Capt. Jarrett Moffitt (left) and members of the Border Training Team observe conditions along the Iranian border during a visit to Al Shuhada Fort, one of the outposts protecting the Iran-Iraq border. The team is working with Iraqi border guards to stop the flow of insurgent forces and supplies into Iraq. Photo by: Spc. Lee Elder, 133rd MPADFrom Foreign Policy Blog:
One untold story about the security pact that the Iraqi cabinet approved today is the role of Iran. Mary Beth Sheridan's article in the Washington Post leaves this clue:
[T]he accord was attacked by Iraqi politicians when a near-final draft was distributed last month. Some explained their turnabout this week by noting that the U.S. government had accepted last-minute changes demanded by the Iraqi Cabinet.
The changes were mostly minor, according to people close to the negotiations, but may have allowed Iraqi politicians to portray themselves as driving a tough bargain. Lawmakers are wary of appearing too pro-American, and some faced pressure from Iran, which strongly opposes the accord, Iraqi officials and analysts said.
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My Comment: Iraq is predominantly Arab .... not Persian. The only similarities between the two is religion .... culturally they are on the opposite sides of the rainbow.