Quote Originally Posted by jonSlack
...While Hekmatyar and Iran had a falling out in 2002, I do not think it is completely unlikely for them to create another friendly relationship with the US as the common enemy...
When we kicked off ops in Afghanistan, the Iranians looked at it as a positive development. We had a quiet agreement with them regarding CSAR on their territory if it became necessary, among other things. All that went in the crapper with the "Axis of Evil" speech in Jan 02.

The Iranian body politic is a fractious one, with a tight coterie of US-hating fundies attempting to maintain control over all the rest. Not to mention the larger government trying to keep the lid on a young population seething with desire for change. For far too long we've treated the place as some sort of monolithic entity, and lost many excellent opportunities for manipulation and exploitation - unfortunately, as time has passed, such opportunities have become rarer, narrower and more limited in potential.