A report that the United States spied on Iraqi officials shows a lack of trust and casts a shadow over relations with US intelligence agencies, the Iraqi government said on Friday.

The Washington Post said on Friday that a book by US journalist Bob Woodward reported that the United States spied on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki and other Iraqi leaders.

"If it is true ... it reflects that there is no trust," government spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh said in a statement, adding that Iraq would ask the United States for an explanation.

"If it is true it casts a shadow on the future relations with such institutions," he said, referring to the Central Intelligence Agency and other US agencies.



Agencies