Baku, Azerbaijan, May 31
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
If not for Iran, the "Islamic State" (IS, aka ISIL or ISIS) terrorist group would capture Iraqi capital city of Baghdad as well as Arbil city, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said.
Addressing a gathering of people in the northwestern city of Mahabad on May 31, Rouhani said that the Islamic Republic not only defends its territory but also helps all "oppressed" people in the region, the state-run IRINN TV reported.
While Arbil city in Iraq was on verge of falling, Iran's military and political forces including army, Basij and IRGC as well as the government saved the city, Rouhani said.
The Islamic Republic also responded to Syrian people request for help while the terrorist groups including the IS and Al-Nusra Front were fighting to capture Damascus, he added.
The Iranian president further said that those who are seeding terrorism and killing innocent people in Iraq and Syria have no relation with Islam, Quran and humanity.
Iranian officials in various occasions have underlined that the Islamic Republic has saved Iraq and Syria of a terrorist government nightmare.
Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force recently said that the Islamic Republic played a great role in Iraq's standing against the IS and has contributed to the formation of public mobilizations in the country.
Iran will take action as much as needed and requested by Iraqi officials, he added.
Soleimani, earlier said Iran has helped the Syrian government to stand against the terrorist groups, adding the Islamic Republic is definitely the winner on all the frontlines in the region.
The Islamic Republic views the Syrian regime as its main strategic ally in the region, as well as a part of the "axis of resistance" against Israel. Tehran has always expressed support for the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Western countries accuse Iran of running military operations in Syria, but Tehran denies those accusations. Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that they only provide military consultations to the Syrian forces.