Iran demands withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq

Iran Focus: a pro-MEK website

Iran demanded on Monday that United States-led forces leave Iraq.

“The occupiers must leave Iraq”, government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham told reporters during his weekly press conference.

“At present, there is no excuse for the occupation of Iraq to continue”, Elham said, adding, “Saddam no longer exists in this country. A government has been formed in this country and the constitution has been completed. There is no excuse for occupying Iraq”. READ MORE

He announced that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki would soon make a landmark visit to Tehran, adding that the exact date of the visit would be announced in due course.

The U.S. and Iraqi officials routinely blame Tehran for aiding the insurgency in Iraq.

In April, hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ruled out direct talks between the Islamic Republic and the U.S. over Iraq.