Zarif: We Will Only Leave Iraq When Iraqi Officials Request It

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, criticized Saudi Arabia's stance on Iran's involvement in Iraq and religious incitement, stating that Tehran has no intention of leaving Iraq and will only do so at the request of Iraqi officials. According to ILNA, Zarif, speaking at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, responded to comments made by Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, who asked Iran to refrain from interfering in Iraq's affairs, asserting that Iraq has nothing to do with Saudi Arabia and that such statements from Saudi Arabia constitute interference in Iraq's internal matters. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia accused Iran of sectarian and religious incitement in Iraq and demanded that Iran not interfere in the internal affairs of its neighboring countries. Zarif, delivering his speech in English, described Saudi Arabia's demands as arrogant and unreasonable, stating that no one should presume to speak on behalf of other countries. Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had also accused Iran of pursuing sectarian and divisive objectives in Syria, a claim that drew a response from the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Relations between Tehran and Riyadh, a long-time ally of Washington, have been strained for some time, with disagreements over the crises in Yemen and Syria, proxy wars in those countries, and the deaths of numerous Iranian pilgrims during last year's Mina incident being key reasons for the deteriorating relationship. In recent years, Iran has officially confirmed that it has military advisors in Syria and Iraq. However, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have repeatedly accused Iran of sending ground troops to Syria and Iraq. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is among the prominent Iranian figures who have traveled to Iraq and Syria and met with some militia leaders. In his latest visit, Soleimani traveled to Fallujah and met with leaders of the Hashd al-Shaabi group, an encounter that faced significant backlash, including from Adel al-Jubeir. The Iranian Foreign Ministry officially responded to these protests, stating that Qassem Soleimani and his military forces are present in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government. John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, also stated on June 1 that Iran's presence should not complicate the situation in Iraq and should be with the permission of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Zarif arrived in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, on Tuesday evening as part of his tour of Eastern and Northern Europe, which began on Sunday and included visits to Poland and Finland before Sweden. Along with Zarif, 60 economic activists led by Mohsen Jalalpour, the head of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture, accompanied him.