Opinion (Paul Salem): Iran's troubled rise

America's decision to target Iranian agents in Iraq who may be involved in supporting violent militias is but another sign of the massive influence Iran is exercising in that troubled country. But the United States in fact facilitated Iran's growing influence by toppling Saddam Hussein's regime and that of the Taliban in Afghanistan, thus removing two factors that had kept the Iranian regime hemmed in for the last two decades. Moreover, high oil prices have filled the national treasury, and Iran is benefiting from the opportunity created by America's being bogged down in Iraq and the growing international weight of Russia and China.

Iran is also reaping the returns of long-term investments.

Read the rest at the Guardian