Khamenei Asks Abdul Hadi To Expel US Troops From Iraq 'Immediately'

 Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Iraqi PM meeting with Iran's supreme leather Ali Khamenei. April 6, 2019 (Khamenei’s official website)
Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Iraqi PM meeting with Iran's supreme leather Ali Khamenei. April 6, 2019 (Khamenei’s official website)
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Khamenei Asks Abdul Hadi To Expel US Troops From Iraq 'Immediately'

 Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Iraqi PM meeting with Iran's supreme leather Ali Khamenei. April 6, 2019 (Khamenei’s official website)
Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Iraqi PM meeting with Iran's supreme leather Ali Khamenei. April 6, 2019 (Khamenei’s official website)

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called Saturday on Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Hadi to work on expelling US forces from Iraq immediately.

Khamenei was speaking as sources reported that the US is about to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and its external branch, the Quds Force, on its black list of foreign terrorist organizations.

“The Iraqi government should do something [to ensure] that American military troops will leave Iraq as soon as possible,” Khamenei’s official website quoted him as saying. He added that the US constitutes a threat on the current democratic process in Iraq.

"You need to do something that Americans would withdraw their military forces from Iraq as soon as possible. Because sending them out have always been a problem wherever they stayed for a long time," Khamenei told Abdul Mahdi.

Khamenei later said that the current government, parliament and political activists in Iraq are undesirable for America, and the Americans are planning to push them out of Iraq's political scene.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported this week that the United States would designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.

Reuters said it spoke with three US officials that confirmed that Trump’s administration would announce the decision as soon as Monday and that concerned defense officials were bracing for the impact.

Two weeks ago, a spokesperson from the Pentagon denied reports published by the New York Times about Washington’s fears on the safety of US troops in Iraq.

The expected US announcement would come ahead of the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran and to re-impose sanctions that had crippled Iran’s economy.



Iran Turns to Moscow and Beijing to Thwart ‘Snapback’ Sanctions Threat

Sergei Lavrov and Wang Yi met in Beijing on July 13 (Reuters)
Sergei Lavrov and Wang Yi met in Beijing on July 13 (Reuters)
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Iran Turns to Moscow and Beijing to Thwart ‘Snapback’ Sanctions Threat

Sergei Lavrov and Wang Yi met in Beijing on July 13 (Reuters)
Sergei Lavrov and Wang Yi met in Beijing on July 13 (Reuters)

Iran is turning to Russia and China in a bid to head off the potential reimposition of international sanctions, amid escalating tensions over its nuclear program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has held talks with his Chinese and Russian counterparts to discuss the future of the nuclear accord and the possibility that the European troika could trigger the “snapback” mechanism.

Iranian state media reported on Monday that Araghchi arrived in Beijing at the head of an official delegation to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s foreign ministers. The trip comes as debate intensifies within Iran over the stances of Moscow and Beijing, particularly in the aftermath of the recent conflict between Iran and Israel.

Speaking at a press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei stressed that Gulf security remains a priority for China.

“Araghchi’s visit follows an official invitation from the Chinese Foreign Minister,” he said, adding that the Iranian diplomat will hold bilateral meetings Tuesday on the sidelines of the gathering.

Baghaei emphasized Tehran’s ongoing coordination with both Russia and China, who are parties to the nuclear deal.

“Russia and China have consistently expressed their readiness to play a constructive role in the process related to Iran’s nuclear file, and this continues,” he noted. “We have longstanding, friendly relations with both countries and a strategic partnership.”

Addressing reports that Moscow has privately urged Tehran to halt uranium enrichment, Baghaei said: “We have not received any specific proposal from Russia on this matter.”

In Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed Iran’s nuclear issue with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, alongside other bilateral and international topics.

Meanwhile, Moscow on Sunday denounced a report claiming President Vladimir Putin had urged Iran to accept a deal with the United States that would bar it from enriching uranium. Russia’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the claim as “defamation” aimed at inflaming tensions over the Iranian nuclear program.

According to the American outlet Axios, sources familiar with the issue said Putin recently pressed Iran to agree to “zero enrichment.”

But Russia rebuffed the report as baseless, insisting its position is well known: "Invariably and repeatedly, we have emphasized the necessity of resolving the crisis concerning Iran's nuclear program exclusively through political and diplomatic means, and expressed our willingness to help find mutually acceptable solutions," the ministry statement read.

It added that Moscow stands ready to help broker mutually acceptable solutions.

Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has strengthened its ties with Tehran. While publicly backing Iran’s right to enrich uranium, Putin has reportedly adopted a tougher line behind closed doors following the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran.

According to European and Israeli officials, Moscow has encouraged Tehran to accept a “zero enrichment” compromise and shared this position with Israeli authorities. “We know this is what Putin told the Iranians,” a senior Israeli official confirmed.

Last week, Putin is said to have relayed his stance in calls with US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron.