The US – Iran – Syria triangle
By Olivier Guitta
While many in the US are calling for a "dialog" with Syria, Tehran is very much noticing.
For proof, this article from The Croissant:
Syria and the US are getting too close for Iran’s comfort. In fact, Iran is allegedly very unhappy with Syria’s actions and its eagerness to get closer to the US.
First, Tehran is upset about Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moallem‘s eagerness to meet with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Sharm el Sheikh, outside of the frame of the Iraq conference.
Second, this tension between the two countries really started publicly after the Damascus visit of US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Tehran calls Syrian diplomacy haphazard and risky. For some Iranian diplomats, this Syrian behavior will profit Washington rather than Damascus. Furthermore, Iranians are well aware that the US in particular and the West in general are trying to drive a wedge between Damascus and Tehran in order to weaken them both. Because of this, Tehran is not going to yield any regional files to Syria. Tehran feared that in order to avoid the International tribunal in the case of the murder of Rafik Hariri, Syria will turn its back on Iran.
On Iran and the US, Iran is very satisfied with its decision to reject the visa applications of US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other numerous Democrat members of Congress who wanted to visit Tehran.
No negotiation with the US, until...
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