Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei speaks during Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 3, 2012.(Photo: Xinhua)

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Tuesday called on visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani to strengthen security measures along their common borders, official IRNA news agency reported.

Responding to Al-Sudani's assertion that he would not allow Iran's security to be threatened from Iraq's territory, Khamenei said, "Unfortunately, this is now happening in some areas of Iraq, and the only solution is that the central government of Iraq should extend its authority to those areas as well."

The Iranian top leader also urged solid implementation of cooperation agreements between Tehran and Baghdad.

For his part, Al-Sudani referred to the determination of the new Iraqi government to implement the agreements between the two neighbors and expand relations in various fields, especially in the economic field.

"The security of Iran and Iraq is not separate from each other, and according to the [Iraqi] constitution, we will not allow any party to use Iraqi soil to undermine the security" of other countries, he noted.

Earlier in the day, Al-Sudani arrived in Iran's capital Tehran for talks on a host of topics including security cooperation, and economic, trade, and political issues.
 
Xinhua