In a statement on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi congratulated Halbousi, the Iraqi lawmakers and the Arab nation on election of the new parliament speaker.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has been always a supporter of Iraq’s democracy, territorial integrity and sovereignty, and supports the decisions made by the representatives of people,” he added.
Hailing the election of new parliament speaker as a major step towards formation of a new government in Iraq, Qassemi said, “We hope to see the election of president and prime minister soon, and preparation of the ground for the formation of Iraq’s new elected government.”
A few hours earlier, Iraq’s parliament elected al-Halbousi as speaker, paving the way for the establishment of a new government four months after the national election.
Halbousi’s election marks the start of a 90-day process outlined in the constitution, designed to eventually lead to a new government.
Before running in May’s national election as a candidate, Halbousi was the governor of Anbar province. He had previously served in Iraq’s parliament, from 2014 to 2017.