Iran Boosts Military Cooperation With Iraq

ICBPS- A senior IRGC official has hailed an agreement to increase defense cooperation with Iraq, claiming that the two countries must guard against Washington.

In a press conference, IRGC Maj. Ge. Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, told reporters that the two neighboring countries have had long-term relationships and interests, which have been discussed in recent meetings.

“The Minister of Defense and the commanders of the navy, air force, air defense, and some other Iraqi commanders came to Iran, and we talk on development and deepening defense and military cooperation,” he said on the sidelines of a meeting with the Iraqi Minister of Defense.

The top officials had talks in Iran on Sunday on strengthening the defense and military relations between the two countries.

“Our friends will visit the Defense Industries Exhibition and will also meet with commanders in the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

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“In this meeting, topics related to the defense industry and security of the common borders of the two countries and topics related to cooperation and exchange of experiences, joint military exercises and training issues will be discussed and, God willing, this cooperation will be developed.” Maj. Gen. Bagheri declared.

“We seek to develop and deepen security in both two countries,” he added. 

“So far, we have had and will have various discussions in all fields — the two countries have also prepared a charter that is in the final stages and will be signed soon,” the IRGC official claimed.

Further, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) claimed similar support for bolstering cooperation with Iraq.

• ICBPS: Why Washington Wants Iran To Leave Syria

The U.S. says IRI has tried to destabilize the Middle East in the past decades by founding, funding, weaponizing, and training its proxies throughout the region.

Further, the IRI’s influence in the Middle East and China’s entry into the region would destabilize the region.

Tehran is determined to keep its troops in Syria and Iraq, where IRGC still seeks to exact revenge for the U.S. killing its top commander Qassem Soleimani.

IRI also stays in Syria to threaten Israel as well as its sovereignty in Iraq and Yemen frightens the neighboring Arab states.

According to Richard Nephew, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, IRI probably will be within 2-3 months a Nuke bomb by the end of 2020, perhaps by the summer of 2021 if Tehran slows down.