Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei called on the Iraqi Shia forces to never trust the United States and be wary of its ulterior motives in fighting against the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group.
The group has occupied parts of the Arab country and its neighboring Syria since 2014.
The Leader said the United States was never serious about eliminating terrorist groups because it needs them to preserve and advance its interests in the Middle East.
"The Americans do not favor the eradication of takfiri terrorism in [Iraq's] Mosul or in Syria … They have always been opposed to allowing Islamic countries, including Iraq, to become powerful. We should not fall for their hypocritical behavior and fake smile," the Leader was quoted as saying by his official website on Sunday.
A takfiri is a hardliner who accuses any Muslim that does not follow their extreme interpretation of Islam as apostate punishable by death.
He made the statement in a meeting with Ammar Hakim, the leader of the National Iraqi Alliance, and his accompanying delegation in Tehran.
Ayatollah Khamenei praised the formation of an alliance between Iraqi Shia groups as a major development and called for strengthening such unity.
Since September, Hakim has served as the head of INA that comprises Shia political parties.
The alliance, which holds a majority of seats in the Iraqi Parliament, includes four political parties, namely the State of Law Coalition, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, the National Reform Trend Party and the Sadrist Movement.
The Leader noted that both the Iranian and Iraqi nations would benefit from closer cooperation.
Ayatollah Khamenei hailed the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi for its measures to support the Popular Mobilization Units, also known as Hashd al-Shaabi forces.
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