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Iran Competes with U.S. for Iraq's Loyalty

By Dale Hurd
CBN News Sr. Reporter
June 14, 2004

The United States has spent much blood and treasure on the rebuilding of Iraq. But another nation intends to become the closest partner with a sovereign Iraq. That nation is Iran.

CBN.com – (CBN News) - The United States has spent much blood and treasure on the rebuilding of Iraq. But another nation intends to become the closest partner with a sovereign Iraq. That nation is Iran.
After America's rebuilding effort in Iraq, you would expect America to be the major player in that country, after the handover of sovereignty in 3 weeks.

But the White House says Iran is positioning itself to be the major player in Iraq after the handover of sovereignty, according to The Washington Post. The Post says Iran has spent months building networks in Iraqi political and religious circles, infiltrating the country with hundreds of spies, and paying millions of dollars into public works projects.

Iran is Shiite, as are the majority of Iraqis. And Iran has been building relationships with key religious leaders, even the former U.S. favorite, Ahmed Chalabi.

And while the U.S. is spending billions on rebuilding an infrastructure that many Iraqis do not actually see, Iran is spending a far smaller amount on more visible public services, like health clinics, community centers and power generators.

From the standpoint of Iran's hard-line mullahs, the U.S. must fail in Iraq. They cannot have a functioning democracy and a U.S. ally on their border.

http://www.cbn.com/CBNNews/News/040614d.asp