Iraqi Prime Minister: I Do Not Owe Any Debt to the Iranians

Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, in response to a journalist's question about the 'political cost' he would pay for Iran's assistance to Iraq in the fight against ISIS, stated that 'I do not owe them any debt.' He made this remark in an interview with the German newspaper Spiegel, published on Friday, April 3. Mr. Abadi noted that Iran's support in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq is driven by their own national security interests, as ISIS is also a significant threat to Iran. He added, 'Even if I upset the Iranians now, they will continue their support for us.' The Iraqi Prime Minister emphasized that 'it is also very clear that the structure of my government is not dictated by Iran. Iraqis implement and execute their own will.' Iran was a major supporter of the government of Nouri al-Maliki, the former Prime Minister of Iraq, and welcomed the election of Haider al-Abadi as the new Prime Minister. Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stated on February 21, 2015, that Nouri al-Maliki resigned from the premiership at the request of Ali Khamenei. In response to the question of whether groups like the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah are fighting alongside the Iraqi army, Mr. Abadi said, 'I do not deny this, but the U.S. also has its proxy groups, and I welcome the support of any country that helps Iraqis against ISIS.' The Iraqi Prime Minister continued, 'There are many countries willing to help Iraq. The Iranians have offered air support, and the UAE, Jordan, and Turkey have made similar offers.' He added, 'But with full respect to them, I must say that each of those countries has its own interests. Therefore, I prefer to focus on the international coalition.' The Islamic Republic of Iran had previously announced its 'advisory' military activities to the Iraqi government in the fight against the Islamic State. Recently, Shaalan Abdullah, a member of the Iraqi Defense and Security Committee, accused Iran of sending 30,000 soldiers and military experts to Iraq. Iranian officials have not confirmed such reports.