Abstract:
Iran–U.S. relations have been characterized by ideological inconsistencies as well as strategic competitions during the past decades. At times, their competition has been intensified particularly in the Middle East and placed the two countries at the verge of military confrontation. That said, observing the two countries’ relations with Iraq is indicative of a different pattern. Unlike other areas, in Iraq, Iran and the United States have taken distance form grand strategic competition and inclined towards some kind of indirect cooperation. In contrast to the two major viewpoints about Iran– U.S. relations in Iraq which tend to describe them as either based on strategic cooperation or all-out confrontation, that the reality falls in between these two extreme views. What best describes the reality is that despite persistence of ideological inconsistencies and strategic conflicts in the Middle East, the geopolitical constraints in Iraq and emergence of joint threats in this country have driven Iran and the United States towards indirect cooperation. In other words, emerging challenges and threats in Iraq have introduced some grounds for cooperation between Iran and the United States.
Machine summary:
What best describes the reality is that despite persistence of ideological inconsistencies and strategic conflicts in the Middle East, the geopolitical constraints in Iraq and emergence of joint threats in this country have driven Iran and the United States towards indirect cooperation.
Apart from roots of conflict and competition between the two countries as well as simultaneous role-playing of ideological–ideational and strategic factors, the possibility for change in relations or formation of certain levels of cooperation have been among very important questions for the students who are working on Iran–U.
Finally and after having a look at geopolitical restrictions of both countries and the risks of expansion of Iraqi crisis, the article studies the indirect and implicit cooperation between Iran and the United States in this country.
It will be underlined that despite distinct and special characteristics of Iran and the United States, including the ideological differences, the geopolitical realities of Iraq after collapse of Saddam served as independent variables to determine the possibility of cooperation or continuation of conflict in this country.
One of the major objectives of the United States in initiating war against Iraq was to shift its policies from one of its strategic allies in the Middle East and also balancing Iran.
On this basis, the strategic competitions of Iran and the United States were tempered in the face of geopolitical constraints and challenges and drove the two sides to reduce competitions and embark on some implicit and indirect cooperation with the aim to cope with the common threats.