Iran congratulates Iraq on Mosul victory over the Islamic State

Iran has congratulated Iraq on its declared victory over the Islamic State jihadist group in Mosul and offered its help to rebuild the devastated country.

world Updated: Jul 10, 2017, 14:05 IST

AFP, Tehran

A general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City. The European Union on Sunday hailed the defeat of the Islamic State group in Mosul as a ‘decisive step’ in fighting terrorism but called on Iraqis to work together to improve their country. (AFP)

Iraq's national flag is suspended to a drone of Iraq's federal police as forces celebrate in the Old City of Mosul. (FADEL SENNA / AFP)

A member of Iraq's federal police kisses a girl as forces celebrate in the Old City of Mosul . The victory marked the formal end of a bloody battle that lasted nearly nine months, left much of Iraq’s second-largest city in ruins, killed thousands of people and displaced nearly a million more. (FADEL SENNA / AFP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi earlier announced that pro-government forces had retaken the second city from IS after a months-long battle that killed thousands of civilians and forced nearly a million people from their homes. (AFP)

Iraqi people celebrate the liberation of the embattled city of Mosul in Baghdad. (Khalid al Mousily / REUTERS)

Mosul, the largest city in either Iraq or Syria held by the Islamic State, and its loss signifies the decline of the territorial claims of a terrorist group that had its beginnings in the aftermath of the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. (REUTERS)

Iraqis gather in Tahrir square as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Baghdad, Iraq. (Hadi Mizban / AP)

Children holding Iraq’s national flag react as Iraqi forces celebrate in the Old City of Mosul. (REUTERS)

An Iraqi boy flashes the sign for victory as he celebrates in the Old City of Mosul. (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

IS still controls swathes of western Iraq including much of the desert Anbar province and rival forces, which largely cooperated against the jihadists in Mosul, are expected to compete for a share of the spoils. (Felipe Dana / AP)

A member of Iraqi Federal police kisses an old woman in West Mosul, Iraq. (Alaa Al-Marjani / REUTERS)

Smoke billowing following an airstrike by US-led international coalition forces targeting Islamic State (IS) group in Mosul. IS still controls swathes of western Iraq including much of the desert Anbar province and rival forces, which largely cooperated against the jihadists in Mosul, are expected to compete for a share of the spoils. (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

The prime minister joined hundreds of civilians in Mosul to celebrate the army’s gains over ISIL. (AFP)

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, center, holds a national flag upon his arrival to Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (R) shaking hands with police and army officers upon his arrival in Mosul. (AFP)

Iraqi forces drive their vehicle past a mosque in Mosul's Old City. The nearly nine-month battle for Mosul has ruined parts of the city, killed thousands of civilians and displaced nearly one million. (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

Members of the Emergency Response Division rest in the Old City of Mosul. (Alaa Al-Marjani / REUTERS)

Iraqi civilians sit inside a house as they wait to be taken out of the Old City during fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in Mosul, (Felipe Dana / AP)

Iraqi Federal Police celebrate the victory in the Old City . (Ahmed Saad / Reuters)

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A general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City. The European Union on Sunday hailed the defeat of the Islamic State group in Mosul as a ‘decisive step’ in fighting terrorism but called on Iraqis to work together to improve their country. (AFP)

Iran has congratulated Iraq on its declared victory over the Islamic State jihadist group in Mosul and offered its help to rebuild the devastated country.

“Congratulations to brave people and Government of Iraq upon liberation of Mosul,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote late Sunday in a tweet.

“When Iraqis join hands, no limits to what they can achieve.”

Congratulations to brave people & Government of Iraq upon liberation of Mosul. When Iraqis join hands, no limits to what they can achieve.
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 9, 2017

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was in Mosul Sunday, officially marking the end of a difficult campaign to retake the city, where IS declared its self-styled caliphate three years ago.

Other Iranian officials were also quick to welcome the victory, Iraq’s biggest yet against the jihadists.

It was a “great achievement in the path to ending the presence and savage actions of the criminal Daesh (IS) group against the Iraqi nation”, said Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in messages to Abadi and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the country’s most revered cleric.

“The government, armed forces and the brave nation of Islamic Iran... are prepared to offer aid to the displaced and injured in the war and help rebuild the cities and vital infrastructure in the country,” official news agency IRNA quoted Shamkhani as saying.

Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan and the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, also congratulated Abadi, saying they were ready to boost defence and security ties with Baghdad.