Iranian Bid to Infiltrate Iraqi Pilgrim Group Thwarted

JEDDAH: A high-ranking Iraqi official said his country stopped some Iranians from traveling to Saudi Arabia who had secretly infiltrated an Iraqi group of pilgrims and were holding fake passports.

Speaking to a local publication, the Iraqi official said: “We had received specific information about the presence of members of Hezbollah, Iraqi Saraya Al-Khorassani militias and Iranian-led Al-Abbas militias in a group of Iraqi pilgrims; they had fake passports and names, and we prevented them from leaving Iraq.”

Upon interrogation, they admitted to have been assigned by Iran to create problems and unrest during Haj in order to harm Iraq’s relations with Saudi Arabia, said the official.

Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said that Iran’s interference in Iraq’s internal affairs has led to the spread of sectarian violence and the infiltration of Daesh in the country.

“As long as Iran continues to influence Iraq’s sectarian policies, which have generated violence through the presence of Iranian militias on Iraqi territories, threats against Iraqi Sunnis and diplomats will persist,” Al-Jubeir said.

“The sectarian crisis in Iraq cannot be resolved without the implementation of the reforms adopted in 2014,” he added.

(Source: ArabNews.com)