Supreme Leader Khamenei To Iraqi Prime Minister: “You Must Stand Fast Against The Enemy’s Desires By Relying On Young, Motivated Figures And Forces That Have Passed The Test”
In their November 29, 2022 meeting, Khamenei congratulated Al-Sudani on his election and called him “a loyal and able man” whose election as Iraq’s prime minister is “a source of joy.” He said: “Iraq’s progress and attainment of its rightful high position are an interest of the Islamic Republic [of Iran], and we believe that you [Al-Sudani] are the man who possesses the ability to promote Iraq’s affairs and relations and bring it to an independent position befitting its civilization and history.
“Iraq is considered to be the region’s leading Arab country in terms of its natural and human resources and its cultural, historical and civilizational background. Sadly, despite this background, Iraq has not yet managed to attain its rightful high position, and we hope that, under you, it will manage to advance and attain it. Attaining Iraq’s rightful high position and the cohesion and unity of the groups within it require making maximum use of young and motivated Iraqi forces.
“Iraq’s progress clearly has enemies who may not display their hostility openly but do not accept a government like yours. You must stand fast against the enemy’s desires by relying on young and motivated figures and forces that have passed the test of dealing with the great and deadly danger of ISIS.
“Iraq’s new government can make significant changes in various areas, especially in providing services to the people [and] supporting [them] by using the considerable financial resources and facilities that exist in the country.”
Responding to a statement by Al-Sudani, that “based on the [Iraqi] constitution, we do not allow any side to use Iraq’s soil to undermine Iran’s security,” Khamenei said: “Sadly, this is now happening in some parts of Iraq [i.e., Kurdistan], and the only solution is for Iraq’s central government to extend its authority to those areas. Our position on Iraq’s security is obviously that if any party seeks to violate its security we will stand tall against it and defend [Iraq]. Iraq’s security is Iran’s security, just as Iran’s security affects Iraq’s.
“In previous periods there were also negotiations and good understandings, but they never reached the stage of implementation. So we must advance towards implementing those understandings, mainly in the areas of economic cooperation, trade and railways.”
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