Iraq’s government have asked for enhanced cooperation with neighboring Iran regarding air defense after the Persian nation showed its “defensive capabilities” when downing a United States (U.S.) military drone, Iran’s state news agency reported Sunday.
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“Enjoying religious commonalities and facing common enemies have aligned the countries,” Deputy Commander of the Iraqi Army Tariq Abbas Ibrahim Abdulhussein said during a meeting with Commander of the Iranian Army’s Air Defense Force, Brigadier General Alireza Sabahi-Fard.
The Iraqi officer added that “in the light of the previous instances of observation by Iraqi military delegations of Iran’s defensive capabilities,” Bagdah will push for cooperation as Iran has shown advanced capability in designing and manufacturing defensive systems.
The cooperation, Abdulhussein said it would include areas such as production, training, and logistical support in various fields. While Iran’s Commander stated his country’s “complete readiness to meet Iraq’s defensive needs in all areas of expertise concerning manufacturing and supporting air defense systems.”
This comes as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran announced on June 20 that their forces downed a U.S. reconnaissance RQ-4 Global Hawk drone in the southern province of Hormozgan, which was violating the nation’s airspace.