The Defense Ministers of Iraq
and Iran have agreed to a memorandum of understanding which
aims to increase military cooperation between the two sides, with a focus on
fighting against terrorism and cooperation on technical and border security
matters.
US
officials are likely to object to this agreement, as the US has been presenting
Iranian support for the Syrian and Iraqi governments in fighting against ISIS
as part of their “destabilization” of the region, and one of the reasons for
more US sanctions against them.
That’s
an ongoing problem for the US, as the 2003 US invasion and occupation of Iraq
installed a Shi’ite-dominated government run by political figures with very
close ties to Iran, and they’ve retained those ties despite general US
hostility toward Iran.
With
the focus of both Iraq and Iran primarily at fighting against ISIS, it’s no
surprise the two sides would be cooperating, as they have a natural mutual
interest in this fight, with ISIS clear that their territorial ambitions don’t
end at the Syrian and Iraqi borders, and would quickly expand into Iran as
well, given the opportunity.
No comments:
Post a Comment