No country in the Middle East is monitoring postwar events in Iraq more closely than Iran. Geographical proximity, an intense and bloody history of conflict with Saddam Hussein's Iraq, religious and emotional connections to Shi'a Iraq, and concerns about the United States and its policies in the region are all threads that tie Iran to its western neighbor. Given ongoing tensions with America, Iran is particularly concerned with the likelihood of a continuing US presence next door, as well as with America's dominant role in shaping Iraq's post-Saddam future.
No country in the Middle East is monitoring postwar events in Iraq more closely than Iran. Geographical proximity, an intense and bloody history of conflict with Saddam Hussein's Iraq, religious and emotional connections to Shi'a Iraq, and concerns about the United States and its policies in the region are all threads that tie Iran to its western neighbor. Given ongoing tensions with America, Iran is particularly concerned with the likelihood of a continuing US presence next door, as well as with America's dominant role in shaping Iraq's post-Saddam future.