Iranian official denies sending troops to Iraq

The Chairman for the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran Alaeddin Boroujerdi denied rumours that Tehran has sent troops to Iraq, saying that “the people and government in Iraq have sufficient power to deal with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and are not in need of any external intervention.”

Iranian media quoted statements made by Boroujerdi during his visit to the Turkish Embassy in Tehran where he emphasised his country’s rejection of outside interference of any kind in Iraq’s internal affairs, saying that “the terrorist organisation ISIS will inevitably be defeated”.

He said Iran was “following the developments in Iraq closely”, and that it is “ready for any kind of cooperation with the Iraqi government in case the need arises.”

Speaking during his meeting with the Turkish Ambassador Umit Yardim, Boroujerdi stressed the importance of “the relationship of brotherhood and friendship” between Iran and Turkey, saying that the relationship was always based on the interest of the Islamic world and will remain so”.

In turn, Yardim affirmed the importance of cooperation between Turkey and Iran.