Iran softens resistance to U.S.-Iraq troop pact as it 'calms Tehran's concerns, too...'

McClatchy's, here and the SanFran Chronicle, here, via IC

"...Next door to Iraq, Iranians, who had opposed an agreement to withdraw American forces from Iraq by the end of 2011, now are assured that Iraq will not be used to attack them. Even though Iraq is not a Shiite theocracy like Iran, the Iraqi Cabinet's decision was significantly affected when Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric, signed off on the deal....

Obama's victory disarms leaders such as Ahmadinejad, who for decades have used inefficient American foreign policies as excuses to justify their own failures, mismanagement and corruption. Earlier this year, Ahmadinejad said that the "U.S. (political) establishment will not let Obama win the presidential election."

"...The Web site of Iran's state television quoted Iranian judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi as saying, "We hope the outcome of (the deal) will be in favor of Islam and Iraqi sovereignty, security and stability in the region. "We hope that the American forces will withdraw completely from Iraq within the schedule limited for them..."