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The Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Saturday rejected what it called US interference in its affairs after the US embassy issued a statement urging neighboring Iran to respect Iraq's sovereignty and allow for demobilization. Shiite militias.
The US embassy in Baghdad issued a message on Tuesday saying Tehran must "respect the sovereignty of the Iraqi government and allow the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration" of Shiite militias.
This was one of many statements posted on the embassy's Twitter account describing US requests before the new US sanctions against the Iranian oil and financial sector came into force. These sanctions worry Iraq, which imports essential supplies from Iran.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement "that it rejects interference in the internal affairs of Iraq, especially the reform of internal security", and called for the removal of the publication on Twitter. Washington and Tehran are fighting for influence in Iraq since the 2003 US invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Iraqi Shiite militias, who took part in a US-backed Islamic State defeat campaign, were formally integrated into the security forces this year. Some militias are backed by Iran, a Shia-majority nation. Washington wants to disarm them.
The United States has announced that it will grant Baghdad a waiver on Iranian gas and energy imports for Iraqi power plants and essential food products, Iraqi officials said on Friday.
