Alarmed by Iraq, Iran open to shared role with US-Iran official says

The Daily Star (Lebanon) ^ | June 13, 2014 | Parisa Hafezi

[huldah1776]

Shi'te Muslim Iran is so alarmed by Sunni insurgent gains in Iraq that it may be willing to cooperate with Washington in helping Baghdad fight back, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.

The idea is being discussed internally among the Islamic Republic's leadership, the senior Iranian official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official had no word on whether the idea had been raised with any other party.

Officials say Iran will send its neighbour advisers and weaponry, although probably not troops, to help its ally Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki check what Tehran sees as a profound threat to regional stability, officials and analysts say.

Islamist militants have captured swathes of territory including the country's second biggest city Mosul.

Tehran is open to the possibility of working with the United States to support Baghdad, the senior official said.

"We can work with Americans to end the insurgency in the Middle East," the official said, referring to events in Iraq.

"We are very influential in Iraq, Syria and many other countries."

For many years, Iran has been aggrieved by what it sees as U.S. efforts to marginalise it. Tehran wants to be recognised as a significant player in regional security.

Relations between Iran and Washington have improved modestly since the 2013 election of President Hassan Rouhani, who promised "constructive engagement" with the world.

And while Tehran and the United States pursue talks to resolve the Islamic state's decade-old nuclear standoff with the West, they also acknowledge some common threats, including the rise of al Qaeda-style militancy across the Middle East.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama said the United States was not ruling out air strikes to help Baghdad fight the insurgents, in what would be the first U.S. armed intervention in Iraq since the end of the U.S.-led war.

Rouhani on Thursday strongly condemned what he called violent acts by insurgent groups in the Middle East.

"Today, in our region, unfortunately, we are witnessing violence, killing, terror and displacement," Rouhani said.

" Iran will not tolerate the terror and violence ... we will fight against terrorism, factionalism and violence."

Asked on Thursday about Iranian comments, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: "Clearly, we've encouraged them in many cases to play a constructive role. But I don't have any other readouts or views from our end to portray here today."

Fearing Iraq's war could spill into Iran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has urged the international community to back Maliki's administration "in its fight against terrorism".

Brigadier-General Mohammad Hejazi said Iran was ready to supply Iraq with "military equipment or consultations," the Tasnim news agency reported. "I do not think the deployment of Iranian troops would be necessary," he was quoted as adding.

The senior Iranian official said Iran was extremely worried about the advance of ISIL, also a major force in the war against Iran's close ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, carving out a swathe of Syria territory along the Iraqi border.

"The danger of extremist Sunni terrorist in Iraq and the region is increasing ... There have been several high-ranking security meetings since yesterday in Tehran," the official said.

"We are on alert and we also follow the developments in Iraq very closely."

[Monorprise]

Indeed, it was a mistake to leave so hastily with so much left behind.

Obama can still stop this with a sustained air-campaign to wipe out this heavy equipment. But Malki has lost control of the hearts and minds of the Sunni sections of Iraq, and honestly Kurdistan which probably should be its own country anyway.

I don’t see him winning except by waging a some what brutal and religiously defined civil war as leader of the Shitite and its not clear the rest of his people will back him.

Short of that his greatest hope is that the ISIL Army tears itself apart which is not likely to happen before Malki himself is taken out.

[Monorprise]

“Stay away America. Far, far away.

The Moslems are killing each other. What could be better than that?

Support Israel and leave the rest alone. Jesus will take care of it when he returns”

That is one way to go, however once these Terrorist have their own country will they make peace or uses that country as a base to make war against us?

Heavy air bombardment can reduce their army to little more than terrorist again. That is something even the Iraqi army may be able to mop up.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

Sounds like an opportunity to get Sunnis and Shia to kill each other.