Crocker Calls for US to Treat Iraq Like an Ally
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, former US ambassador Ryan Crocker said now is a “good time for discussion” between Washington and Tehran about Syria.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor about developments in Syria and Iraq, Ryan Crocker, one of America’s most distinguished diplomats, said that it is a “good time for discussion” between the US and Iran about Syria.
Crocker, who held talks with Iranian officials while serving as US ambassador to Iraq from 2007 to 2009, said, “I would like to see us or others try to engage the Iranians now on Syria because Syria is their only ally.”
“Hezbollah is being very cautious,” Crocker observed about the Shiite Islamic militant group based in Lebanon, adding that “they are being cautious in large part because of guidance from the Iranians to be cautious."
Crocker, who was US ambassador to Syria from 1998 to 2001, warned against getting too deeply involved with the Syrian opposition at this stage “because you could find yourself decisively committed to the outcome that is most injurious to our interests. We simply, as far as I can tell, don’t know enough right now.”
