Iranian speaker praises Iraq for hosting Arba’een pilgrims

Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani highlighted the close bonds between the Iranian and Iraqi nations, describing the Arab country’s hospitality during the Arba’een season as a clear sign of Tehran and Baghdad’s mutual support for one another.

According to Tasnim news agency, the Iranian Parliament speaker, who was in Serbia for the 141st Assembly of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU), held a meeting with Chairman of Iraq’s Foreign Relations Parliamentary Committee, Sherko Merwaes, on Tuesday.

In the meeting, Larijani said the Iranian and Iraqi nations have always stood by each other, citing the Arab country’s hospitality during the Arba’een season, when millions of pilgrims travel to Iraq to pay tribute to Imam Hussein (PBUH), the third Shias’ Imam.

Highlighting Iran’s support for democracy in Iraq, Larijani said certain countries have been opposing calm and security in Iraq, adding that the recent violent unrest in the Arab country was a plot that did not include civil protests alone.

For his part, the Iraqi lawmaker stressed the need for the expansion of the “deep and premium” relations with Iran in various political, economic and cultural fields.

In remarks last month, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei highlighted the religious commonalities between the Iranian and Iraqi nations and said enemies’ conspiracies to sow discord between the two countries have been thwarted.

ME