Iraq rejects US interference on Iran

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EMBASSY TELLS TEHRAN TO ALLOW DEMOBILISATION OF SHIA MILITIAS

Iranian girls take part in a demonstration outside the former US embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran on Nov 4, marking the anniversary of its storming by student protesters that triggered a hostage crisis in 1979. Farsi writing on their palms praising the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Thousands joined rallies in Tehran and other Iranian cities, carrying placards that mocked President Donald Trump, wiping their feet on fake dollar bills, and engaging in the usual ritual of burning the US flag. (AFP)

BAGHDAD, Nov 4, (Agencies): The Iraqi Foreign Ministry rejected on Saturday what it called US interference in its affairs after the US embassy issued a statement telling neighbouring Iran to respect Iraq’s sovereignty and allow demobilisation of Shi’ite militias.

The US embassy in Baghdad had posted a message on Twitter on Tuesday saying Tehran must “respect the sovereignty of the Iraqi government and permit the disarming, demobilization, and reintegration” of Shi’ite militias. It was one of several statements issued on the embassy’s Twitter account outlining US demands before new US sanctions on Iran’s oil and financial sector take effect on Nov 4.

The sanctions worry Iraq as it imports crucial supplies from Iran. Iraq’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement it “rejects interference in Iraq’s internal affairs, especially domestic security reform” and demanded the Twitter post be removed.

Washington and Tehran have competed for influence in Iraq since the 2003 US invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Iraq’s Shi’ite militias, which took part in a US-backed campaign to defeat Islamic State, were formally included in the security forces this year. Some militias are backed by Iran, a majority Shi’ite nation.

Washington wants them disarmed. The United States has said it would grant Baghdad a waiver on Iranian gas and energy imports that feed Iraqi power stations and vital food items, Iraqi officials said on Friday.

Guardian Council
Iran’s powerful Guardian Council on Sunday rejected a bill on joining the UN convention against terrorist financing seen as crucial to maintaining trade and banking ties with the world. The conservative-dominated council, which oversees legislation passed by the parliament, said aspects of the bill were against Islamic law and the constitution and sent it back to lawmakers for revision.

“The Guardian Council has in several sessions reviewed the bill … and it has considered it to have fl aws and ambiguities,” wrote spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaie on Twitter. The bill, narrowly passed by parliament on Oct 7, is one of four put forward by the government of President Hassan Rouhani in order to meet demands set by the international Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which monitors countries’ efforts to tackle money-laundering and terrorist financing. Many hawks in Iran say the laws would limit the country’s ability to support “resistance groups” such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas by bringing greater transparency to its accounts.

But Rouhani’s government argues it is particularly vital after the United States walked out of the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions. The other parties to the deal — Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia — have sought to salvage the agreement and maintain trade with Iran, but have demanded that it accede to the FATF.

Iran is alone with North Korea on the FATF, although the Paris-based organisation has suspended counter-measures since June 2017 while Iran works on reforms. Last month, the FATF gave Iran another extension to February to update its laws. “Neither I nor the president can guarantee that all problems will go away if we join (the UN convention), but I guarantee that not joining will provide the US with more excuses to increase our problems,” said Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during the parliament debate last month.

A previous bill on the mechanics of monitoring and preventing terrorist financing was signed into law in August. But two others — on money-laundering and organised crime — have also been delayed by higher authorities, including the Guardian Council, after being approved by parliament.

The council is made up of six clerics appointed by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and six lawyers appointed by the judiciary. Thousands of students in the government- organised rally in the capital Tehran, broadcast live by state television, burned the Stars and Stripes, an effigy of Uncle Sam and pictures of President Donald Trump outside the leafy downtown compound that once housed the US mission. Hardline students stormed the embassy on Nov 4, 1979 soon after the fall of the US-backed Shah, and 52 Americans were held hostage there for 444 days.

The two countries have been enemies, on opposite sides of Middle East conflict, ever since. Iranian state media said millions turned out for rallies in most cities and towns around the country, swearing allegiance to the clerical establishment and its hardline top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The turnout figure could not be independently confirmed by Reuters.

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