TEHRAN, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Iraq inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost bilateral defense cooperation on Monday, the official IRNA news agency reported.

    Visiting Iraqi Defense Minister Lieutenant General Abdul Qadir Mohammed Jassim Obeidi al- Mifarji signed the MoU with his Iranian counterpart Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar, said the report.

    The MoU called for "expansion of defense cooperation between the two countries," the report said, adding that the document also called for unearthing the landmines planted during the 1980-1988 war between Iran and Iraq from the war fronts.

    Iran and Iraq fought the war between 1980 and 1988 but their ties have warmed considerably since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime in 2003.

    On Sunday, the Iranian defense minister and his Iraqi counterpart vowed to expand their defense cooperation.

    Najjar said on Sunday that consolidation and bolstering of defense ties between the two countries would play a significant role in safeguarding peace, stability as well as ensuring durable security in the region.

    The two countries' pledge to expend defense cooperation came as the United States is pressuring Baghdad to sign an agreement that would allow U.S. soldiers to stay in the country beyond 2008.

    Iraqi critics of the agreement said that it means Iraq will be a client state in which the United States will keep more than 50 military bases and American soldiers will enjoy legal immunity.

    Iran fiercely opposes the agreement, which is expected to be signed by midsummer, and has always called for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.