Iraq rejects US interference in its affairs
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry rejected US interference in its affairs after the US Embassy in Baghdad in a statement called on Iran to respect Iraq’s sovereignty.
The ministry posted a message on its Twitter page late on Saturday, saying that the US Embassy’s statement in which it had called on Iran to allow the demobilization of militia forces in Iraq was an act of interference in Iraq’s internal affairs.
The US Embassy on Tuesday tweeted that one of the requirements for Iran to avoid US sanctions was to “respect the sovereignty of the Iraqi government and permit the disarming, demobilization, and reintegration” of popular militia forces that have been battling terrorists across Iraq over the past years.
The statement was in line with previous US allegations that Iran was controlling some of the militia forces in Iraq. Both Iran and Iraq have denied the accusations, saying the forces enjoy huge public support as they have been formed based on decrees by religious leaders.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry reiterated that the US Embassy statement went well beyond diplomatic norms, adding that Baghdad expected the embassy to remove the post from its Twitter page.
After a decision in May to withdraw from a 2015 international agreement on Iran’s nuclear activities, Washington reimposed a series of sanctions on Iran that had been lifted as part of the deal.
Iraq expects to be exempted from the sanctions as it relies on Iran for its energy imports and other crucial supplies. Iraqi officials have indicated that they could not respect the sanctions as they could harm the economy and security of the Arab country.
Reuters and Press TV contributed to this story.