In a first, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Baghdad on Monday as part of a three-day effort to further Iran-Iraq relations.
“Relations between Iran and Iraq are special,” said Rouhani, according to the Associated Press. “In the recent years, the people of Iran have passed a test with pride, and that is wherever the peoples of the region faced a problem and asked for the help of the Iranian nation and government, we rushed to help them.”
Iraq has supported Iran’s quest for regional hegemony, from allowing it to manufacture and upgrade missiles to threatening Americans, all on Iraqi soil.
Iraq has also been home to terrorist groups that support the regime in Tehran.
Additionally, Iraq has relied on Iranian-backed forces to fight the Islamic State.
Meeting with Iraqi President Barham Salih, Rouhani told journalists that a “stable Iraq will lead to stability in the entire region.”
“We want to be united countries, not against others, but attracting others to our unity,” he added.
Salih said “the victory that was achieved against [the Islamic State] group in Iraq was an important and huge victory, but incomplete as the eradication of that sick, deviated line of thought and extremism require more sustainable regional efforts and cooperation.”
