IRNA – President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that there is still a long way ahead for uprooting terrorism and establishing full security in the region.

He made the remarks in a meeting with the representatives of Iraqi political parties on Monday where he added that over the past years, the Iranian and Iraqi governments have made extensive efforts to broaden relations.

Happy to see that the two nations and governments have been alongside each other in sensitive junctures, he said, noting, “When the US through oppressive sanctions is seeking to create division among friendly countries such as Iran and Iraq, we should withstand against their excessive demands.”

When certain countries imagined that Iraq would fail against Daesh, Iranian nation was standing alongside its people, as they together managed to deal a heavy blow to the terrorists, Rouhani said.

“Fortunately, security and stability are restored to Iraq today and we are happy to see democracy prevails in the country and all the parties are working for the country’s future,” he said.

“We should create unity among the regional nations and governments through joint political and cultural efforts,” he said, stressing that terrorism would not eliminated only through military operations.

Origin of all the problems in the region is Zionism and those who are seeking to dominate regional states’ wealth, he said, adding that big powers are against development of the countries, as they are just thinking about their interests.

Representatives of the Iraqi political parties unanimously rejected oppressive sanctions against Iran, voicing their solidarity with the Iranian nation in the face of the sanctions.