President Rouhani told Iraqi Prime Minister al-Kadhimi that “for the Islamic Republic of Iran, supporting [the] stability and security, independence and territorial integrity of Iraq has a special importance, and we consider the security and stability of Iraq as our own security, and we support the presence of this neighbouring Muslim country in regional interactions”. He further argued that U.S. “policy will not help bring security and stability to Iraq, but complicate the situation… The problems of the region must be resolved by the countries of the region themselves”.