Leader’s Aide: Iran Ready to Help Iraq If Baghdad Asks

“Iran is ready to provide Iraq with any kind of help if it is asked by the ‘legal’ government in Baghdad,” Velayati said on Thursday.

The Supreme Leader’s top advisor said Iran will not cooperate with the US over the crisis in Iraq as Tehran and Washington pursue different objectives in helping the Iraqi nation.

“While Washington is after gaining dominance over Iraq by offering help to Baghdad, Tehran is not after bad purposes and does not seek to interfere in the crisis-hit country’s domestic affairs,” Velayati said.

He explained that if Washington truly intends to help Iraq counter the ongoing Takfiri violence, it should first condemn terrorism and those parties that support and fund the terrorists.

On Wednesday, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces General Hassan Firouzabadi rejected western media speculations about Tehran’s likely cooperation with the US over Iraq, and also stressed that Iran has not deployed troops in Iraq.

“There is no need to the presence of Iranian forces in Iraq,” General Firouzabadi told reporters, and added, “Cooperation between Iran and the US will never take place and is meaningless.”

He pointed to the capture of Iraq’s Nineveh province by the ISIL as the result of a premeditated and coordinated plan, and said, “Such works do not mean brave military operations.”

General Firouzabadi further blamed former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for having prepared the grounds for the presence of ISIL in the region by collecting cash from the regional countries, and said, “They prepared the grounds for Takfiris to gather naive Muslim youth with Jihadi motivations under the command of Baathists who had defected Iraq’s army.”

And these criminals (Takfiris), who do not have the power to fight in a war, have recruited the youth aged between 18 to 20 years, he added.

“The ISIL is a move by Israel and the US to create a safe margin for the Zionists against the resistance forces in the region and their recent attempt was a reaction to the recent victories of President Bashar Al-Assad in Syria and the (Syrian) people’s massive turnout in that country’s presidential election as well as victories … in Iraq,” General Firouzabadi said.

Yet, he said the ISIL’s attack has backfired as its uncalculated and angry move has resulted in the unity of religious leaders in Iraq.