Pentagon chief accused Iran of trying to influence the outcome of elections in Iraq

Beijing. March 16. Silkroadnews - The U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis accused Iran of trying to influence the outcome of the parliamentary elections in Iraq scheduled for May, the Iranian Telegraph Agency (IrTAG) reports.
“We have worrisome evidence that Iran is trying to influence - using money - the Iraqi elections. That money is being used to sway candidates, to sway votes - not an insignificant amount of money, we believe, and it’s highly unhelpful,” the agency quoted Mattis.
Elections to the Council of Representatives (Parliament) of Iraq are scheduled for May 12.
24 million people out of 36 million population of the country have a right to vote. Candidates from 18 provinces, including Kurdish autonomy, are elected to the Council of Representatives. The agitation campaign will officially start on April 10.