Analysis: Efforts to curb Iran's influence may be doomed

Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki met with Iranian President Ahmadinejad in Tehran late last year, as did Iraqi President Talabani

BAGHDAD — Even as the U.S. works to crack down on Iran's role here, it's becoming clear that the U.S.-backed Iraqi government holds a vision of Iraq's future that is closer — in key ways — to Tehran than Washington.

It's also increasingly apparent that Tehran is backing some of the same Iraqi groups the United States favors.

That means America may be doomed to fail in its efforts to curb Iran's influence in Iraq, simply because its own allies here — both Shiite and Kurdish — are warm toward Tehran's role.

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