Iran supplies Syria via Iraqi airspace. - The Pilot

 

"American senators visiting Iraq warned the Baghdad government Wednesday that it risked damaging relations with the U.S. if it is allowing Iran to fly over its airspace to deliver weapons to Syria. An Iraqi government spokesman responded by saying Iran has told Baghdad the flights to Syria are only delivering humanitarian aid. He said the onus is on the U.S. to offer up proof that Tehran is shipping weapons. Senator Joe Lieberman, an Independent from Connecticut, said Iraq's failure to stop the flights could threaten the long-term relationship with the U.S. as well as aid Iraq could receive as part of a 2008 strategic pact between the two nations. "Bottom line, this kind of problem with these Iranian overflights can make it more difficult to proceed with the Strategic Framework Agreement in the manner that the prime minister and we would like to see happen," Lieberman told reporters in Baghdad. "So I hope this is cleared up quickly." "  Pilotonline

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So, "Deputy Dog" (Jon Stewart's pet name for him) "hopes this is cleared up quickly."  Do the fabulous threesome, (McCain, Lieberman and Graham) realize how foolish they look and how much they are being mocked by Maliki and Company?  Do they?  Have they no pride?  Have they no shame?  Perhaps they are taking lessons in foreign affairs from Bibi and the other Lieberman.  That pair have done so well with their BHO relationship.

Seriously, sort of,  IMO Iraq think the idea of a long term "strategic" relationssip with the USA to be a bad joke, a joke so bad that it cries out for mockery.

They are allowing the use of their airspace for re-supply?  Wait until they figure out a way to run convoys across northern Iraq to Syria.  The Syrian jihadi guerrillas should not prove an impenetrable obstacle to that.  And... the other end of that supply line can have a branch that runs to Russia...

Meanwhile, on HC's trip to China things did not go well.  The Chinese basically told her "NO!"  We run our policy about Syria, not you.  She would have been better off if she had gone to the convention.  pl  

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_IRAQ_US?SITE=VANOV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-09-05-11-20-28

Comments

[Pirouz]

The media and even most American politicians qualify Syria as "Iran's closest ally". That's inaccurate. Thanks to OIF, Iraq is now Iran's closest ally.

[Jose]

So, "Deputy Dog" (Jon Stewart's pet name for him) "hopes this is cleared up quickly." Do the fabulous threesome, (McCain, Lieberman and Graham) realize how foolish they look and how much they are being mocked by Maliki and Company? Do they? Have they no pride? Have they no shame? Perhaps they are taking lessons in foreign affairs from Bibi and the other Lieberman. That pair have done so well with their BHO relationship

Respectfully, they are good at doing what they are told to do.

I posted, a while back, about the ease of Iran resupplying its interested actors via Iraq. Short of starting a war, there few options available to us.

The Chinese, IMHO, are the real winners in this folly of ours.

[MRW]

Re: PL comment.

Agree.

[Herb]

Regarding Clinton in China, my impression was that the Chinese are much, much more piqued by what they percieve as US meddling in their sovereign right to control the South China Sea as their own feifdom.

Regarding Iran, this tidbit from yesterday's New York Times opinion page shows why we are backing one brand of Islamist:

"Some in Congress worry whether Mr. Morsi will abide by the peace treaty with Israel, and there are legitimate concerns about his harsh treatment of critics of the news media and whether he means to represent fairly all Egyptians, including Christians. But he has, so far, upheld the peace treaty, handled a militant attack in the Sinai Peninsula reasonably well and, on a trip to Tehran last week, publicly lambasted the Iranian leaders for supporting President Bashar al-Assad of Syria."

So what if they off a few dissidents, did you see him tweak the Iranians?

[bth]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/2012910165717645191.html
This article regarding further recent currency devaluations for Iran may be relevant. One wonders who is funding Syria's government, the potential impact of sanctions on Iran's economy and Egypt's negotiation with Iran about buying oil while requesting an IMF loan concurrently while the US forgives Egyptian debts.