It would be a mistake from a number of perspectives for the United States to ally with Iran in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Iranian human rights activist Amri Basiri wrote in an article published on Tuesday in The Hill.
Basiri argued that it would be morally wrong to support the Iranian-backed Iraqi militias that “are allegedly involved in crimes against humanity and the torture and murder of innocent civilians.” It would also be a political miscalculation as “[r]econciliation between Sunnis and Shiites is one of the main stepping stones toward defeating ISIS.” Aligning with Tehran, Basiri cautioned, could drive Sunnis into accepting ISIS as bulwark against the Iran-backed Shiite militias.
He also argued against such an alliance from strategic and tactical perspectives.
From a strategic perspective too it is wrong to welcome Iran’s role in the Iraqi crisis. Iran and U.S. are following completely contrasting agendas in Iraq. The U.S. seeks to stabilize the country and prevent the propagation of the onslaught caused by I.S. Iran only seeks to expand its influence and fulfill its longtime dream of occupying Iraq and further expanding its western borders. Ayatollah Khomeini, the deceased founder of the Islamic Republic, had openly voiced his desire to “conquer Jerusalem through Karbala.” Today, Iran’s officials are bragging about occupying four Middle-East capitals.
From a tactical perspective, it’s wrong to place U.S. troops in the crosshairs of Iran-backed militias. Contrary to the belief of U.S. officials, Iran’s enmity with I.S. is not rooted in ideological beliefs and is rather one of convenience. Tehran would not hesitate to order its proxy groups to switch sides and turn on U.S. troops as soon as it deems that the I.S. is no longer a threat to its interests and influence in Iraq. In fact, only a few hundred miles eastward, Iran’s ally, Bashar al-Assad, is colluding with I.S. in order to repel the advances of opposition forces seeking to dislodge him from power.
As Basiri points out, several Iranian-backed militias that the United States is currently working with have “been involved in terrorist attacks against U.S. targets dating as far back as the 1980s,” and allying with them would be akin to fighting “evil with evil.”
Former CIA director Gen. David Petraeus said in an interview in March that the Iranian-backed militias pose a greater threat to American interests than ISIS. Last month, it was reported that the United States would be stationing American military advisers at the same Iraqi base where Iranian-backed militias, including those who had killed American troops, are located. Jonathan Spyer, director of the Rubin Center, recently observed that “[t]he leadership of three of the four most powerful militia bodies is linked to Iran.”
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