NCRI – A senior official of the al-Iraqiya coalition, which came out as the winner of Iraq’s parliamentary elections, has blamed the Iranian regime for sending hand guns, silencers, bombs and explosives to Iraq, adding that provocative comments by regime officials serve as example of its meddling in Iraqi affairs.
According to al-Rashid TV, Dr. Zafer al-Ani said, “The meddling by the Tehran regime and the velayat-e faqih (absolute clerical rule) does not only cover political affairs but also attempts to form the next government.”
He added, “By refusing to accept the results of the election and circumventing them, [incumbent Prime Minister Nouri] al-Maliki is in effect blocking the peaceful transition of power. Someone who is not prepared to peacefully hand over power cannot claim to be committed to democracy.”
“If this is the case, why then do we have elections in the first place?”
Dr. al-Ani added, “That is why when we see the refusal to transfer power peacefully, we resort to making the matter into an international case.”
“If Tehran continues its meddling in Iraqi affairs, the doors to making an international case will be opened.”
In response to a question about his evidence regarding Tehran’s meddling in Iraq, D. al-Ani said, “Remarks by Iranian regime officials and its ambassador, interference by [the mullahs’ Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei and the regime’s Intelligence Ministry, sending hand guns equipped with silencers, sticking bombs, explosive packages, and the talks that are being held in Qom and Tehran are all indications of this meddling.”
He specifically referred to Qassem Suleimani, the commander of the Qods Force, the extraterritorial arm of the mullahs’ Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and said, “Currently the name of Qassem Suleimani is heard more in Iraq than the head of American intelligence or even Iraqi officials themselves. Suleimani is someone who wants to redefine Iraqi politics.”
Al-Ani said he believed that Arab governments in the region have a great responsibility when it comes to the Iranian regime’s designs, which intend to turn Iraqi into Tehran’s backyard. A government in Iraq that is tied to the Iranian regime, he added, would be the outcome of pressures that will increase day by day.
“The most striking example of the Iranian regime’s meddling in Iraq is its red line against al-Iraqiya and the next prime minister.”
“But, we need a new government,” Dr. al-Ani added, “which can work with others without adopting the totalitarian approach that has characterized the past four years.”
Dr. al-Ani added, “I want to declare to the honorable people of Iraq that al-Iraqiya is the main party and will head the next government, but without al-Maliki as the prime minister.”