Has Iranian influence taken a hit with the results of the Iraqi national elections? Far from it, according to columnist Muhammad Saleh Sadqiyan of the Iraqi newspaper, Iraq of Tomorrow. Sadqiyan writes that by leaving the door open to all parties – secular and otherwise – Tehran has adroitly positioned itself to remain the go-to regional power, regardless of who forms Iraq’s new government.
For Iraq of Tomorrow, Muhammad Saleh Sadqiyan writes in part:
In regard to Iran, it was one of the first countries to open an embassy in Baghdad, bless the political process after the fall of Saddam, and begin to pursue its interests within the new system. These include ensuring that in terms of its aspirations and goals with neighboring countries, Iraq’s new system has needs that differ from the previous one. For example, the need to secure a common border of over 1400 kilometers and not constitute a threat to Iran’s national security in the decades to come. Accordingly, Iran has attempted to exploit its “wonderful and historic” relationship with some Iraqi factions, and “to a degree” stood at a distance the from Iraqi factions courting her attention and seeking her approval for actions and developments since April 9, 2003 [the day of the U.S. invasion].
According to Iranian sources, Tehran chose not to use its veto on any of the Iraqi factions. This was meant to convey that it would be on positive terms with whatever candidate became prime minister. … Now that Iran has secured its interests with whatever Iraqi government sits in the Green Zone, it doesn’t appear to want to cross paths with the U.S. or Arab countries with an interest in Iraq.
There is a sense that Tehran won’t object to National List candidate Allawi forming a new government – not because it has withdrawn its support for outgoing Prime Minister Maliki, but because it believes that someone like Allawi may be able to secure a regional consensus and achieve security and stability. This is especially true since Syria and Saudi Arabia have come out in support of this option. The backing of Syrian leaders considerably lessened Shiite fears of an Allawi victory.
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