The purpose of IRGC expeditionary Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani’s visit to Baghdad was “to resolve the problems that have arisen for Iraq at this critical time,” the Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Iraj Masjedi told Al-Alam news channel, adding that Qaani called on everyone to maintain peace, cooperation and stability.
Qaani was in Baghdad this week, meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi and other Iraqi officials. During his meetings, he stressed the need to “respect the election results and the law”, according to Masjedi.
“Naturally, in any election, it happens that some people protest, this is an issue we see across the world after elections, and it is the inalienable right of the protesters to have their protests dealt with within the framework of the law”, Masjedi said. “These protests must be addressed and the authorities must be held accountable for the legal process, and then the protesters must have the necessary cooperation so that the country does not face a crisis.”
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Protests in Iraq’s capital against the results of Iraq’s October 10 election turned violent this Friday. Hundreds of protesters affiliated to the pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) took to the streets, rejecting the outcome of the parliamentary elections and storming Baghdad’s Green Zone, which includes government offices and the US embassy building. The Iraqi health ministry said that 125 people were injured in Friday’s protests: 27 protesters and 98 members of the security forces.
Protesters held slogans against the Iraqi government and the electoral commission, claiming that the vote was rigged. The preliminary results that were released showed the Hashd-affiliated political parties performing poorly. Most notably, the Fatih Alliance has emerged as one of the major losers in the parliamentary election, seeing its parliamentary seats reduced by two thirds.
Iraq’s election was held early in response to the 2019 protests against corruption and government ineptitude. Protesters had also condemned Iranian influence in Iraqi affairs.
The Hashd protests and threats against Kadhimi were followed by a drone attack on his residence on Sunday. He survived but two Iraqi officials told AP that seven security guards of his were injured. Pro-Iran militias mocked the incident and also denied involvement.
Regarding the attack on Kadhimi, Masjedi said that the commander had emphasized “the importance of a technical and thorough investigation.”
“Whoever was guilty should definitely be tried according to the law and the Islamic Republic strongly supports this issue,” said Madjedi. He added that attacking a prime minister is not “a small issue” and that whoever commits such crimes “must be investigated.”
Masjedi added that Qaani is also scheduled to visit the Kurdistan Region, without specifying the date.
