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Iran Talks Reverberate through Web of Mideast Alliances

(Los Angeles Times) Patrick J. McDonnell - The Middle East is abuzz with speculation about a thaw between Washington and Tehran emerging from the Geneva talks. "It's about a new alignment and its potential impacts in Syria, in Iraq, in Lebanon, in all the regional arrangements," said Paul Salem, an analyst at the Middle East Institute. The Sunni-dominated Persian Gulf kingdoms accuse Shiite Iran of meddling from Syria to Lebanon to Bahrain. "The traditional Arab allies of the U.S. in the region, the Saudis specifically but also the Jordanians, are shocked by this American transformation," said Fahed Khitan, an Amman, Jordan-based political analyst. "The Saudis and the Israelis are, perhaps for the first time, in a camp together." Iran has in fact cultivated a regional sphere of influence extending from Lebanon to Syria and Iraq. To the east, Iran has sought to foster ties with the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. It is also close to the Shiite-dominated government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.
2013-11-26 00:00:00
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