Iran to stand by Iraq in fighting terrorism: Official

Tehran, June 26 (IANS) Iran would stand by Iraq in fighting terrorism on its request, Iranian foreign ministry official said Thursday.

"If Iraq asks (for help), we will send military equipment to Iraq within the framework of international laws and contracts," Xinhua cited Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian as saying.

Abdollahian said Iran has not yet received any such request, adding that Iraq has the required ability to itself deal with the conflicts inside the country.

The remarks came in reaction to a report Wednesday by 'The New York Times' where it claimed that Iran has been sending drones and military equipment secretly into Iraq to help the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham Wednesday denied the presence of any Iranian military officials in Iraq, dismissing such claims as "not true".