Envoy Stresses Iran’s Respect for Iraqi Society, System, Government

Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Iraj Masjedi on Friday stated that his country’s political strategy is based on respect for the whole Iraqi society, system, government, as well as officials.

“Iran also supports the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq,” he pointed out.

He further noted that Iran does not support a particular party, group, race, or any movements in Iraq.

In relevant remarks, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said in a statement on Thursday that his country welcomes the nomination of al-Mustafa as the new PM-designate by Iraqi President Barham Salih, calling the move a step in the right direction.

Al-Kazemi was named for the position on Thursday after former Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Adnan al-Zurfi announced his withdrawal from the role of forming a new government earlier in the day.

“The Islamic Republic has always backed Iraq’s independence, national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political stability,” Mousavi said, adding that Tehran considers the formation of consensus among all of its political movements through democratic pathways to be the only peaceful solution for all differences.

Therefore, he added, Iran deems the current consensus leading to al-Kadhimi’s appointment “a right step in the right direction”.

The spokesman expressed hope that the new PM-designate will succeed on his mission and that he would meet the demands of the Iraqi people and would give the country its well-deserved stability and integrity.

He also expressed Tehran’s readiness to cooperate with Baghdad in its efforts to remove problems and provide its public and religious authorities demands.

The efforts to establish a new government in Iraq follow the resignation of former Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi, who stepped down in November.