Not So Strange Bedfellows

Iraq ♥ Iran. Which puts the United States in the embarrassingly difficult position of having the nascent democracy it built cavorting with one of its "Axis of Evils." Kind of like hating your daughter's boyfriend. But worse, with the whole nuclear arms and civil war stuff thrown in the mix.

While the United States government has ratcheted up its rhetoric with respect to Iran, Iraq has come to Iran's defense. Yesterday, the New York Times reported that one of Iraq's most influential clerics vowed to use militias to protect Iran against foreign intervention.

The Iraqi cleric who once led two uprisings against U.S. forces said Sunday that his militia would help to defend Iran if it is attacked, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

Muqtada al-Sadr, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting with the top Iranian nuclear negotiator, said his Mahdi Army was formed to defend Islam.

''If neighboring Islamic countries, including Iran, become the target of attacks, we will support them,'' al-Sadr was quoted as saying. ''The Mahdi Army is beyond the Iraqi army. It was established to defend Islam.''

The comments could be seen as a message that Tehran has allies who could make things difficult for U.S. forces in the region if Iran's nuclear facilities are attacked.

Well, you say. That's a cleric, not a formal representative of Iraq. The Iraqi government still has our back, right? Not quite. The official Islamic Republic News Agency reveals that Iraq's Foreign Minister has been meeting with leaders in Iran in order to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. As recently as this week,  in the midst of international fury over Iran's actions, the Iraqi Foreign Minister called for a  closer Iran-Iraq relationship:

Jan. 18th- Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, during a meeting with Iranian Charge d'Affaires Hassan Kazemi-Qomi on Tuesday, called for deepening of relations between the two neighboring countries.

He urged the two governments to continue the current trend of relations and speed up implementation of plans and agreements which have already been signed by the two countries.

In the span of a week, Iraq's Foreign Minister and one of the most influential religious leaders in Iraq have met with Iranian officials and expressed solidarity and support.  Indeed, after meeting with al Sadr, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, called Iran and Iraq "natural allies."

And what feeds a relationship more than money? Last week, Iran meet with Iraq's electricity Minister Abd al-Muhsin Shalash. The purpose? The implement an agreement between the two countries to build nine electricity transfer plants.  Recall that Iran maintains it wants nuclear power for "peaceful energy purposes." So while the United States and other nations are threatening sanctions against Iran, Iraq is indeed strengthening its economic relationship with that country.  

Add to the mix that Iran and Syria issued a joint statement this week reinforcing their close relationship and common goals, and I'd say the situation in the region is fucked up. More so than usual, which is saying a lot.

These ominous developments do not bode well for the United States.