Iran cleric sees problems, duress in US-Iraq pact

Tehran: A senior Iranian cleric said on Friday parts of a US-Iraqi security pact backed by the parliament in Baghdad this week remained problematic, and Washington had forced its passage with pressure and threats.

But Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, who heads a powerful constitutional watchdog in the Islamic Republic, appeared to welcome the inclusion in the accord of a timetable for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.

He was the first senior Iranian figure to comment on the deal, which paves the way for US forces to leave Iraq by the end of 2011, after lawmakers approved it on Thursday.