During a meeting with the visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on October 18, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei called on all Iraqi officials to spare no efforts to form a united government as soon as possible.

The swift formation of a united government and the restoration of security in Iraq are the country's two major issues, Khamenei was quoted as saying by the local satellite Press TV.

He also expressed the hope that the United States will leave Iraq and the problems of the war-torn people will be resolved soon.

The Iraqi Prime Minister, for his part, described Iraq's relationship with Iran as strategic and amicable, according to Press TV.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during a meeting with Maliki, said he hoped that a new Iraqi government would be formed soon so as to end the hardship of the Iraqi people and that all Iraqi political parties could collaborate to reconstruct the country.