Iraq blasts US over accusing Iranian regime of graft

BAGHDAD Iraq's Foreign Ministry on Sunday demanded the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to delete a Facebook post in which it said "corruption is rife in all parts of the Iranian regime". On Thursday, the U.S. Embassy said that corruption in Iran starts from the top of the ruling regime, putting an estimate to the country's supreme leader Ali Khamenei's wealth at "$200 billion." It went on to attribute the poverty that the people languish in to "the dire economic situation in Iran after 40 years of rule by the mullahs." In response, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said the post violates "diplomatic norms and international rules that regulate the work of [diplomatic] missions in host countries." The move contradicts with the principles of the Iraqi constitution, the ministry said citing noninterference in domestic affairs of all countries. The ministry called on the U.S. Embassy to delete the post and refrain from posting statements that could affect Iraq's ties with neighboring and friendly countries. * Writing by Mahmoud Barakat