IFP - The newly-elected speaker of the Iraqi legislature says he won’t tolerate efforts by anti-Iran groups to use Iraq’s soil to attack the Islamic Republic.

“We won’t accept [dealing] damages to Iran from the Iraqi soil. We should protect the country and our neighbours,” Mohammed al-Halbousi said in his first TV appearance after being elected as the Iraqi parliament speaker on Saturday.

The election of the Sunni lawmaker paved the way for the creation of a new government four months after the general election.

Halbousi is the former governor of Anbar province and was the nominee of the pro-Iran bloc inside parliament.

In a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani, Halbousi described the US sanctions on Iran as “unjust”.

Under an unofficial agreement among Iraqi politicians dating back to 2003, the prime minister position is reserved for Shiites, the president is a Kurd, and the parliament speaker a Sunni.

His election triggers a 90-day process that will eventually lead to a new government.