Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says he envisions the effort to save Iraq’s Maliki government from al-Qaeda as something his nation and the US can agree with, and cooperate on.
Iran was the first nation involved when al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) started seizing territory across the nation, and the Iranian Quds Force is believed to be leading the defense of Baghdad.
The reformist Rouhani may have common cause with the US, but the Pentagon isn’t willing to acknowledge that yet, with sources saying they found the signs of Iranian involvement in Iraq “concerning.”
The concern is odd, since there’s no question the Iranian troops and the Obama Administration are on the same side in this conflict, but after years of blaming everything that went wrong with their own occupation of Iraq on Iran, the Pentagon seems to just be resorting to their old talking points.
Buy lotsa popcorn………………..
USG love to see Iraq collapse as it is, it well fit their plan in dividing Iraq along the line of what was proposed by Joe Biden and other democrats or republicans alike senators just when "mission accomplished" was announced by Bush fascism regime. Barack Hussein Obama already have said that he is not going to do anything unless Iraqi government agrees to reform, (read the article by Jason Ditz here) Barack Hussein Obama simply for filling what he had promised to Saudis and UAE by starting his first atrocity against people of Libya, then Syria and now Iraq all over again.
I don't agree that there is "no question" that the US and Iran are on the same side in Iraq. Throughout the Middle East the US has generally taken the side of Sunnis and Sunni-dominated governments; and I think the support of the US for the Shia-dominated government in Iraq is a unique byproduct of the US Government's obsession to get rid of the Sadam Hussein regime in Iraq, which forced the US Government to accept the replacement of that regime by a democratically elected Shia majority government. Vice-President Biden is on record for an ultimate three-way sectarian split of Iraq between the Shia majority, the Sunni minority and the Kurdish minority; and it should come as no surprise that Biden's preference is emerging before our eyes now. Our Government has long supported a separate Kurdistan in northern Iraq (supported through the 90's by a "no-fly zone" with air strikes on the central Iraqi government); so the maintenance of a sovereign Iraq with existing national borders is not really a US goal that has been effectively supported by our Government — unlike the Iranian government' which obviously has its own interests in maintaining a Shia-majority governed Iraq with existing borders.
At this point, both Iraq and its 'savior'- the US- are going to need all the help they can get to defend themselves against the ISIS forces. Instead of being suspicious of Iran, maybe Washington should be cheering them on as they have chosen to actually DO something for Iraq instead of wasting time talking about which options are 'on the table'. The Pentagon, at least, should be breathing a collective sigh of relief that it's Iranian boots on the ground instead of American this time. Iraq is practically an Iranian satellite nation already, so Iran has every reason to fight the Sunnis there instead of on their own soil.
On the other hand, does anyone seriously think the jihadis will stop with Iraq? Of course not, once they see what riches are to be gained by controlling Kuwait, and the rest of the oil-rich kingdoms dotting the region. We're (allegedly) not sending troops to Iraq, but will we also refrain from sending them to Kuwait, or Dubai, or Qatar, or Bahrain, to name a few? I think not.
Jason Ditz says “…there’s no question the Iranian troops and the Obama Administration are on the same side in this conflict…”.
I’m not so sure about that. Considering that
1. “Al-Qaeda” was created by the CIA in Afghanistan in the 1980s
2. The bin Laden family is long involved with the Bush family and other members of the Carlyle Group
3. “Al-Qaeda” never attacks Israel, but does attack states which are not obedient to US diktats or which are targeted by Israel, such as Syria and Iran
4. The US government arms, trains, and sponsors (supposedly “moderate”) “Al-Qaeda” terrorists in Syria while supposedly opposing them in Iraq
5. The US government has repeatedly talked of bombing Syria to aid the terrorists in Syria, thus creating the possibility of the US becoming “Al-Qaeda’s Air Force”
6. The ISIS forces also receive support from close US allies like Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
and
7 Are advancing toward Iraq and ultimately Iran (they hate the Shia). Iran is also hated by Sunni states such as Saudi Arabia).
I might be wrong, but taking all of the above into account, I’m not so sure that Washington isn’t secretly celebrating.
but Al Qaeda isn't that sort of top down hierarchical organisation that cn told what to do. really they can only operate in a power vacuum. and Isreal keeps a very close watch on its PAL residents for any sort of terror campaign to happen.
funny how a US trained army belonging to a shite govt allied with Iran was smashed by the radical sunni forces covertly backed by Saudi Arabia
With the Saudi's backing ISIS http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/14/… it's hard to imagine how this will play out. Does the US side with its "ally" Saudi Arabia? Or Iran.
This is one fine mess you've gotten us in, Neocons.
One possible turn of events is that the citizens of the US will finally look at who 15 of the 19 hijackers were on 9/11 and realize they've been conned…nah, that'll never happen… http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-gop-donor-moo…
I don't see that threesome happening any time soon, Obama dare not challenge the war party.
US wants to bomb Iran more so then ISIS; they do both if they do one.
USA supplies weapons to both sides – according to this German article: http://einarschlereth.blogspot.com/2014/06/wie-di…
Which may explain why the Pentagon is concerned about Iran's involvement. It's hard to keep secrets, and "catapult the propaganda" when an outside observer is on the scene.
The US has been on the side of Iran's enemies. I would be shocked if the US doesn't side with its master Saudi Arabia. Iraq and Iran are asking it to abandon its terrorist sponsoring master and join them. The US had to have known that Iraq would be partitioned at least prior to the 2003 Iraq war. I wouldn't be surprised if the policy is let them kill each other while getting cash from arms sales. This is an opportunity to take the war to Tehran. It has been the goal all along. If Iran doesn't help Iraq then ISIS may take over. If it does then it will be a more savage replay of Ukraine and Russia, Syria and Iran. If the US didn't side with Iran on Syria then why would it on Iraq unless it thinks it can get some permanent enduring bases out of it and the Iraq government become its puppet. It is obvious US wants a bloody regional civil war and it is hoping to suck Iran further into it to weaken it for regime change. Iran could be fighting Hitler and the US would still fine Iran's actions concerning.
Richard Young and others who have commented here are correct. It is far from clear that the US and Iran are on the same side of the conflict. US neoconservatives and others, like Joe Biden, have long been advocates of the partition of Iraq, something that the ISIS is facilitating.