Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq’s PM, made his first official visit to Iran to meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. During his exile from Iraq, Al-Maliki had spent much of his time in Iran, where we was safe from Hussein’s rule. Since Saddam was removed from power, Iraq has sought to have better relations with Iran. Last month a deal was reached to import Iranian gasoline, kerosene, and cooking fuel to Iraq. Ahmadinejad said, “All our assistance to the Iraqi people will be to establish complete security… Iran and Iraq enjoy historical relations. These relations go beyond neighborly ties.”

Iraq’s new alliance with Iran is greatly opposed by its ally-by-default, the United States. The US has repeatedly and hypocritically accused Iran of interfering with Iraqi politics and supporting terrorism. The US also claims Iran is harboring Al Qaeda fugitives. Iran denies the charges, yet does not rule out the possibility that some infiltrators might have crossed its border illegally. In America, political pundits and politicians for both the Republican and Democratic Party accuse PM al-Maliki and President Ahmadinejad of being anti-Semitic. It is yet unknown whether this strengthen alliance between the two men will greatly affect American fear-mongering in that regard.
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