Foreign Policy quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Faysal Itani on Iranian involvement in combating the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham:
Faysal Itani, a fellow at the Atlantic Council, said that top Iranian officials appear to have the “freedom and license” to operate inside Iraq and to help “shape the trajectory of the conflict and its priorities.” Itani said that Iran maintains considerable influence inside its neighbor because, unlike the United States, it never withdrew its forces or disengaged from the country. On top of that, he said that Iran makes good use of proxy forces like Hezbollah. “Iran has plenty of practice in both Iraq and Syria,” he said.