Zarif, Hague Discuss Iraqi Crisis

(FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his British counterpart William Hague in a telephone conversation on Monday discussed the latest developments in Iraq.

During the phone conversation today, Zarif and Hague voiced their concern over the ongoing crisis in Iraq by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an Al-Qaeda offshoot.

On Friday, Zarif voiced Tehran's concern over the ongoing bloodshed by the ISIL terrorist group across Iraq, but meantime, rejected the claims that Tehran has dispatched its forces to that country.

In an interview with the New Yorker on Friday, Zarif denied reports that Tehran has already dispatched battalions of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) to Iraq to aid and protect Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government.

“It is in the interest of everybody to stabilize the government of Iraq. If the US has come to realize that these groups pose a threat to the security of the region, and if the US truly wants to fight terrorism and extremism, then it’s a common global cause," the top Iranian diplomat said.

Also on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said that Iran opposes any military intervention in Iraq.

“Iraq enjoys the necessary potential and military preparedness to fight against the terrorist and extremist elements,” Afkham.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman also dismissed reports about the deployment of Iranian forces in Iraq, and said, "Any move that complicates the situation in Iraq will not be in the interest of Iraq and the region."