Iran welcomes exit of US forces from Iraq, calls for Washington to be held accountable

Iran’s foreign ministry on Saturday has congratulated the Iraqi government and people on the exit of US and other foreign forces from Iraq. In a statement posted on its Telegram channel, the ministry said the withdrawal is “a very important and necessary step” towards consolidating Iraq’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. It accused the US of causing “irreparable consequences” for Iraq and the region since the 2003 invasion, which it said was launched under the false pretext of “weapons of mass destruction”, and called for the US government to be held accountable for crimes committed during the occupation.