Iraq’s most influential Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Sistani expressed his strong opposition to the proposed Iraq-US security agreement.
According to a senior aide of Ayatollah Sistani, the Shiite leader said in a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki that he would not allow such an agreement to be concluded with US occupiers as long as he is alive.
The security agreement is aimed at replacing the current UN mandate for foreign troops in Iraq. Ayatollah Sistani has reportedly said that the agreement should secure the interests of the Iraqi people and not the opposite, because the coming generations will be committed to it.
The top Iraqi cleric, however, reiterated his support for Maliki’s democratically-elected government and efforts to restore peace and security to the country.
In reply to a question on his website, the Grand Ayatollah said, “Changing the tyrannical (Saddam Hussein) regime by invasion and occupation was not what we wished for because of the many tragedies they have created.“
“We are extremely worried about their intentions,“ he wrote in response to another question on his views about the US military presence.
Meanwhile, a senior Iranian official has blasted the US-led occupation forces in Iraq for trying to secure unlimited domination over the war-torn country.
Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to the leader of the Islamic Revolution on international affairs, warned that the planned US-Iraqi security agreement would prolong US presence in Iraq and leave the country in a woeful condition.
Velyati termed the accord the “law of domination“, saying the US is resorting to “various plots to secure an unlimited control over Iraq for itself and the Zionists“.
Washington has drawn up a Status of Forces Agreement and is currently negotiating its terms with Baghdad.
The deal will give a legal basis to the presence of American troops in Iraq after December 31 when the UN resolution mandating their current status expires.
“If signed, the accord, proposed by the Americans to the Iraqi government, would plunge Iraq and the region into a disastrous situation,“ Velayati warned.
“This act of conspiracy is dangerous for Iraq. This important country, home to a number of Muslim holy sites, should not be brought under the domination of the enemies of Islam.“
The Iranian official said the 12-paragraph accord provides an unlimited presence and military operation for the US troops in Iraq.
The deal also allows the US military to build 14 permanent military bases in Iraq, while the occupation forces can arrest any individual deemed a threat to the occupiers.
“The accord stipulates that Iraq’s ministries of intelligence, defense and interior will operate under US supervision for 10 years,“ Velayati said.
According to the official, Iraqi tribunals will not have the authority to judge military personnel and employees of firms working for the US military.
The deal will also give the US the right to use the country as a base for attacking other states in the region.
Velyati called on Iraqi religious scholars to take serious measures to block the deal, “as they have done before over the Iraqi Constitution and elections.“

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the Zionist regime is not in a position to set conditions for withdrawing from Golan Heights.
Mottaki made the remark at a joint press conference with the head of Hamas political bureau, Khaled Meshaal, at the Foreign Ministry building on Saturday.
“Under the current circumstances, the Zionist regime has no option but to withdraw from occupied lands, including occupied Palestine,“ Mottaki said. The Iranian minister stressed that Tehran backs Damascus in its drive to retake Golan Heights.
During talks with Meshaal, the two sides strongly condemned the Zionists’ atrocities and underlined the need to put an end to Gaza’s siege. Meshaal, for his part, said 11,600 Palestinians have been arrested by the Zionist regime in the Gaza Strip.
“Some 160 civilians have been killed in Gaza and 11,000 have lost their jobs,“ he said.
On Golan Heights, he said, “We support the liberation of Golan Heights as well as other occupied lands and believe that Syria should retake its own land and not compromise on the rights of the Palestinian nation.“
“Nobody should trust the Zionist regime,“ he said, adding that Syria will remain committed to the legitimate rights of Palestinians and Arabs. In a meeting with Meshaal, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili said the Zionist regime’s atrocities against the innocent Palestinian nation indicate weakness of the occupation regime and its allies.
Jalili praised the consistent resistance of Palestinian people, saying that the Zionists’ refusal to hold a referendum in Palestine proves their fake claims to support democracy.
The senior Iranian official said the firm determination of Hamas to defend the rights of Palestinians is the key reason for its popularity.
Meshaal, for his part, said the siege of Gaza is today the prime violation of human rights in the world.