Iraqi President Jalal Talabani received assurances today that Tehran supported its neighbour's transition to democracy.
Shia Muslim Iran has repeatedly been accused of meddling in post-war Iraq, with Western and Iraqi officials charging Iran with allowing weapons and insurgents to cross its borders.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani listen to Iraq's national anthem during an official welcoming ceremony in Tehran today
But Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said such accusations were unfounded and voiced by those who did not want better ties between Baghdad and Tehran, who fought each other to a standstill in a 1980-1988 war.
"Such accusations will definitely not affect the expansion of relations between Iran and Iraq," he told reporters after a meeting with Mr Talabani, the first Iraqi leader to visit Tehran since the late 1960s.
"A popular, independent and developed Iraq will be the best friend of the Iranian nation," Mr Ahmadinejad said.
"We totally support the political process that the Iraqi nation is undergoing that will . . . guarantee its territorial integrity, independence and progress," he added.
Mr Talabani, who will meet Iran's foreign minister and top security official tomorrow, said his visit was aimed at strengthening political and commercial ties.
"We are sure that we will enjoy the Iranian government's cooperation in our struggle against terrorism," said Mr Talabani.