Jun 12, 2014

TEHRAN, Iran — The rapid advance of Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) forces and the quick fall of Mosul on June 10 has become a matter of concern in Tehran, as the Iraqi army showed shocking weakness in this first serious encounter since the US withdrawal from Iraq. Mosul is closer to the Iranian border than it is to Baghdad, which has been victimized by jihadist terrorism and might be within ISIS's sights.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, a senior Iranian National and Regional Security Affairs official who requested anonymity said, “Some countries are trying to take revenge in Iraq for their defeat in Syria.” He accused countries who fueled the war in Syria of being behind the latest developments in Iraq, if indirectly.

“The fire will burn those that are backing ISIS. The United States and Saudi Arabia will feel the heat soon. They adopt double standards on one side, they place ISIS on their terror lists, and on another they give weapons to the Syrian opposition,” he said. “The Saudi government has to take a clear position on this. There should be a regional and international effort to fight terrorism. If we agreed that terrorism is becoming a common danger, then we can save the region.”

“Iran is ready to help, if the Iraqis ask,” said the official. “Iraq is an independent state. They have a government, parliament and an army. We respect Iraqi sovereignty, and we believe that the Iraqis as a government, people and tribes don’t need help from others. We will deal with Iraq like Syria. We can give advice to our Iraqi neighbors. Any further help should be requested officially.”

When asked if Iran would intervene militarily if necessary, the official explained that the situation in Syria is a good example of true friends always being ready to help each other when needed. “In Syria, they [the opposition] failed because of the Syrian government’s determination and because of Damascus’ allies’ genuine help. In Iraq, the same will happen. As Syria emerged victorious, Iraq will [do the same], and the conspiracy will fail. We are quite sure. … We think this is a serious challenge, but it’s also an opportunity to bring together regional powers in a unified battle against evil.”