TEHRAN – During a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, President Hassan Rouhani underlined the need for the withdrawal U.S. forces from the region.

“We consider the presence of U.S. armed forces in the region, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan or the southern countries of the Persian Gulf, as detrimental to security and stability in the region,” the presidential website quoted Rouhani as saying on Saturday evening.

The president further reiterated that removing the U.S. forces from the region is not up to Iran, instead, it is up to every country that the Americans are present in.

“We consider what the Iraqi parliament and the representatives of the Iraqi people passed in this regard as a positive step which is supported by the Iraqi nation and us,” Rouhani asserted.

He also said Iran doesn’t seek and has never sought to interfere in Iraq’s internal affairs, adding that “we always believed that the Iraqi factions should have good relations in order to protect” their country.

Hussein arrived in Tehran on Saturday morning to hold talks with several high-ranking Iranian officials including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.

Rouhani also underlined the need to hasten the implementation of the agreements reached during the visits of Iranian and Iraqi officials.

“It is up to us, as the officials of the two countries, to lay the groundwork for the deepening of relations in the future.”

Rouhani hoped that during Hussein’s visit to Tehran, Iran and Iraq take “good and comprehensive” measures to implement bilateral agreements.

For his part, the Iraqi foreign minister appreciated the Iranian assistance to Iraq. He said the two countries should make efforts to implement all previous agreements step by step.