Iran will spare no effort to help Iraq in fighting terror: Spokesperson

Iran has stressed its commitment to contribute to the anti-terror campaign, saying it spares no effort to render assistance to Iraq in the battle against extremist and terrorist groups.

“If Iraq asks for help, we sill spare no assistance [to the Arab country] in the fight against extremist and terrorist groups,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said at her weekly press conference on Wednesday.

She added that Iran will continue to support Iraq’s fight against terrorism regardless of ethnic or religious issues.

“A united Iraq is of highly great significance to Iran,” Afkham said, adding that the Islamic Republic supports its western neighbor’s solidarity and territorial integrity.

Afkham’s remarks come as Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan is in Iraq and have held talks with the country’s officials including his Iraqi counterpart. The two sides have stressed the need for countering terror groups like ISIL that controls swathes of land in Iraq and Syria.

Yemeni crisis

Afkham once again underlined Iran’s support for intra-Yemeni dialog aimed at paving the way for the formation of an inclusive Yemeni government, stressing that Tehran is ready to contribute to such talks but will not interfere in them.

The Iranian official categorically rejected a military solution to the Yemeni crisis as well as any foreign interference in the war-hit country.

Saudi Arabia started its military aggression against Yemen on March 26 – without a UN mandate – in a bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement, which currently controls the capital, Sana’a, and major provinces, and to restore power to Yemen’s fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is a staunch ally of Riyadh.