Iran leaders oppose security agreement

TEHRAN, Iran – Iraq’s prime minister made little headway in easing Iranian opposition to a U.S.-Iraqi security pact, as Iran’s supreme leader told him Monday that American troops must leave the country.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki met over three days with Iranian leaders in Tehran, trying to ease opposition to the agreement – apparently hoping to stop Iranian denunciations while assuring the Iranians that a deal would pose no threat to their security.

But in talks Monday, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made clear his rejection of any agreement. He said “occupiers who interfere in Iraq’s affairs through their military and security might” are the main cause of Iraq’s problems and the “main obstacle in the way of the Iraqi nation’s progress and prosperity.”

He told al-Maliki that Iraqis must “think of a solution to free” the country from the U.S. military, and he vowed that “America’s dream for Iraq will not come true,” according to state-run television.