Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamenei called for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, IRNA reported.

The US officials--contrary to their verbal remarks--assume the democracy and the current assembly of political activists in Iraq as detrimental to themselves. Therefore the Iraqi government should take actions so that US troops will leave Iraq as soon as possible, pointed out Ayatollah Khamenei in a meeting with Adil Abdul-Mahdi, the Iraqi Prime Minister.

Emphasizing the fact that human assets and rich mineral resources in Iraq will make this country the most influential country of the Arab world, his Eminence stated: The US officials and their cohorts in the region are against the current democratic establishment in Iraq as well as the officials and the chief leaders and regard them as offensive to their own interests.

Stressing that if the Iraqi government and officials followed the US, the US would have no problems with Iraq, he added: The current government and parliament in Iraq and the political figures are not what the US desires; as a result, they plot removing them from the political scene of Iraq.

The Supreme Leader mentioned that what the US and Saudi officials say in words about Iraq contradict their real intentions and held: At a time when the ISIS occupied Mosul, they provided the terrorists with money, arms and equipment; and now that Iraq has defeated ISIS, they pretend they seek friendship with Iraq.

The Leader of the Revolution regarded the US’ military presence in the countries of the region as detrimental to the countries and the nations and addressed the Iraqi Prime Minister by stressing that: “You should take necessary measures so that the US will withdraw its troops from Iraq as soon as possible; because in any country where US maintained an enduring military presence, the process of expelling them became more complicated and problematic.'