WELL, GOOD: With rising US pressure, Iran worries about losing ground in Iraq.

The United States is trying to pressure Iraq on all levels to distance itself from Iran and curb Iranian influence in the country. It also gave Iraq 45 days to stop importing gas and electricity from Iran. Iraqi officials revealed to Reuters that Iraq plans on submitting a proposal to the United States to continue importing gas and energy supplies in exchange for medication and foodstuff.

In line with US pressure and sanctions, Iraqi Minister of Oil Thaer al-Ghadban asserted during his first press conference that Iraq will put its national interest first in regards to sanctions on Iran. He said Iraq will stop exporting oil from Kirkuk fields to Iran, estimated at less than 30,000 barrels a day.

Iraq is also gradually looking to Turkey to bridge the gap stemming from reducing its dealings with Iran.

Keep up the pressure. Although I can’t help thinking that if Bush had given Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a well-earned bloody nose back in 2004 or ’05, when they started blowing up US troops in Iraq, there’d be a lot less Iranian influence everywhere today. Of course, you could say something similar about every American President going back to Carter.