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WOLF
BLITZER: Let's get to the Iranian threat right now in
Iraq. Five years to the day after that statue of
Saddam Hussein was toppled in Baghdad, is the U.S.
exchanging one foe for another foe?
Let's discuss with our Baghdad correspondent, Michael
Ware. He's here in Washington in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Once again, you were up on the Hill for a second day
in a row watching all of this unfold. Some have
suggested -- and I don't know where you stand on this
-- that the big winner over the past five years in
Iraq has been Iran.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, that's much
more than a suggestion; it's obvious fact. Indeed,
the most senior U.S. officials in Iraq have
repeatedly told me that that is in fact the case.
The American invasion of Iraq, the removal of Saddam
and, preceding that, the removal of the Taliban, all
amounted to a gift to Tehran on a platter. We've seen
--
BLITZER: In part because Saddam Hussein was such a
bitter foe of the regime in Tehran.
WARE: Absolutely. Iranian influence stopped at
Saddam's border. Now that has opened. Physically and
in terms of influence, it has spread.
And look who the American-sponsored elections brought
to power. All of the major factions of the Iraqi
government are linked to Iran.
BLITZER: Mostly Shiites?
WARE: Mostly Shia, but even the Kurdish parties.
Indeed, the president of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, is a
Kurd, but he shares a border with Iran. He's got a
long association.
BLITZER: So, what you're seeing is that, today, five
years later, Iran is a much more formidable foe to
the United States in that part of the world than it
was when Saddam Hussein was in power?
WARE: Oh, there's absolutely no doubt about that. And
that's what's really driving this war now. This is
not so much a war against al Qaeda. Sure, it's a war
to check al Qaeda's spread. But the real nature of
the conflict, of the competition in Iraq today, is
America's pursuit of influence vis-a-vis Iran.
BLITZER: If the U.S. were to withdraw, though, very
quickly within let's say over the next year, the new
president takes office, and they starting
withdrawing, what happens then in terms of Iranian
influence in Iraq and the region?
WARE: What few checks there are now will be removed.
You will see Iran further consolidate its influence.
And then you would except to see it expand that and
press its advantage. Indeed, this is what America's
Arab allies have literally been screaming about since
before the invasion.
BLITZER: So, when Jordan's King Abdullah about a year
or so ago warned of a Shiite arc emerging from Iran
through Iraq through Syria and then into Lebanon to
fight, if you will, to be a counter to the Arab
Sunnis, what you're saying is, there is some truth to
that?
WARE: Well, that's certainly part of Tehran's
ambitions. They have very aspirational interests.
First, they're trying to prevent an Iraq from ever
attacking it again, like it did under Saddam. And
America acknowledges Iran does have legitimate
interests in Iraq. But they have interests that go
far beyond that. There's long been talk of the Shia
crescent.
They're trying to not just check Sunni/Arab
influence, but to expand their own. And we see them
sponsoring Hamas, a Sunni organization in Palestine.
BLITZER: Or Hezbollah.
WARE: Hezbollah, an Arab organization, though it's
Shia, in Lebanon. So, you hear people talking about
America's strategy to curb Iran inside Iraq. It's a
fallacy, Wolf. They're saying that they're relying
basically on the divide between Arab Iraqis and
Persian Iranians. That's going to be nowhere near
enough.
BLITZER: Michael Ware, thanks very much.
And Michael is going to be interviewing General
Petraeus tomorrow here in Washington. And we're going
to looking forward to that interview right here in
THE SITUATION ROOM.
Michael, thanks very much.
WARE: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, good, Michael Ware, our reporter
in Baghdad. He's here in Washington.