Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday accused the United States of trying to divide Iraq along sectarian and ethnic lines and urged Iraqis to withstand any such plans.<br />Shi'ite Muslim power Iran wields great influence in Iraq, which has a majority Shi'ite population.<br />Its military advisers are helping direct Baghdad's campaign against Sunni Islamist militant group Islamic State, which seized around a third of Iraq's territory last year.<br />It was not clear if Khamenei was referring to a specific incident, but Iran has protested about U.S. policy in Iraq several times this year.<br />"The Americans must not be allowed to consider Iraq as their personal property ... and dare to openly talk about disintegration of Iraq," Khamenei said according to his website.
