TEHRAN- The United States must leave West Asia because it only intends to undermine and ultimately partition Muslim countries, according to a top foreign policy advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

The comments were made by Ali Akbar Velayati at a meeting with the former prime minister of Iraq, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, on Sunday in Tehran. He was speaking about plans devised by foreign adversaries, particularly the United States, against regional nations.

“Americans must leave the region because they are constantly hatching plots and taking hostile acts with the goal of weakening and disintegrating Muslim countries and sowing discord among the Islamic Ummah,” Velayati stated. 

In addition, he applauded the election of a new president by the Iraqi parliament, noting that this achievement would enable the Arab country to "play an effective role as one of the most significant states in the region and the Muslim and Arab worlds."

Abdul Latif Rashid, a Kurd, was chosen on Thursday as president. He quickly picked a prime minister, ending months of political impasse and opening the door for the establishment of a new government.

Velayati, who was Iran’s foreign minister from 1981-1997, stressed that Iran and the other members of the Resistance Front must strengthen their bonds since "Iraq is currently in its strongest position."

For his part, the former prime minister of Iraq asserted that foes had worked hard to concoct schemes to undermine the unity between Iran and Iraq.

Based on Abdul-Mahdi’s remarks, the assassinations of top Iranian and Iraqi anti-terror leaders Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, as well as eminent Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, marked the culmination of plans against the two neighboring states.

General Soleimani and al-Muhandis were assassinated in January 2020 near Iraq’s international airport when Abdul-Mahdi was prime minister.

Despite all these mischievous acts, Abdul-Mahdi declared that the arrogant foe is edging closer to collapse.

The former prime minister praised Iran for its efforts to advance stability and security in the region and maintained that the recent growth of Iran's ties with China, Russia, and other countries signals the establishment of a new world order.

Despite efforts by adversaries to isolate the Islamic Republic, Iran has emerged as the dominant force in the region, he said.

Later that day, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the Foreign Minister of Iran, met with Abdul Mahdi to discuss bilateral relations as well as recent events in Iraq and the surrounding region.

The election of the new president by the Iraqi parliament as a step toward the establishment of the nation's new administration was praised by Amir Abdollahian as were the efforts made by Iraqi officials to preserve the country's unity.

The top diplomat of Iran also hailed the political, economic, and security cooperation between the two states and called for continued development of bilateral ties in line with the enormous potential of both Iran and Iraq, particularly in the economic sphere.

For his part, Abdul Mahdi provided an update on the situation in Iraq and outlined his opinions on important domestic and international topics.