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By Seyed Mohammad Marandi, University of Tehran

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s interest
in a stable Middle East is arguably greater than that of the United
States—after all this is Iran’s neighborhood.  For Iran to grow and
prosper, it needs secure borders and stable neighbors. A poor and
unstable Afghanistan, for example, inhibits trade and, potentially,
increases the flow of refugees and narcotics into the northeastern part
of Iran.

Arguably, stability in Iraq may be even more critical to Iran than
stability in Afghanistan.  The Iran-Iraq war caused enormous suffering
to the people of Iran; Iranians will not forget it in the decades ahead.
They will also not forget that their suffering was largely because of
American and European support for Saddam Hussain—including Western
support for his acquisition of weapons of mass destruction, which he
regularly used against Iranian and Iraqi civilians. There was no
condemnation from western governments or even the western media for
these cruel and barbaric acts. Iranians believe that western leaders are
just as guilty for these crimes against humanity as Saddam Hussain
himself. It is critical to note that Iran never used or produ... >>>