to effect and his replacement is elected.

The embattled prime minister, who is under pressure from powerful Shia Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani as well as powerful militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr to fulfill the protesters’ demands, has pledged even more changes including electoral reform.

Iraqi leaders meeting in Baghdad on Sunday agreed that electoral reform could encourage the youth to take on a more active role in politics and bring more color to a political scene that has been dominated by a number of parties since 2003.

UN proposes a new push to end violence

Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) unveiled its new proposal to resolve the ongoing situation.

The proposal details a set of principles and measures that are designed to address the demands of the protesters in a timely manner.

“The risk of ‘spoilers’ hijacking peaceful demonstrations is increasing and potentially derailing any attempt at genuine change,” UNAMI said. “Time is therefore of the essence, as are tangible results.”

The principles included protecting all lives, guaranteeing the right to peaceful protests, practicing maximum restraint in dealing with protests and holding perpetrators accountable.

The proposal also invited both sides to act within the framework of the law in all matters, including in dealing with public and private properties.

The measures, which UNAMI said should be implemented in less than a week, included protecting “peaceful demonstrators” by releasing them from detention according to law and investigating possible abductions.

The immediate measures also included issuing a public call “on all regional and international parties not to interfere in Iraq’s internal affairs and respecting its sovereignty.”

The post Early Election as fresh protests in Baghdad begin, US way appeared first on Iran News Daily.

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Saturday that political parties had “made mistakes” in their running of the country, promising electoral reform and other measures as he sought to bring an end to protests.

The post Iraqi PM pledges reform of mistakes to end the protests appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The post Overthrowing Abdul Mahdi, Dangerous Plot of US appeared first on Iran News Daily.

In a statement published on Sunday, Abdul-Mahdi said that “it is a month that office buildings, schools, universities and a significant portion of social life have been shut down” due to the protests in Iraq streets.

“It is time for normalcy to be restored, for the markets to be opened and the factories, offices, schools, and universities to resume operating,” he said.

The Iraqi prime minister further explained that the protests have led to a halt in the activities of international and domestic investors who are leading development projects in the country.

He also said that the protests have caused a delay in the proposal of the country’s 2020 budget.

The Iraqi prime minister’s remarks came after demonstrators spilled out into the streets of the capital Baghdad and several other cities on Sunday as part of ongoing economic and anti-corruption protests in the country.

The demonstrators shut down streets, schools and government offices.

Consequently, Umm Qasr, Iraq’s main port in the Persian Gulf, has been at a complete standstill due to protests since Wednesday. The port receives the bulk of Iraq’s imports of grain, vegetable oils and sugar.

Speaking on Sunday, the Iraqi prime minister said that “threatening the oil interests and blocking roads leading to Iraq’s ports is causing big losses exceeding billions of dollars.”

He warned that the unrest was pushing up the prices of goods.

The post Iraq’s PM calls on ending protests in Iraq streets appeared first on Iran News Daily.