Washington says it backed Iraq in the war against Iran

Former US ambassador to Iraq David Newton said in a statement to a United Arab Emirates daily that the US "has done its best" to prevent the collapse of the Iraqi front in its confrontation with Iran during the war between the two countries in 1980-1988, al-Nahar reported.

Newton added that Iraq was "in a defensive position after the first year of the war to its end, and was threatened of defeat, a matter which meant catastrophe for the states of the Gulf region."

Newton said the US was then very keen that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein not lose the war. He went on, "Our best contribution was the political pressure on Iran to accept a cease-fire and end the war."