Abdul-Mahdi to "Shamkhani": America is pressuring Iraq to cut relations with Iran

Shafaq News / The caretaker head of Iraq, Adel Abdul Mahdi attacked the United States of America, accusing it of pressuring Iraq to "cut" ties with Iran.

"The people and the government do not want Iraq to be a place to settle conflicts between other countries," Abdul-Mahdi said while receiving the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, Ali Shamkhani, in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, according to what the Iranian News Agency reported.

He added that "America, by leaving the nuclear agreement and exerting pressure on Iran and Iraq, has made the situation in the region more complicated, and now also through the escalation of pressure on us, it wants us to cut ties with Iran, while the geopolitical logic requires that we take advantage of the capabilities of our neighbors in a way that serves our national interests and security."

Abdul-Mahdi added that "the people and the government in Iraq achieved victory after many years of fighting terrorists and ISIS, expressing his thanks for the assistance that the government and people of Iran have made and standing by the Iraqi people during the difficult years in combating penitential terrorism."

Abdul-Mahdi stated that " we witnessed good progress in relations with neighboring countries, regional states and outside the region in the economic and agricultural fields last year, stressing the true partnership between Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis in managing the country, therefore all Iraqi political components must unite in order to achieve progress for the country."

Abdul-Mahdi also expressed "thanks and appreciation for Iran's willingness to provide assistance to Iraq in combating Corona virus," saying that "it is natural that all countries need to cooperate with each other in facing such disasters."