Iraq: Iran's waiting game

sptimes:In the labyrinths of Tehran's old bazaar, it doesn't take long to find the Iraqi-owned shops. Dozens of Iraqi merchants have set up small stores here as a way to survive during years of exile.

Each Iraqi knows someone who was abused or tortured under the Saddam Hussein regime. Many of these exiles welcomed the 2003 U.S. invasion as the only realistic way to rid their country of dictatorship.

Zuhair Razavi, who owns a small bead shop, says Iraqis "kiss the hands of the Americans" in thanks for overthrowing Hussein. He says it's time for Iraq to establish an Islamic state.

Iranian leaders also are happy to see Hussein gone. "We think America has done the best work for us, removing Saddam, our worst enemy," said Mehdi Rafsanjani, son of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

But Iranian leaders look forward to seeing U.S. troops gone from Iraq, too. While the United States confronts a tenacious Iraqi insurgency and strong international criticism, Iran can wait to reap political benefits, according to Mehdi Rafsanjani. Read more