Iran’s Revolutionary Guards ignore Iraq’s borders
500,000 Iranians enter Iraq without a visa en route to Syria
The European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA) strongly condemns the migration of more than half a million Iranians illegally into Iraq, under the pretext that they will attend religious ceremonies. According to the Iranian government more than 500,000 people have crossed the Zarbatiyeh border into Iraq considers in a serious violation of Iraqi sovereignty. This action was carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Qods Force and Iranian State Security Forces in coordination with Iranian agents in Iraq and militias linked to the Iranian regime. IRGC special units are said to have been deployed at the Zarbatiyeh crossing wearing civilian clothing, in an operation overseen by IRGC deputy commander Hossein Salami.
One of the goals of this act of aggression is to bring in large numbers of members of the Qods Force, IRGC, Basij and Iranian intelligence forces into Iraq, many of whom are then deployed to Syria.The illegal migration of half a million people to Iraq without a visa simply makes a mockery of Iraqi sovereignty and should not be left unanswered. The European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA) urges the United States and the UN Security Council, which have direct responsibility for the situation in Iraq, to adopt binding measures to put an end to the Iranian regime's meddling in Iraq and in the region and urges Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to stand up, without any reservations, against the aggressive actions of Tehran. He should expel the Iranian regime from Iraq by all means. The success of any reforms in Iraq as well as regional stability and security depends on it.
Struan Stevenson
Struan Stevenson is President of the European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA) He was a UK Conservative Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2014 and was President of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iraq from 2009-2014.
