Iran,  Iraq,  Iraq War,  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iraq War Watch: Iran’s Ahmadinejad Says America Should Leave Iraq

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, and his Iraqi counterpart Jalal, Talabani, right, sit as their ministers sign bilateral agreements in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, March 3, 2008. Ahmadinejad on Monday dismissed U.S. accusations that his country is training extremists and demanded that the Americans withdraw from Iraq.

Iran’s President Mahmound Ahmadinejad launched a barrage of criticism against the United States and the Iraq War.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday dismissed U.S. accusations that his country is training extremists and demanded that the Americans withdraw from Iraq.

Speaking in a nearly hour-long news conference at the end of an unprecedented visit to Iraq, Ahmadinejad said the U.S. allegations — that Iran is training Shiite militants who target American troops and Muslim rivals — don’t matter to the Iranians.

“Of course American officials make such remarks and such statements, and we do not care … because they make statements on the basis of erroneous information,” said the hard-line Iranian leader, who smiled through much of the session. “We cannot count on what they say.”

He said the foreign presence in Iraq was an “insult to the regional nations and a humiliation.”

Of course, Iran wants to be the BIG DOG and exert HEGEMONY in the region. But, most Iraqis are not Persians and have fought Iran for decades.

So, why does Iraq allow Ahmadinejad a platform to attack America?

It is obvious. They are playing both sides against the middle.

The United States will long have a presence in Iraq no matter which political party wins the Presidency in November – to fight Iran’s hegemony and its goal to dominate the Middle East.