Iran opposes US intervention in Iraq

TEHRAN -- Iran "strongly" opposes any intervention of the United States in its neighboring state of Iraq, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said here on Sunday.

"The Islamic republic is strongly against any US intervention in Iraq's internal affairs and believes that the Iraqi people, government and the country's religious leaders are able to end the violence," Khamenei was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency.

"The western countries, with the United States at the top, are behind the scene of violence in Iraq," he said, adding that "The United States wants to control Iraq and to keep its Yes Men in power" in the country.

The main purpose of recent violence in Iraq is to deprive the Iraqi people from their "achievements," and the United States "is not pleased" with the elections and institutionalization of democracy in the country, he said.

What is taking place in Iraq is not a war between Shitte Muslims and Sunni Muslims. It is, rather, a plot to destabilize Iraq and threaten its integrity by the residuals of the former Iraqi regime and the extremist groups, Khamenei said.

"The main conflict in Iraq is between those who are seeking Iraq's independence and those who favor Iraq to join the US camp, " he said, stressing that "Iran opposes the US and others' interference in Iraq and does not endorse it."

Iran has denied that it will send any military forces to help Iraqi government in its fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), but Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said recently that Iran would do everything to protect Muslim Shiite shrines in Iraq.