Iran’s support saved Iraq from disintegration: Defense chief

Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami says Iran’s generous support for Iraq in the course of its counter-terrorism operation helped save the neighboring Arab country from disintegration.

According to Press TV, Hatami made the remarks during a meeting with commanders of the Iraqi Army's Aviation unit, Navy and Air Defense in Tehran on Thursday.

He stressed that the threats posed to both Iran and Iraq necessitate closer Tehran-Baghdad interactions in order to safeguard the interests of the two nations and bring them economic prosperity and provide regional security and stability.

“The blood of the faithful, committed and patriotic Iranian and Iraqi youths guarantees the stability and security of both countries,” Hatami said, adding that Iraq could have been disintegrated by “ill-wishers and enemies of the peace” had it not been for Iran’s support.

Hatami further emphasized that both Tehran and Baghdad are resolved to develop their bonds.

In 2014, when Daesh unleashed its campaign of terror in Iraq, Iranian military advisers rushed to the aid of Iraqi Armed Forces on Baghdad’s request, helping them reverse Daesh’s gains and ultimately liberate their entire homeland from the Takfiri terrorist group some three years later.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian defense minister described the blacklisting of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) by the US as “an act of revenge” for the elite military force’s counter-terrorism measures in Iraq and Syria, adding that the ban was meant to prevent the political stabilization process in the two war-torn countries.

The Iraqi commanders, for their part, underlined the need for reinforcing bilateral military ties based on the principle of good neighborliness.

SS