TEHRAN — The commander of the IRGC Quds Force says the Iraqi people’s resistance against the American, Zionist and Saudi-backed Daesh (ISIS) was a fruit of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani’s “tactfulness and wisdom”.

Iraq’s top clerics played a significant role in organizing the Iraqi people to protect the Arab country’s independence and national security, and this will last forever in the history of the region, Major General Esmail Ghaani said on Tuesday, Mehr reported.

Ghaani said Ayatollah Sistani supported Iraqi armed forces and Islamic resistance forces and helped significantly to thwart the conspiracies of the enemies of the Islamic Ummah.

In remarks on Tuesday, President Hassan Rouhani also highlighted the “unparalleled” role of the top Shia cleric in maintaining stability and security in Iraq.

He made the remarks at a meeting with Iraq’s new Ambassador in Tehran Nasir Abdul Mohsen Abdullah.

President Rouhani said that Ayatollah Sistani has always been respected by the Iranian people and government.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has also appreciated the role of Ayatollah Sistani in establishing stability and security in Iraq.

“The great authority, His Eminence, Ayatollah Sistani is the fortress of Iraq, the security valve for the region, and an asset for the entire Islamic world,” Zarif wrote in an Arabic tweet on Monday.

“Iran appreciates the role of his eminence in establishing security and stability in Iraq, preserving its sovereignty and territorial integrity, getting rid of the occupying forces and building a new Iraq according to the requirements of its brotherly people,” he added.

MH/PA