TEHRAN – Iran’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that it was the Syrian and Iraqi people who defeated Daesh and the U.S. played no role in this respect.

In a conference in Karbala, Iraq, Mohammad Javad Zarif said that victory in defeating Daesh in Iraq and Syria was an achievement for the people of the two countries which has nothing to do with the U.S.

In an interview with the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news channel on Monday, Zarif said the presence of U.S. forces in Syria has been ineffective, stressing that the American troops never entered real and meaningful battle against the Daesh terrorist group.

“The U.S. has not fought against the Daesh at all and its presence in Syria was not in line with the interests of the Syrian nation or agreed by the (country’s) government,” he said.

Armed forces in Iraq and Syria, backed by popular mobilization units and Iranian military advisors, have managed to flush Daesh militants out of their last strongholds in both countries, declaring full victory over the notorious group in November 2017.

‘U.S. has no right to limit Iran-Iraq cooperation’

Zarif also said that Iran and Iraq have expanded cooperation in energy sphere and the U.S. has no right to limit it.

On December 20, the U.S. granted Baghdad a 90-day extension to a waiver on abiding by the sanctions that were re-imposed on the Islamic Republic in November.

President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. unilaterally from the 2015 nuclear deal in May and ordered sanctions against Iran. The first round of sanctions went into force on August 6 and the second round, which targets Iran’s oil exports and banks, were imposed on November 4.

NA