Iran’s Khamenei tells Iraqi President to expel U.S. forces

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Nov. 22 – In a meeting in Tehran, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to demand a rapid withdrawal of United States and British troops from Iraq, Iranian state television reported on Tuesday. Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran, Nov. 22 – In a meeting in Tehran, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to demand a rapid withdrawal of United States and British troops from Iraq, Iranian state television reported on Tuesday.

During talks with the Iraqi leader, Khamenei described the presence of foreign forces in Iraq as “damaging” and called on the Iraqi government to present the “occupiers” with a timetable for their departure.

He called efforts by certain Iraqi officials “aimed at winning the satisfaction of the United States” as “useless” and stated, “The U.S. and Britain will ultimately have to leave Iraq that would be a bitter experience for them”, state radio reported.

Iran’s Supreme Leader warned the Iraqi president that Washington would make “endless pressures and demands” if the Iraqi government did not take up a strong stance.

“Iran considers the United States government to be responsible for all crimes and terrorist acts in Iraq and the suffering and misery of the Iraqi people” Khamenei said.

“Iran puts no limit on expansion of bilateral ties”, he said adding that the two nations had strong religious, cultural, historic ties.

He rejected charges of Iranian meddling in Iraq.

Iraqi, United States, and British officials in Iraq have accused Tehran of backing insurgent groups and dispatching undercover military or intelligence agents to Iraq disguised as pilgrims.

Hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended the meeting.