Iraqi Cleric: Israeli War Boosted Iran’s Power in Region
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Ammar al-Hakim, head of Iraq’s National Wisdom Movement, said the Zionist regime’s war of aggression against Iran in June had the opposite effect of what Tel Aviv had expected, as it led to an increase in Iran’s regional power and recognition of its role among Muslim nations.
In comments at a meeting with Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani in Tehran on Saturday, the Iraqi cleric emphasized that Muslims across the region praised Iran’s role in countering aggression.
Hakim said the Zionist regime’s hostile actions and assertion of pursuing ‘Greater Israel’ scheme once again confirmed the accuracy of Iran’s long-held description of the Israeli regime as a “cancerous tumor,” and said the entire region has now become alert to the Israeli regime’s adventurism and destabilizing policies.
For his part, Larijani hailed Iraq as a friendly, strong, and like-minded country in the region.
He described Tehran-Baghdad ties as strategic and underlined that in today’s dynamic environment, cooperation between the two Muslim neighbors must become more practical and tangible.
On June 13, the Zionist regime launched an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran, targeting military, nuclear, and residential areas for 12 consecutive days. The United States later escalated the conflict by striking three of Iran’s nuclear sites in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan on June 22.
Iran’s Armed Forces delivered an immediate and forceful response. The IRGC Aerospace Force carried out 22 waves of retaliatory missile strikes under Operation True Promise III, inflicting significant damage and heavy losses on cities across the occupied territories.
In retaliation for the US attacks, Iranian forces also targeted al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar —the largest American military installation in West Asia— with a barrage of missiles.
The confrontation came to an end on June 24, when a ceasefire was enforced.
