Qalibaf made the remarks on Wednesday after arriving in Baghdad at the head of a parliamentary delegation. He was speaking during a visit to the site near Baghdad airport where Iranian commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed in a US drone strike in January 2020, Iran’s English-language Press TV reports.
“I begin my visit from the site where two great men from the history of Iran and Iraq were assassinated,” Qalibaf said, describing the location as an important symbol of the shared history of the two nations and their common struggle.
He said the site represented what he described as a confrontation between the “front of truth and the front of falsehood”, accusing the United States of targeting Soleimani and al-Muhandis after failing to prevent the expansion of the resistance movement.
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Qalibaf said the two commanders had played a role in fighting Daesh (ISIS) and protecting Iraq, Iran and the wider region from the group.
“Did the assassination halt the power and influence of the resistance?” he asked, arguing that developments across the region demonstrated that the resistance movement continued to gain influence.
“Everyone witnessed the power of Iran’s resistance during the [recent war with the US and Israel],” Qalibaf said.
“Resistance in Iraq is also one of the elements of this country’s power. Over the years, the discourse of resistance has gone beyond the borders of Iran and Iraq and the region and has become global.”
He also said the regional security order was changing following what he described as recent aggression against Iran.
According to the parliament speaker, foreign and extra-regional powers were losing their influence over regional affairs, while US forces were seeking an orderly withdrawal from the region.
He also said Israel had no future in the region and would not be able to realise its vision of controlling territory “from the river to the sea”.
Qalibaf said his visit to Iraq was aimed at contributing to a new regional order and strengthening cooperation among regional countries without foreign interference.
He highlighted the close cultural and religious ties between Iran and Iraq as an important opportunity for expanding bilateral cooperation.
Qalibaf said that during his visit he would meet Iraqi government and parliamentary officials, as well as political, economic and cultural figures.
He also said he would attend, on behalf of Iran’s Leader, a ceremony related to the burial of a prominent Iranian religious figure, conveying the Leader’s and the Iranian people’s appreciation to the Iraqi people and officials for their participation in the funeral ceremonies.
He described the relationship between Iran and Iraq as “historical, deep-rooted and unbreakable”, saying that the two countries’ neighbourhood was based on brotherhood, devotion to the Ahl al-Bayt, resistance to foreign intervention and a shared destiny.
“We will hopefully take major steps during this visit towards consolidating endogenous and shared security and improving the welfare of the two nations,” he said. “Our strength lies in our brotherhood.”
Qalibaf arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday at the head of a high-ranking parliamentary delegation for talks with senior Iraqi officials on strengthening bilateral ties, regional developments, border security, counterterrorism and economic cooperation.
He was received upon his arrival by First Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Adnan Fayhan.
Later on Wednesday, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Hibet al-Halbousi received Qalibaf and his accompanying delegation at the Iraqi parliament headquarters in Baghdad.
The visit comes as Tehran and Baghdad have stepped up high-level contacts in recent weeks, with the two sides seeking to further strengthen their strategic partnership and expand cooperation across the political, economic and security fields.
