TEHRAN, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian commander reiterated the country's opposition to the scheduled Iraqi Kurds' independence referendum.
Kurds' independence referendum "is in line with the U.S. policy of dividing the regional countries," Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said, according to Press TV.
"Iran is definitely against it," Jazayeri was quoted as saying.
On Monday, Chief of Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said that the Islamic republic is against disintegration of Iraq.
Any changes in the political geography of Iraq, given the imminent independence referendum of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, can start tensions and conflicts inside and outside Iraq, Baqeri said.
Iran's political and military officials have announced their opposition to the Iraqi Kurds' referendum, saying that the stable, secure and unified Iraq will help the country's progress.
On June 7, Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region announced that it had planned to hold a referendum on independence on Sept. 25 to decide whether or not to secede from Iraq.
