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Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15148/iran-soleimani-iraq
Growing Threats to Iran's Middle East Empire
(Gatestone Institute) Amir Taheri - For almost two decades, Maj.-Gen. Qassem Soleimani has been in charge of the Islamic Republic of Iran's empire-building scheme. Yet the current popular uprisings in Lebanon and Iraq, as well as Iran's humiliating marginalization in Syria, are raising doubts about Soleimani's achievements. To me, it is clear that Soleimani has achieved virtually nothing in Syria apart from helping prolong a tragedy that has already claimed almost a million lives and produced millions of refugees. Moreover, in the medium-term, Soleimani's militias in Lebanon are likely to be in self-preservation mode rather than acting as the vanguard of further conquests. Iraq is home to the third largest community of Shiite Muslims after Iran and India. However, the majority in Iraq sees itself as Iran's rival for regional leadership. For Iraqi Shiites, it is Najaf in Iraq, not Qom or Tehran in Iran, that is the beating heart of the faith. The writer was executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from 1972 to 1979.