Iran and Syria, longtime adversaries of Washington, have said an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces would be the best solution for Iraq, fearing threats to their security and regional influence. Iraqis sought to allay their fears, amending the pact with the ban on cross-border attacks from Iraq. On Monday, however, Iran’s judiciary chief, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, said the Iraqi Cabinet acted “very well” in approving the pact. The Web site of Iran’s state television quoted him as saying he hoped the U.S. will withdraw from Iraq within the time specified in the deal. “The Iraqi government has done very well regarding this,” he said. “We hope the outcome of (the deal) will be in favor of Islam and Iraqi sovereignty.” Shahroudi is very close to Iran’s top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his comments reflect thinking of conservatives within the ruling system, but not all hard-liners or President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Hard-line outlets, which have said the pact would “turn Iraq into a full-fledged colony” and urged Iraqis to oppose it, remained adamant. “Iraqi government gave in to American capitulation,” read a front-page headline in the hard-line daily Jomhuri-e-Eslami newspaper Monday.