TEHRAN— Speaking in a phone call with the Iraqi President Barham Salih on Sunday, Iranian President Ayatollah Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi congratulated the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan and wished divine blessings to the Iraqi people and all Muslims around the world.

Raisi also emphasized that Tehran supports Iraq’s unity, independence, security. The president also praised the rising status of Iraq in the region and the wider world.

“We consider the slightest insecurity in Iraq to be to the detriment of the whole region, so we welcome the realization of the interests of the Iraqi people and the establishment of a strong government in this country,” Raisi noted. 

Emphasizing that Tehran and Baghdad are not just neighbors, but two nations that have brotherly and kinship relationship, the president said good steps have been taken to deepen relations between the two countries and Iran is determined to promote the level of relations and cooperation between the two countries in all fields to full capacity.

The president further emphasized the efforts to establish security and peace in the region without the interference of outsiders, stating, “The passage of time has proved the authenticity of the remarks by the Leader (of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) that the United States is not sympathetic to the Muslim nations in the region, especially Iraq, and today, it has become clear to everyone that outsiders are only pursuing their own interests and domination.”

Raisi went on to say that any country in the region that closes its eyes to the hegemonic goals of the United States and the Zionist regime will sacrifice “the interests of its nation and will spur the anger of Muslim nations.”

For his part, the Iraqi president congratulated the arrival of Ramadan and stressed the need for cooperation between the two countries to overcome regional challenges.

Salih said establishing stability and security in the region is very important and “we hope for the active role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in this regard."

The Iraqi president noted that Tehran and Baghdad have many common goals and objectives at the regional and international levels, and by strengthening the level of cooperation and coordination, Iraq can take useful and effective steps to ensure the interests of the two nations and the nations of the region.

Salih added, “The solution to the crises in the region is merely with the will of the countries themselves, and intra-regional solutions without the interference of outsiders.”

Emphasizing the importance of developing trade and economic relations between the two countries, the Iraqi president noted, “The economic capacities of the two countries can serve the interests of the two nations.”