On January 2, the Iranian Tasnim news agency carried the following report on its Arabic page: “Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki assured: “If we liberate the occupied regions and the Syrian brothers need help, we are willing to provide such help,” wondering: “Why would we not offer assistance in the face of ISIL?” Regarding Popular Mobilization’s presence in Syria after the liberation of the Iraqi territories from ISIL, Al-Maliki said during a press conference held in the Iranian capital Tehran today on Monday: “We thank God that Syria has secured accomplishments, and that Popular Mobilization and the Iraqi forces are proceeding with the military operations in Mosul…” Regarding Saudi Arabia’s support of the terrorist groups, Al-Maliki assured: “I have repeatedly said that Saudi Arabia is considered to be the source of terrorism, and that terrorism is drawing its roots from that country.”

“[He continued:] “Saudi Arabia cannot face the terrorist gangs, knowing that the oldest among them [among the terrorists], i.e. Bin Laden, came from that country. What is more dangerous is the promotion of terrorism by the Wahhabi muftis, who are accusing the remaining Muslims of infidelity.” He added: “I have previously said that Saudi Arabia will pay the price for its support of terrorism, and today it is doing so in Yemen. And America and Europe know that Saudi Arabia is the source of terrorism,” hoping that the government in Riyadh heeds the lessons from its mistakes and works on correcting them. Regarding Mosul’s liberation, Al-Maliki pointed to the existence of concerns over the post-liberation stage and the ambitions of some states in Iraq, indicating that negotiations were taking place with some blocs to restore Iraq’s unity after Mosul’s liberation, while rejecting the statements surrounding Mosul’s division.

“Asked about Iraqi-Syrian coordination in the fight against the terrorist ISIL organization, he pointed to the historical intertwinement between Iraq and Syria, and assured that the lack of security and stability in Iraq had affected Syria, which should act as a lesson to both countries. He continued: “We are focusing on fighting terrorism and are opposed to the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad.” Asked about the purpose of his visit to Tehran, he said: “We will never forget the efforts and assistance of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The threat of terrorism exceeds the region, and there are countries that promised to assist us but did not. Only Iran helped us. We were suffering from a shortage of weapons in the fight against ISIL, and Iran was the only state that provided us with weapons, unlike all the others…”