Ayatollah accuses US of destabilising Iraq

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today blamed the US for the chaos in Iraq, saying that the answer to the violence is the withdrawal of foreign forces.

In a meeting with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Khamenei accused the US of hiring terrorists and former members of Saddam Hussein’s regime to destabilise the country, according to a state television report.

“The first step to resolve the instability in Iraq is the withdrawal of occupiers from this country and the transfer of security responsibilities to the popular Iraqi government,” Khamenei was quoted as saying.

Khamenei told the Iraqi leader that Iran would do all it can to use its influence among Iraq’s Muslim Shiites to quell the violence in his country.

“The main reason for the current situation in Iraq is America’s policies,” the television quoted Khamenei as telling Talabani, who is on the final day of a two-day visit to Iran.

Khamenei said Iran considered it as a duty to help establish security in Iraq.