Iran and the US cooperation in Iraq: hope for the future?

The Islamist State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) now controls parts of Iraq that were already out of Baghdad's control so their advance, so far, doesn't mean much, except to the people who are dead or now subject to the Saudi Wahhabis-style of Islam, the mot fanatical of all.

For news about how developments are affecting Kurds, see Forbes, Rudaw, and The Huffington Post.  The news is schetchy and grim, so far.

Iran will not allow oil-rich Basra, where many Shiites live, to fall into Sunni Jihadist hands.  I don't know how strongly Iran feels about Baghdad.

Overall, except for the human suffering -- not a minor "except" -- events are developing in ways that are good for the United States, Western Europe, and Pakistan, and are unfavorable to China.  And there is finally a Bad Guy in Syria that the West can oppose, on the ground that ISIS is worse even than Assad.

 Meanwhile, Netanyahuists chew their fingernails to the bone and rational Israelis cross their fingers in hope of avoiding War with Iran.  Watch out for the cornered creature: he's dangerous.

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Deutsche WelleDaily update ⋅ June 16, 2014IRAQ

US Secretary of State won't rule out cooperation with Iran in Iraq crisis 

US Secretary of State John Kerry will not rule out cooperation with Iran against Islamist militants in Iraq. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has called on Shiite-led Baghdad to form a national unity government with Sunnis.
In an interview with Yahoo News on Monday, Secretary of State Kerry said that he "wouldn't rule out anything that would be constructive" to stop the rapid advance of the Islamist State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), including military cooperation with Iran. 

Kerry's comments come after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also expressed openness to cooperating with Washington in Iraq. Rouhani told a news conference on Saturday that "we can think about it, if we see America starts confronting the terrorist groups in Iraq and elsewhere." 

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-led government is closely allied with both Iran and the US. Cooperation between Washington and Tehran in Iraq would signal a major thaw in their otherwise adversarial relationship, just as they seek to conclude a final deal over the Islamic Republic's disputed nuclear program by the end of July. 

Washington broke off official diplomatic relations with Tehran in 1979, after Iranian revolutionaries stormed the American embassy and held 66 US diplomats hostage for 444 days. 

US 'deeply committed' to IraqI 

n his Monday interview, Kerry went on to say that the US was "deeply committed to the integrity of Iraq as a country." The Secretary of State said that Washington may carry out drone strikes against ISIS. 

According to US broadcaster CNN, Washington deployed the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde to the Persian Gulf on Monday. The warship reportedly had 550 marines on board. But US President Barack Obama has ruled out sending ground troops to Iraq. The Pentagon has alreadydeployed an aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, to the region.
ISIS militants reportedly captured Tal Afar on Monday. The northern city, located 548 kilometers (340 miles) northwest of Baghdad and 70 kilometers west of Mosul, has a predominantly ethnic Turkmen population of 200,000. 

On Friday, Kerry said that President Obama would take "timely decisions" about how to address the advance of ISIS, an al Qaeda splinter group. 

Saudis call for Iraqi unity 

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has called on Iraq's Shiite-led government to reach out to the country's minority Sunni community. Riyadh said that Baghdad should form a national unity government as quickly as possible. 

The Saudis accused Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki of triggering the current crisis by pursuing "sectarian and exclusionary" policies. Iraq's Sunnis have accused al-Maliki of using counterterrorism as pretense to discriminate against and oppress their minority community. 

Reports from the region have suggested that some Sunni communities in Iraq are welcoming ISIS advances, viewing the group as a possible defender against the Shiite-led central government in Baghdad.
slk/jm (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)