By: S. Nawabzadeh

We had said earlier – on several occasions – in the columns of this newspaper that in West Asia there are no countries as close to each other in terms of a shared history geography, religion, politics, culture, economy, trade exchanges, ecology, types of food, etc., as Iran and Iraq.
This commonality, or in other words friendship and fraternity, was emphasized yet once again on Saturday in Tehran by Iraqi president, Barham Salih, an ethnic Kurd familiar with both the Arabic and Persian languages, during his meeting with his Iranian host, Hojjat al-Islam Dr. Hassan Rouhani – and reciprocated by Iranian officials.
The newly elected Head of State of the Land of the Two Rivers also made it quite clear that Iraq is looking forward to further expansion of neighbourly ties with Iran and on no account will allow any enemies or outside forces to try to disrupt relations with the Islamic Republic, to whom the Iraqi people feel highly indebted for its timely help.
Such stating of the basic facts regarding Iran’s help are not limited to the recent routing by Iraq’s popular forces of the Saudi-created and US-supported takfiri terrorists who had planned to seize the whole country, but are also indicative of the assistance that the Islamic Republic, as part of its principled foreign policy for peace and stability in the region, has continued to provide to its brethren in Iraq (Arabs, Kurds, Shi’as, Sunnis, and Christians) since the reign of terror of Saddam of the repressive Ba’th minority regime and throughout the American occupation.
Salih’s realistic remarks may have maddened Trump and his team of thugs in Washington who are trying in vain to meddle in Iraq in a bid to distance it from Iran. His statement, coupled with the wise words of senior Iranian officials, especially the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, have certainly struck the seditious Saudis like a slap in the face, but there is nothing the region’s unrepresentative tyrannical regimes and their American masters can do.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who warmly received Barham Salih and gave him brotherly advice on how to stand firm like a mountain in the face of enemy plots and attempts to meddle, did not mince words when he said: "The way to overcome problems and frustrate enemy plots is to preserve national unity in Iraq, properly recognize friends from foes, stand up to the brazen enemy, rely on youths and maintain and strengthen links with the (religious) authorities.”
Thanking President Salih for Iraq’s hospitality towards Iranian pilgrims during the recent commemoration of the Arba’een anniversary in holy Karbala marking the traditional 40th day of the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) – grandson and 3rd Infallible Heir of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) – he said in a clear tone: "certain ill-wishing regimes now seek to deprive Iraqis of the sweet taste of their great achievement of gaining independence as part of their plot to prevent restoration of peace in Iraq and the entire region.”
This means that in contrast to the Arab world’s collective submission to Israel, American pressures against Iraq will never succeed including the abortive attempt to disband the popular mobilization units (PMU – Hashd ash-Sha’bi).
Iraq is part of the Solid Chain of Resistance linking Iran to Syria and Lebanon, and Tehran will take every necessary step to further strengthen ties with Baghdad, including the connecting of the railway networks of the two countries in order to facilitate trade and travel.       
The present volume of annual trade exchanges between Iran and Iraq stand at 12 billion dollars, and as President Rouhani told his smiling counterpart during talks, efforts are being made to increase this amount to at least 20 billion dollars yearly.
In view of these undeniable facts, including the miserable failure of the US plot of the 1980s to create bad blood between the brotherly peoples of the two countries through Saddam’s 8-year war, it is but natural for the Iraqis – both Arabs and Kurds, whether Shi’a or Sunni – to stand beside their Iranian brethren, fully knowing that in addition to their overseas enemy, the US, their chief regional enemy is the Wahhabi cult of the spurious entity called Saudi Arabia, which used to fund to the tune of tens of billions of dollars, the genocide of Shi’a Arab Muslims and the ethnic Kurds by the Ba’thist regime.
It should be noted that the Iraqi people are too mature to be swayed either by Washington’s propaganda tirade to endorse the illegal sanctions against Iran, or the bribes of Riyadh in building a football stadium and a power plant in Basra, as well as the doling out of a few million dollars of the stolen oil wealth of the deprived people of Qatif, to some suspicious elements.
Iraq and the Iraqi people, along with their Iranian brethren, fully know that Trump’s state terrorism of economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic is only a passing phase in the glorious history of the people of the region, while the future appears brilliantly bright with the fast approaching end of the American client regimes in the region, such as the Aal-e Saud, the Aal-e Khalifa, the Aal-e Nahyan and Aal-e Sayhoun (Zionists).