Iraq condemns US Congressman for insulting judiciary chief
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The foreign ministry of Iraq declares its “complete rejection” of Mike Waltz's comments for his undermining of the basic rights of the Iraqi state and the chief of Iraq's judiciary.
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Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., speaks during a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
Iraq has denounced the “blatant interference” of US Congressman Mike Waltz for calling Faiq Zidan, the head of the country’s Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), as a “tool of Iranian influence” in Iraq.
The Foreign Ministry released a statement on Saturday declaring the “complete rejection” of Waltz's comments for undermining the basic rights of the Iraqi state and the person of the chief of the judiciary.
The statement said, “The ministry considers these statements to be a blatant interference in Iraqi internal affairs, and stresses that the attempt to influence the judiciary is a violation of the most important components of the state entity, which is responsible for achieving justice, equality, and stability for the country.”
Waltz re-tweeted on X a US media report about him intending to call the SJC and Zidan “Iranian-controlled assets” by submitting a draft law amendment that includes a clause supporting his claim.
Faiq Zidan, President of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, is at the center of Iran’s plot to turn Iraq into a client state.
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) June 27, 2024
The first step in dismantling the Ayatollah’s network of control is to clearly name who is doing his bidding.https://t.co/rbSiufASd5
Rejecting the 'offensive intervention'
On his part, the Iraqi parliament's acting speaker, Mohsen al-Mandalawi, urged the Foreign Ministry to reject the “offensive intervention,” stressing that Iraq builds its ties “upon mutual respect.”
Mandalawi claimed that ratifying the amendment would mark "a dangerous turning point" in the history of ties between Washington and Baghdad.
Back in May last year, late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called on Iraq to expedite efforts to prosecute the perpetrators responsible for the assassination of Iran's top commander, martyr General Qassem Soleimani, and Iraqi PMF leader martyr Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis.
Raisi made his request during a meeting with the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq and Zidan.
"The resolve of the Iraqi government and judicial system in pursuing the case of the vicious crime committed by the Americans in the assassination case of martyrs Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis and bringing to justice the perpetrators behind the crime is clear to us," Raisi said at the time.
On January 3, 2020, the US carried out a drone strike authorized by former US President Donald Trump targeting a car carrying the commander of Al-Quds Force of the IRGC General Qassem Soleimani and his Iraqi trench-mate and the second-in-command of Iraqi PMU (Popular Mobilization Units), Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis.
Martyr Soleimani was on an official visit to Iraq and was being transported in a car with Martyr Al-Muhandis from Baghdad's International Airport upon his arrival, before being assassinated by the US.
On December 31, Iran announced that it is in the final stages of releasing an official indictment on the case of the murder of IRGC's Quds Force Commander by the United States back in 2020.
