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No One Should Mistake Iran for a Friend

(Weekly Standard) Reuel Marc Gerecht - The triumph of Sunni militants in the north of Iraq doesn't weaken Tehran's position in that country; it fortifies it. Sunni numbers and weaponry are still woefully insufficient for urban combat in hostile territory such as Baghdad. The certain increase of Sunni terrorism in Baghdad and elsewhere will inevitably tighten the ties between the Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force and Iraqi security and intelligence services, which is an enormous, long-term plus for Khamenei's regime. The Iranians will probably double down on their militant Sunni outreach, and reflexively try to find common ground with jihadists in anti-American rhetoric. While both sides kill each other, Sunni and Shiite radicals will surely try to outbid each other over who is the staunchest enemy of the United States. The writer is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
2014-06-27 00:00:00
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