Iraq turns to Iran and Russia for arms to fight terrorism

Iraq turns to Iran and Russia for arms to fight terrorism.(Reuters).

According to Reuters:

Iran has signed a deal to sell Iraq arms and ammunition worth $195 million, according to documents seen by Reuters - a move that would break a U.N. embargo on weapons sales by Tehran.

The agreement was reached at the end of November, the documents showed, just weeks after Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki returned from lobbying the Obama administration in Washington for extra weapons to fight al Qaeda-linked militants.

Some in Washington are nervous about providing sensitive U.S. military equipment to a country they worry is becoming too close to Iran. Several Iraqi lawmakers said Maliki had made the deal because he was fed up with delays in U.S. arms deliveries.

"We are launching a war against terrorism and we want to win this war. Nothing prevents us from buying arms and ammunition from any party and it's only ammunition helping us to fight terrorists," said the spokesman, Ali Mussawi.

The official documents seen by Reuters showed that six of eight contracts were signed with Iran's Defense Industries Organization to supply Iraq with light and medium arms, mortar launchers, ammunition for tanks as well as artillery and mortars.

A final two contracts were agreed to with the state-owned Iran Electronic Industries for night vision goggles, communications equipment and mortar-guiding devices.

One of the contracts includes equipment to protect against chemical agents. An Iraqi army major with knowledge of procurement issues said that would include items such as gas masks and gloves, as well as injections. Baghdad has expressed fear the militants will use such agents against its forces.

Where United States policy priorities preference the conflict in Syria and Iraq as a dictatorship putting down a democracy movement or Sunni disenfranchisement, the nations of Syria, Iraq and Iran (and Russia) see the conflict as a war against terror.

Iraq's first choice for arms is from the United States. But the Baghdad government finds American prerequisites conditional for timely or expedited deliveries as meddling in their internal affairs, and a weakening of resolve in a conflict they're approaching squarely as counter-terrorism. Meanwhile, the Iranians position themselves as the more reliable, regional ally.

At the very least, Baghdad is signaling strengthened defense ties with Tehran should specified United States arms deliveries remain, as the Iraqis see it, delinquent. Hmmm....Obama: 'If We Work Hard, Afghanistan Could Be a Success...Like Iraq!'