Your trusted source

Below, we present Iranian Diplomacy’s interview with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Jaafari.

- What is Iraq’s position with regard to the reports about Iran’s air strikes against ISIS positions?

- ISIS is a regional and international threat. Therefore, we need all countries to cooperate to fight against it. Iran, as a neighboring country, has also taken proper measures against ISIS. Other countries have also helped in this matter. Nonetheless, Iran is a neighbor and ally and there is no obstacle against Iran’s air strikes against ISIS in Iraq.

- Has Iraq asked Iran to dispatch its military forces to this country?

- It is natural to ask Iran to help in the fight against ISIS. There is no problem in this regard. The same demand was asked from other countries as well. Therefore, our demand is natural. We have thousands of kilometers of common borders with Iran.

- Will Iran’s presence lead to certain reactions from foreign forces, particularly from the US?

- Naturally, since Iran has common borders with Iraq, it is concerned about the issue of ISIS. That is why it has immediately entered the scene to remove this threat and prevent ISIS from getting close to its neighbors. This presence does not mean that the Iraqi forces would be replaced by the Iranian forces or that Iraq does not have the political will to fight against ISIS.