Championing the Legitimacy of the Iraqi Vote - Iran?

The Tehran Times published an editorial today lauding the recent Iraqi election (without, of course, mentioning the role of the United States and the Coalition forces in its success) and advocating a place in the new Iraqi constitution for Islamic law.

The constitution must also pay due attention to the tenets of religion, which are a part of Iraqi society, with the aim of encouraging public participation in the country’s political and social affairs.

Iran would like nothing better than to see an Islamic fundamentalist theocracy arise in Iraq, considering majority Iraqi Shiites to be natural allies.

Reading these words from a mullah-controlled house organ in one of the most oppressive regimes in the world is truly bizarre:

One of the major obstacles Iraq will face is the attempt of some regional Arab countries to prevent the establishment of a democratic and popular government.

These countries are trying to call into question the legitimacy of the election by exaggerating the size of the Iraqi minority’s boycott of the poll.

The article concludes with some self-serving platitudes:

Obviously, regional countries, including Iran, which anxiously followed developments in Iraq, want to see a stable and calm Iraq in the future. They also want Iraq to be reconstructed in a tension-free atmosphere.

Of course, the fact that the author of this article, Hassan Hanizadeh, has this piece in the same issue blaming Mossad (with no evidence) for the assassination of Former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, brings into question the sincerity of the Tehran government.

Iran's stance on the election could be taken as acceptance of the fait accompli by the US and the failure of Iran's efforts to subvert the election.