http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2006/May/middleeast_May671.xml§ion=middleeastBAGHDAD, Iraq - With a new Iraqi government in place, Iran is positioning itself to play a major role here at a time when American influence is showing signs of faltering.
That is worrisome to Iraq’s Arab neighbors, especially Sunni-dominated countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt. But it also raises serious questions for Washington, including the wisdom of withdrawing entirely from Iraq when it has long been considered the eastern defense against Iranian expansion.
Concerns about Iran have simmered since the March 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq removed a Sunni-dominated dictatorship and set the stage for democracy - or, inevitably, Shiite rule in a country where Shiites hold an overwhelming majority.
Those issues have now come to the fore because of Iran’s confrontational stance over its nuclear program. In effect, Iran’s recent robust behavior in Iraq serves to remind Washington that it has its own cards to play - including influence among Iraqi Shiites - if the Americans threaten Teheran militarily over its plans to enrich uranium.
Iran has wasted little time in moving to shore up ties with the new government that took power last month in Baghdad. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki flew to Baghdad on Friday, where he was warmly welcomed by Iraq’s new leadership, including not only Shiites but also Sunni and Kurdish politicians.
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