US Defeated in Iraq

In a Thursday meeting with Chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) Sayyed Ammar al-Hakim in the Iranian capital of Tehran, Hashemi Rafsanjani expressed satisfaction with the upcoming withdrawal of the US forces from Iraq.

He stressed the importance of reinforcing unity and integrity among the Iraqi people and establishing national security in the war-ravaged country, Fars news agency reported.

Under a 2008 bilateral security accord, known as the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), all US troops are required to leave the country by December 31.

More than one million Iraqis have been killed in the US-led invasion and subsequent occupation of the country since 2003, according to the California-based investigative organization Project Censored.

Washington claimed the military action was carried out to find and destroy weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the country while former dictator Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime was still in power. However, no WMDs were ever discovered in Iraq.

The head of Iran's Expediency Council further pointed to the sweeping wave of Islamic Awakening in the region and expressed hope that a free and independent Iraq would play an effective role in the Muslim world in the future.

Hashemi Rafsanjani described as “strategic and sustainable”? relations between Tehran and Baghdad and added that the two countries should bolster cooperation to make a better future with regard to their religious, historical and cultural commonality.

Hakim, for his part, expressed appreciation for Iran's “principled”? stance on Iraq.

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Source: Taqrib News Agency

In a Thursday meeting with Chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) Sayyed Ammar al-Hakim in the Iranian capital of Tehran, Hashemi Rafsanjani expressed satisfaction with the upcoming withdrawal of the US forces from Iraq. He stressed the importance of reinforcing unity and integrity among the Iraqi people and establishing national security in the war-ravaged country, Fars news agency reported. Under a 2008 bilateral security accord, known as the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), all US troops are required to leave the country by December 31. More than one million Iraqis have been killed in the US-led invasion and subsequent occupation of the country since 2003, according to the California-based investigative organization Project Censored. Washington claimed the military action was carried out to find and destroy weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the country while former dictator Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime was still in power. However, no WMDs were ever discovered in Iraq. The head of Iran's Expediency Council further pointed to the sweeping wave of Islamic Awakening in the region and expressed hope that a free and independent Iraq would play an effective role in the Muslim world in the future. Hashemi Rafsanjani described as “strategic and sustainable”? relations between Tehran and Baghdad and added that the two countries should bolster cooperation to make a better future with regard to their religious, historical and cultural commonality. Hakim, for his part, expressed appreciation for Iran's “principled”? stance on Iraq. The End Source: Taqrib News Agency