firmation votes. And what of Iraq today? As it turns out, it's one of the closest allies of Iran. Just last week, it was reported that Iraqi Premier Noun al-Maliki has turned down the U.S. demand for sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program. Iraq also just approved the building of a pipeline for natural

w initiative, in turn, is facilitated by a number of factors. First of all, Iran not only exerts considerable influence over Iraq's prime minister, Noun al-Maliki, and his government, but it also has good relations with the Kurdistan's ruling clans, especially the Talibani family, and many Shia factions based