NCRI , 06 October 2010 – A senior official of the al-Iraqiya coalition, which came out as the winner of ‎Iraq’s parliamentary elections, has blamed the Iranian regime for sending hand guns, ‎silencers, bombs and explosives to Iraq, adding that provocative comments by regime ‎officials serve as example of its meddling in Iraqi affairs.‎
According to al-Rashid TV, Dr. Zafer al-Ani said, “The meddling by the Tehran regime ‎and the velayat-e faqih (absolute clerical rule) does not only cover political affairs but also ‎attempts to form the next government.”‎
He added, “By refusing to accept the results of the election and circumventing them, ‎‎[incumbent Prime Minister Nouri] al-Maliki is in effect blocking the peaceful transition of ‎power. Someone who is not prepared to peacefully hand over power cannot claim to be ‎committed to democracy.”‎
‎“If this is the case, why then do we have elections in the first place?”‎
Dr. al-Ani added, “That is why when we see the refusal to transfer power peacefully, we ‎resort to making the matter into an international case.”‎
‎“If Tehran continues its meddling in Iraqi affairs, the doors to making an international ‎case will be opened.”‎
In response to a question about his evidence regarding Tehran’s meddling in Iraq, D. al-‎Ani said, “Remarks by Iranian regime officials and its ambassador, interference by [the ‎mullahs’ Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei and the regime’s Intelligence Ministry, sending ‎hand guns equipped with silencers, sticking bombs, explosive packages, and the talks that ‎are being held in Qom and Tehran are all indications of this meddling.”‎
He specifically referred to Qassem Suleimani, the commander of the Qods Force, the ‎extraterritorial arm of the mullahs’ Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and said, ‎‎“Currently the name of Qassem Suleimani is heard more in Iraq than the head of ‎American intelligence or even Iraqi officials themselves. Suleimani is someone who wants ‎to redefine Iraqi politics.”‎
Al-Ani said he believed that Arab governments in the region have a great responsibility ‎when it comes to the Iranian regime’s designs, which intend to turn Iraqi into Tehran’s ‎backyard. A government in Iraq that is tied to the Iranian regime, he added, would be the ‎outcome of pressures that will increase day by day.‎
‎“The most striking example of the Iranian regime’s meddling in Iraq is its red line against ‎al-Iraqiya and the next prime minister.”‎
‎“But, we need a new government,” Dr. al-Ani added, “which can work with others ‎without adopting the totalitarian approach that has characterized the past four years.”‎
Dr. al-Ani added, “I want to declare to the honorable people of Iraq that al-Iraqiya is the ‎main party and will head the next government, but without al-Maliki as the prime ‎minister.”‎