Operation to Liberate Mosul Should Not Be Used for Political Gains – Tehran

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A successful campaign to free the Iraqi city of Mosul from Daesh militants will be a truly positive development but it must not be used for political purposes, the Iranian ambassador to Russia told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"This will be a positive development only as part of the effort to fight terrorism, rather than a tool in a geopolitical struggle or part of a plan, for instance in the US election race," Ambassador Mehdi Sanaei said.

He commented on US presidential candidate Donald Trump's claim that Iran would be the "big winner" in Mosul. Speaking at the last presidential debate, the Republican also suggested that the Iraqi offensive against the Daesh stronghold was timed to the election campaign of his Democrat rival, Hillary Clinton, who wanted to "look tough."

On October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the start of a military operation to recapture Mosul from Daesh, a jihadist group outlawed in Russia, with the help of airstrikes by the US-led international coalition. Ambassador Sanaei said the Iranian government stood by Iraq and believed a strong government in Baghdad benefited the entire region.