Iran welcomes Allawi's appointment as Iraqi prime minister, calls for U.S. pullout

Newly appointed Prime Minister of Iraq, Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi delivers a televised speech in Baghdad, Iraq February 1, 2020. Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via REUTERS

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran on Sunday offered its full support for new Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi and reiterated its backing for the government's demand for U.S. forces to leave the country.

Iran has deep ties with many Shi'ite political parties and militias in Iraq as well as Kurdish parties from the north. Iranian officials have tried to use their influence to keep a government sympathetic to their interests in power in Baghdad.