The octogenarian Iraqi Grand Ayatollah remains an outsized political force that Iran must reckon with.
On March 15, 2019, Hassan Rouhani became the first sitting president of the Islamic Republic of Iran to be received by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the most prominent source of emulation in the Shiite world. Iranian authorities sought to spin the meeting as “historic,” a sign of their reach, Shiite unity, and perhaps even Najaf’s endorsement for Iran’s clerical regime. Iran, for example, a state-owned newspaper, wrote:
This is a meeting with a source of emulation who has opposed the US interventionist policies in Iraq and toward Iran, and has called for maintaining a balance in Iraq’s foreign relations. Many scholars believe that Ayatollah Sistani has always tried to bring Iraq’s political and religious views closer, and to play an influential role in national reconciliation and building constructive relations between Iran and Iraq.
Al-Monitor, a U.S.-based website that focuses on the Middle East, highlighted Iranian press suggesting that Sistani’s grant of a meeting to Rouhani was an endorsement of Rouhani’s supposed reformism. Tasnim, a news agency close to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), selectively reported Sistani’s reaction to suggest partnership and endorsement, saying the Najaf-based ayatollah praised Iran’s help for Iraq in the fight against terrorism and welcomed strong relations between Iraq with its neighbors on the basis of respect for the sovereignty of others.
Everyone knows that Western powers did not play any role at all in eliminating terrorism in Iraq. They only carried out pretentious shows with their planes and helicopters… The issue of terrorism has not ended yet and may cause problems for the nations of the region again. Americans have another dream for the region, and they are transferring terrorists and the Islamic State to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Caucasus.
Source » nationalinterest