Iran not interfering in Iraq: President Fuad Masum

Iraqi President Fuad Masum has dismissed allegations that the Islamic Republic interferes in Iraq, saying Tehran’s support for Baghdad in the fight against ISIL terrorists has been out of brotherly intentions.

“We do not regard Iran’s presence in Iraq as interference in [our] domestic affairs or profit seeking, and we believe that Iran’s assistance [to us] has been positive and well-timed,” Masum said in an interview with IRNA.

The Iraqi president added that the ISIL terrorist group is a threat not only to Iran but the entire region, stressing that ISIL would have created many problems for Iraq’s neighbors as well as extra-regional countries if the Takfiri group had made further gains in Iraq.

The ISIL Takfiri terrorist group, with members from several Western countries, controls swathes of land in Iraq and Syria. Over the past months, the Iraqi army, backed by volunteer forces, has launched large-scale operations to flush the Takfiri terrorists out of the country.

Iran’s nuclear program

The Iraqi president said a nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group would contribute to the establishment of peace and stability in the region.  

Masum added that a mutual understanding reached between Iran and world powers on Tehran’s nuclear program in Lausanne, Switzerland, last month has helped reduce tensions in the region.

Iran and the P5+1 group reached a mutual understanding on Tehran’s nuclear program in the Swiss city on April 2. The two sides are now seeking to finalize a comprehensive deal on Tehran’s nuclear program by the end of June.

Crisis in Yemen

The Iraqi president warned against persistence of Saudi Arabia’s military aggression against Yemen, saying it would inflict heavy damage on the Yemeni people and pose numerous challenges to the region as well.

Masum rejected military aggression as the key to problems and urged dialog among parties to the conflict to settle tension.

Dialog and diplomatic efforts among Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Saudi Arabia will benefit stability and security in the entire region, he said.

Riyadh launched its military aggression against neighboring Yemen on March 26 - without a United Nations mandate - in a bid to undermine the Arab country's popular committees back by the Ansarullah movement and to restore power to Yemen's fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is a staunch ally of Saudis.

The Saudi attacks have killed 1,200 people, including many women and children, and injured several thousand more so far.

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