Iraqi Ambassador in Tehran Rajeh Saber Abboud al-Mousavi praised Iran's all-out efforts to root out terrorism in the region, saying the United Nations should be grateful to Tehran.
Speaking to Tasnim News Agency in an interview published on Sunday, the Iraqi diplomat rejected recent allegations leveled against Tehran about interference in Yemen, saying the Islamic Republic has called for an end to the Yemeni war.
"This is an international issue and I have always said to the UN special envoy [to Yemen] that they should thank Iran because it has been making efforts to save the region from terrorism," Mousavi said.
The Iraqi diplomat emphasized that Iran has played a key role in supporting Iraq and fighting terrorism.
"Those who back terrorists accuse Iran of meddling in the internal affairs of regional countries because Tehran has prevented them from carrying out their plots," he said.
Iraq has been facing the growing threat of terrorism, mainly posed by the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group.
IS militants made swift advances in much of northern and western Iraq over the summer of 2014, after capturing large swaths of northern Syria.
However, a combination of concentrated attacks by the Iraqi military and volunteer forces who rushed to take arms after top Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa making it the obligation of Iraqis to fight against the militants blunted the edge of IS offensive.
Amid tensions in Iraq, Iran is known as the first country to help the Arab country and has always voiced support for Iraq's solidarity and prosperity.
