“I am not defending the Iranian stance, but they have denied the statements,” he said. “We politicians should deal with such issues wisely, not through speeches that stoke tensions.”
He added, “In any case, we reject any interference by any state in the world. Iraqi people are capable of building their own country. We don’t need interference by others.”
The Iraqi government did not respond directly to the alleged comments, although a statement released by the foreign ministry reiterated the need for regional states, “especially Turkey, Iran and some Arab countries”, to “respect the sovereignty and independence of Iraq” in the wake of the United States troop withdrawal in December.
Government spokesman Tahsin al-Sheikhli told IWPR that “we will not let anyone interfere in our internal affairs”, without commenting on what Sulaimani might have said.
Basim al-Sheikh, a Baghdad-based political analyst, said Iranian influence– real or perceived – was a natural consequence of the two countries being neighbours with majority populations of Shia Muslims.
“This makes Iran feel it will be an easy mission to dominate this country,” he said. “Iranian attempts to interfere in Iraqi affairs are in evidence. It’s the responsibility of the Iraqi government to stop any kind of interference.”
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