Iran vows to keep up anti-terror cooperation with Iraq

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami says the Islamic Republic will keep up its counter-terrorism cooperation with Iraq until the annihilation of terrorism.

The Iranian defense chief said that the Daesh terrorist group had inflicted a lot of damage on the nations of the region, especially Iraq, and stressed that all countries needed to put an all-out anti-terror fight high on their agenda or they would suffer.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran stood by the Iraqi nation and army in this crisis and hardships and we are determined in the fight against terrorism until the very end,” Hatami said in the first joint high commission for defense cooperation of Iran and Iraq in Baghdad on Wednesday.

The Iranian defense minister congratulated the Iraqi people and government on the defeat of Daesh as well as victories made by Iraqi popular fighters and the armed forces.

Hatami also welcomed further defense cooperation with Baghdad.

“We are very interested in maintaining defense and military cooperation between the two countries so that we can achieve the highest level of interactions,” he said.

The Iranian defense minister criticized double standards toward fighting terror in the region, and said terrorism was totally denounced in any part of the world.

Stressing that Iran is honestly and benevolently fighting against Daesh and other Takfiri groups alongside the Iraqi government and nation, Hatami said defense cooperation of Iran, Iraq, Syria and later the participation of Russia had become a symbol of the fight against terrorism in the region.

For his part, the Iraqi defense minister praised Iran’s support for his country and said in the Daesh violent campaign of terror in Iraq the Islamic Republic of Iran sincerely stood by the people, the government and the Iraqi army and responded positively to the request of the Iraqi people and government to fight Daesh, and this would never be forgotten.

He also expressed hope that Iran would actively participate in reconstruction of his country.

Later on Wednesday, the Iranian defense chief also met and held talks with Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army General Othman al-Ghanmi, during which the two sides discussed regional developments and matters of mutual interest.

The Iranian minister congratulated Iraq on its great victories against terrorism and expressed his country’s full support of the Iraqi people as in the past.

He said that Iraq had achieved these achievements in the light of national unity, the leadership of the country’s clerics, the efforts of the authorities and the bravery of the Iraqi fighters and youths. He also backed a united and coherent Iraq and said that Iraq’s stability and security were important for the entire region.

General Ghanmi, for his part, said Baghdad and Tehran were keeping their anti-terror cooperation with the aim of totally clearing the Iraqi soil of terrorists. He also lauded Iran’s support for his country’s fight against Daesh.

“Iraq has declared victory over Daesh and the army and Hashd al-Sha’abi forces are clearing some of the Daesh-infested areas, and have gained significant security gains,” he said as he reported on the security situation in Iraq.

Iran’s defense minister arrived in Iraq on Wednesday for a two-day visit to exchange views with the country’s senior officials on bilateral security cooperation as well as the most recent regional developments.