Qalibaf Presses for Muslim Unity in Talks With Iraq's Prime Minister

Iran's parliament speaker calls Israel the foremost enemy of Muslim states, as al-Zaidi says the two countries 'share the same destiny'

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has stressed the need for unity among Muslim countries, describing the Israeli regime as their principal enemy.

Qalibaf made the remarks on Thursday during a meeting in Tehran with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi. Cooperation between Iran and Iraq, he said, is of considerable benefit to the stability of West Asia and the wider Muslim world, since the two neighbours working together can resolve many of the region’s problems.

“Cooperation between Iran and Iraq to preserve the unity of Islamic countries against the Zionist regime, which is the number one enemy of Muslims, can certainly be effective,” he said.

Thanks for the funeral and for Arbaeen

The speaker also expressed gratitude to the Iraqi government and people for hosting the funeral procession for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, and thanked Iraq for its hospitality toward pilgrims attending the annual Arbaeen march, held on the fortieth day after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia Imam.

Al-Zaidi replied that Iraq and Iran are not merely neighbours but partners who share the same destiny. There was no need for thanks, he said, as his country had regarded the hosting of the Leader’s funeral ceremonies as its duty. “His passing is not the loss of an ordinary individual,” the Iraqi premier said. “Rather, we have lost one of the foremost Shia leaders.”

The martyred Leader was assassinated alongside members of his family on February 28, the opening day of the 40-day war waged against Iran by the United States and Israel. The funeral and farewell ceremonies took place across Iran and Iraq from July 3 to 10, with an estimated 41 to 43 million people taking part — making the procession the largest of its kind ever recorded.

Reference: PressTv