An embassy cable from Baghdad, dated November 13, 2009, was part of the classified State Department documents exposed by WikiLeaks. It read: “Concerns about long-term U.S. influence, albeit tempered by the withdrawal deadline, continue to inform IRIG [Iranian government] decision-making to ensure its strategic foothold in Iraq. Iran views Iraq as a natural (and more junior) strategic partner. As a result, Iran will continue to flex its muscles to ensure its strategic outcomes are met. This should not lead to alarmist tendencies or reactions on our part. The next Iraqi government will continue to cultivate close ties with Iran given long-standing historical realities that precede Iraq’s ties with the United States.”
– “US Embassy Cables: Iran Attempts to Manipulate Iraq Elections,” The Guardian (courtesy Wikileaks), Dec. 4, 2010