Iran 'backs US military contacts' to fight Islamic State

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

Iran's Supreme Leader has approved co-operation with the US as part of the fight against Islamic State in northern Iraq, sources have told BBC Persian.

Ayatollah Khamenei has authorised his top commander to co-ordinate military operations with the US, Iraqi and Kurdish forces, sources in Tehran say.

Shia Iran regards the extremist Sunni Islamic State (IS) group, which views Shias as heretics, as a serious threat.

Iran has traditionally opposed US involvement in Iraq, an Iranian ally.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29079052

[Renew Deal]

1. The enemy of my enemy is my friend

And I guess ISIS is a bigger enemy than Israel.

[riversedge]

3. Obama and his administration have so many oranges

and applies to put in a row. It was easy for bush to order our military to invade--simple really. Obama is doing the hard work. Trying to keep our boots OFF the ground while at the same time getting rid of these killers.

[stevenleser]

2. This ought to cause some serious cognitive dissonance here.

Some folks here have been trying to say that ISIS doesnt really exist or isnt a real threat or is just a pretext to get America back into the Middle East.

This pretty much shatters that idea/those ideas.

[roamer65]

5. Bibi will freak out on this news.

[stevenleser]

6. Yes, his reaction will be interesting to see. nt

[L0oniX]

15. AIPAC will raise hell over this idea.

[IkeRepublican]

31. Unlikely

Shit. They're probably the facilitator of this.

[PatrynXX]

21. yeah after doing a HUGE favor to Hamas this summer

should be interesting..

[The Magistrate]

7. I Repeat, Sir

Before this is over, we will be flying ground support strikes for al'Quds battalions.

People who cannot wrap their minds around things like that ought to stay out of the Near East, and should certainly refrain from comment on its affairs. Only people able to hide behind a corkscrew without the slightest strain to their spines should involve themselves there....

[stevenleser]

9. I agree depending on whether you mean the Iranian group or

the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group as I think both are called al'Quds.

I think the Iranians are our logical allies here and the fact that they are clearly afraid of ISIS should tell any doubters how dangerous ISIS is.

[RiverNoord]

10. This awful mess could result in some very positive change

It appears that the Saudis, Turkey, Iran, Syria (both virtually all the rebel factions and the 'government'), and Qatar, as well as other major regional players, are aligning against this single enemy.

War is an horrible thing, and we created this mess by invading and breaking Iraq, but the prospect of vastly improved relations among 20th century regional opponents in the region as well as the United States is... really interesting.

[L0oniX]

14. Watch AIPAC raise hell over this idea.

[Amonester]

20. Who are they going to call? Ghost-Busters?

[RiverNoord]

25. Let 'em. I suspect that our current President

and his State Department would savor the opportunity to ignore them entirely in a matter of our foreign policy...

[DCBob]

30. +1

[L0oniX]

32. Yep ...I would expect Obama to a little miffed over the insults yet.

[PatrynXX]

22. thats the problem with Republicans.

BOMB them don't care who and what 9 wars we start in the process. Just last year they wanted to get rid of Assad now they want to work with him. o_O hey John you were photographed with ISIS before they went to Iraq. smh

course if we Invade Iraq... basically inviting Russia to do what they want in Ukraine .

This town needs an enema

[Renew Deal]

11. Those people were wrong from the beginning

This news doesn't change that.

[Strelnikov_]

23. IMHO cooperation has been going on for a number of weeks now

A couple of weeks ago I read an article regarding an operation involving Shia militias, w/ Iranian 'assistance', relieving a surrounded enclave, with the assistance of US air strikes. Somebody was there providing FAC.

With the Iraq debacle, Iran and KSA are the only nation states left in the region that can restore some sense of order. They are going have to be players we work with . . . except they are enemies also.

Clusterfuck redefined.

[Deadbeat Republicans]

4. Let's make a gun deal.

Last edited Fri Sep 5, 2014, 01:54 PM - Edit history (1)

[samsingh]

8. incredible

[Festivito]

12. I had to read that slowly, even then ...

Iran traditionally has Iraq as a buddy!

Traditionally! ?

War Buddies perhaps.

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. You might read that as Iran traditionally opposing US involvement in Iraq

which is true; and that Iraq is currently an Iranian ally - true since the elections which got the Shia-led government in.

[L0oniX]

13. Iran sees an opportunity to keep McCain from ...bomb bomb bomb ...bomb bomb you know. &...

This is a way for Iran to make amends with the US while saving face ...and getting those nasty sanctions reduced or removed. On the other hand ...Israel will never stand for any team work with Iran.

---> watch AIPAC raise hell over this idea

[blm]

17. This is a huge breakthrough for that entire region.

.

[Festivito]

18. Yes, our support of Sadaam, hated traditionally,

since they were anything but his ally back then.

Yes that would make them traditionally opposed to our involvement with Iraq.

What an upset to the public relations campaigns on their side and our side.

[flamingdem]

19. I doubt that this can stand with Obama

He probably has to find someway to distance the US even if they conduct military operations in the same area.

Tricky.

[Comrade Grumpy]

24. It seems like the least they should do. After all...

...our post-9/11 policies have greatly benefited Iran's regional position. We eliminated their Sunni adversaries in Iraq (Saddam Hussein) and Afghanistan (the Taliban).

[Scootaloo]

26. Good. The US should embrace this

The only way to deal with IS is to form a regional coalition - Iran, Iraq, and Syria - to work against the group. Very probably Turkey as well. The US takes a backseat, providing intelligence and maybe unmanned air support - maybe even material support to iraq - and we let the locals work together to take the lead on the problem in their backyard.

The US needs to abandon its standing policy of keeping the middle east destabilized. Our "Dictators or anarchy" policy is clearly demonstrated to bring nothing but pain to the region - and eventually to us as well. we need to do what we can to turn that around, foster regional cooperation and security, rather than simply imposing our own order for the few moments our guns are pointed in that direction.

If the people in the region want a caliphate, fuck it, more power to them, it's their world, their decision. But let's try to put some groundwork out there to build it out of national cooperation rather than conquest and brutality.

[Purveyor]

27. Without a doubt some 'netanyahunista' heads are exploding as I type. eom

[sadoldgirl]

28. It would be very risky for us

to work with Iran without the Saudis. Isis has to be fought by Shiites and Sunnis. How to accomplish that I don't know, but if we only support the Shiites we just cause more trouble.

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. US rules out military co-operation with Iran against IS

The US has said it has no plans for any military co-operation with Iran to fight against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq.

A US state department spokeswoman said Washington would also not "share intelligence" with Iran.

Iranian sources earlier told the BBC Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had authorised one of his top commanders for such contacts.

But Iran's foreign ministry also denied the report as incorrect.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29088180

[Strelnikov_]

33. See post 23 above

All in my humble opinion, of course.

Considering the internal politics of both countries, this is what I expected.

20-30 Special Forces FAC's are pretty easy to cover up.