The United States and Iran: Partners or Enemies?
The United States and Iran: Partners or Enemies? Recently, the interests of the US and Iran have begun to overlap over an increasing number of issues. For instance, it has not been an American priority for a long time to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria, to which Iran declared its supportuntil the last moment arguing that ‘the defense of Damascus means the defense of Tehran.’ Thesupportfor the governmentof Baghdad and the coordination between the Iraqi army and the Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) are other samples of the overlapping American and Iranian interests and policies. The nuclear deal that was reached in July 2015 has led some speculations that ‘the United States has sided with Iran.’ However, there are very rigid divergences between the two countries, and incompatible red lines such as their approaches to Israel. How can we comprehend this relationship, which can sometimes be defined as indirect co-operation, sometimes intersection of interests? Could