Iran Ready to Deepen Military Ties With Iraq

Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images

Iran Ready to Deepen Military Ties With Iraq

America out, Iran in.

Iran is “ready to expand its military and security ties with Iraq,” Iran’s chief of staff of the armed forces, Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, said December 25, according to Agence France-Presse.

Firouzabadi praised the “forced departure” of America that he said “was due to the resistance and determination of the Iraqi people and government.”

“I hope the humiliating failure of the United States after nine years of occupying Iraq will serve as a lesson for them to never think of attacking another country,” he said in a message sent to the Iraqi Army’s chief of staff, Gen. Babaker Zebari, and Iraq’s acting Defense Minister Saadun al-Dulaimi.

Last month, a delegation of Iraqi military leaders under General Zebari traveled to Iran to examine areas where the two militaries could cooperate.

Meanwhile, in the wake of America’s pullout, Sunni and Shia in the Iraqi government are divided. Iraq’s Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki accused Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi of paying terrorists to attack the country. Al-Hashemi fled to the Kurdish region, and Sunni politicians are refusing to cooperate with the government.

This division plays right into Iran’s hands. It forces Iraq’s Shia to forgo any ideas of independence from Iran and instead turn to their Shia ally for support against the Sunnis. It also gives Iran a further pretext for getting involved in Iraq’s internal affairs—to restore order.

The Trumpet has forecast for decades that Iran would take over Iraq. The U.S. helped Iran by removing Saddam Hussein. Iran’s influence over the nation quickly grew. Now that American troops have left the country, expect Iran to quickly take charge.