ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq’s foreign ministry on Monday expressed its “astonishment” at remarks made by Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, accusing Tehran of provocative and interfering statements in the country’s internal affairs.

Earlier on Monday, Baghaei condemned American interference in the Iraqi parliamentary elections as “harmful,” claiming it threatens the country’s peace and stability, adding that despite the electoral results, the “friendly” ties between Baghdad and Tehran will persist.

“The Ministry expresses its astonishment at [Baghaei’s] statement, which it considers provocative and a clear and unacceptable interference in Iraq's internal affairs,” the ministry said in a statement.

It emphasized that the election process “is a purely national matter and exclusively concerns “the will of the Iraqi people and their constitutional institutions.”

Baghdad’s relations with its neighbors are based on “the principle of mutual respect for sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs” of the country, the statement noted, adding that maintaining “good” ties requires “avoiding any statements or positions that could infringe upon Iraq's sovereignty” and the country’s domestic concerns.

 The US has recently expanded efforts to withhold Tehran’s influence on Iraq, among which was imposing sanctions on several Iraqi bank executives and the Muhandis General Company over allegations of funding the IRGC and affiliated groups in Iraq.

Furthermore, Chaldean-American Mark Savaya, the newly appointed US special envoy to Iraq, has made clear Washington's desire to clamp down on the activities of pro-Iran groups in the country.

Savaya has previously expressed that there is “no place for armed groups operating outside [Iraq’s] authority” and advocated for a “fully sovereign Iraq.”

Iraq is poised to hold parliamentary elections on Tuesday, where more than 7,750 candidates are competing for 329 parliamentary seats under a proportional representation system. The country held an early polling process on Sunday to allow security forces, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and detainees in certain facilities to cast their ballots.