Baghdad rebukes Iranian comments on Iraq’s elections

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry on Monday rejected remarks by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei, who accused the United States of interfering in Iraq’s internal affairs.

In an official statement, the ministry expressed its “astonishment” over the comments, describing them as provocative and a clear and unacceptable interference in Iraq’s domestic affairs.

“The electoral process is a purely national matter, subject solely to the will of the Iraqi people and its constitutional institutions,” the statement read.

Earlier, Baqaei called what he described as American interventions “undoubtedly harmful,” adding, “Past experiences have shown that whenever the United States interfered in the affairs of regional countries, the result was damage to peace and stability.”

The ministry reaffirmed that Iraq maintains “balanced relations with its neighbors based on mutual respect for sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs,” adding that preserving good neighborly relations requires “strict adherence to these principles and refraining from any statements or positions that could undermine Iraq’s sovereignty or interfere in its internal matters.”