Petraeus plays footsie with Iran

I look forward to seeing what might come of this in the next administration…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and its allies share some interests with Iran when it comes to stabilizing Afghanistan, Army Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. military’s Central Command, said on Thursday.

Petraeus stopped short of advocating increased cooperation with Iran on Afghanistan, saying it would be up to policymakers to weigh the common interests there against major disputes between Washington and Tehran on other issues.

President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to increase diplomatic efforts to engage Iran and to talk directly to its leaders. Petraeus’ remarks raised the prospect that Afghanistan could be part of that dialogue.

Could our Track 2 diplomatic efforts be picking up steam?

The restoration of Iranian cooperation in Afghanistan would be a welcome development, and it would do more than anything — certainly more than ongoing U.S. air strikes inside Pakistan — to remind the Pakistani military establishment where its best interests lie.