Pentagon Denies Plan to Coordinate Iraq Strikes With Iran

Security Talks With Iran May Still Go Ahead

Despite the Obama Administration considering direct security talks with Iran on the worsening situation in Iraq, the Pentagon insists that there will be no coordinated military action with Iran.

Iran was the first country to send aid to Iraq’s Maliki government as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) began to sweep through the nation’s west and drew close to Baghdad. The Iranian Quds Force commander is coordinating the defense of Baghdad.

The Obama Administration has raised the prospect of similarly aiding the Maliki government, likely with air strikes, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani proposed a joint operation to save their mutual ally from the ISIS takeover.

The Pentagon has long blamed Iran for everything that has gone wrong with Iraq, particularly during the long US occupation, and even though that narrative no longer flies in the face of the growing sectarian war, it seems the mistrust remains. The Pentagon is adamant on this, though the State Department is said to be more open to the idea.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.