Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution in Iran Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei on Tuesday received on Tuesday Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, asserting, during the meeting, that the Iraqi army is able to defeat the terrorism

Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution in Iran Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei on Tuesday received on Tuesday Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, asserting, during the meeting, that the Iraqi army is able to defeat the terrorist groups.

"The current situation in the region, including Iraq, is the product of the very irresponsible policies of the trans-regional powers and certain regional countries in Syria, and these policies should be confronted resolutely."

"We do believe that the Iraqi nation and government, specially the youth of this country, enjoy the ability to overcome the terrorists and restore security and do not need the presence of the foreigners," he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated the influential role of Iraq as a major actor in the region, and said the nation can play the same role once security is restored to the country.

He praised the valuable services rendered by former Iraqi premier, Nouri Al-Maliki, to Iraq, and stressed, "We are standing beside you and support your government seriously, like the previous one."

The Leader ensured the visiting premier that Tehran is still looking for stronger ties with Iraq, and vowed unsparing efforts in support of Baghdad.

He also praised Iraq's policy in recent years in support of Syria, and said Baghdad's decision not to allow its soil be used as a platform for attacks on Syria has been "a correct and wise policy".

Ayatollah Khamenei noted the claims made by the anti-ISIL coalition, and said, "We do not trust the honesty of those who make these words and believe that ISIL and terrorism should be remedied by the regional countries."

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution noted the recent separatist statements made by some ethnic groups in Iraq, and warned against the dire repercussions of such tendencies.

He endorsed the Iraqi government's policy of national, ethnical and tribal unity as a "fully correct" move, and underscored, "Iraq is a single geographical unit and separation of the Shiites, Sunnis, Arabs and Kurds in Iraq is meaningless."

The Iranian Leader further stated that election through democracy and on the basis of people's votes "is one of the advantages of the new Iraqi government", and said, "Some do not want to accept the happening of this reality in Iraq and the region, but this has taken place and the Iraqi government should protect this crucial achievement powerfully."

He also described the Iraqi youth as a treasure for the country, reminding that "this huge wealth will come into the Iraqi government's aid in needy days".

Also during the meeting, the Iraqi prime minister said he is much pleased to have his first trip to Iran after his election, and appreciated the Leader's "very good stances and the Islamic Republic of Iran's aids in Iraq's war with ISIL and the terrorists".

He lamented that certain countries in the region do not realize the threat of ISIL, "but we believe that we can go past this stage and push back the terrorists with the wisdom and insightfulness of the two Iraqi and Iranian nations and the support of religious scholars and Your Excellency's guidelines".

Abadi had also visited the Iranian president Hasan Rouhani who said that those governments that have formed a coalition to fight terrorism should first cut off the financial lifeline of terrorist groups.

“Those who claim to be fighting terrorism and those who have formed a coalition [against terrorism] should in the first step make efforts to have financial aid to terrorist groups cut,” President Rouhani said in the meeting with Iraqi PM in Tehran on Tuesday.

Noting that terrorism has grown into a major problem for all countries in the Middle East, the president warned that the US-led anti-ISIL coalition’s airstrikes against the terrorists’ positions will only benefit the Takfiri group in the long run.

“Iran believes that the main responsibility in the fight against terrorist groups should be shouldered by Iraqi government and popular forces. The more united the Iraqi nation…the more successful they will be,” the Iranian president pointed out.

He emphasized that Iran has been supporting the Iraqi nation and army in their fight against terrorist groups from the very first day and would proceed with this policy until the end.

Rouhani vowed that Iran would spare no effort in helping the Iraqi government and called on regional governments to counter terrorism in a "coordinated and integrated" way to uproot this phenomenon.

The Iraqi premier, for his part, said terrorism poses a threat to all regional countries, adding that Iraq is assured of Iran's assistance for the Arab country until the eradication of terrorism.