UPDATES WITH REMARKS BY IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER; REVISES DECK, LEDE; EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Ali Jawad and Muhammet Kursun
BAGHDAD/TEHRAN (AA) – Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday on his first foreign trip since taking office in April.
"The Iranian president held an official reception ceremony for al-Kadhimi and his accompanying delegation," the premier's media office said in a statement.
Talks between al-Kadhimi and Rouhani dwelt on ways to consolidate bilateral cooperation in various fields, the statement said.
As part of his official visit, al-Kadhimi also met Khamenei, according to a statement by the supreme leader's office.
Khamenei stressed that Iran has never had an intention of interfering with Iraq's internal affairs, the statement said.
Underlining that Iran supports the independence, territorial integrity and unity of Iraq, Khamenei said Iran is absolutely against anything that could lead to the weakening of the Iraqi government.
The US is literally an “enemy” of Iraq, the leader said, adding that Washington is opposed to an independent, strong, and majority-supported Iraqi state.
A source within the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said al-Kadhimi is accompanied by a delegation that includes the ministers of oil, defense, finance, foreign affairs and planning.
He was scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia on Monday, but the visit was postponed after King Salman's hospitalization.
*Bassel Barakat and Zehra Nur Duz contributed to this report from Ankara
