I recently ran across a report from _Al-Hayat_ containing the details of a paper that Iran presented at the Sharm al-Sheikh conference earlier this month. I couldn’t find a link for the article, but the full text is in the comments.

Anyway, the piece cites unnamed sources claiming that Iran is linking resolution of the nuclear issue with other issues, such as Iraqi security. It’s one of the more detailed discussions of the subject that I have seen.

According to the piece,

bq. …the Iranian plan for a solution in Iraq cannot be separated from the “basket of the region and the nuclear file.” Therefore, any agreement on Iraq between the two influential poles in it; namely, Iran and the United States, should be accompanied by understandings on other regional files, especially in Lebanon and Palestine.

The reason? Iran has a very firm grip on the US, um, ear and doesn’t wanna let go:

bq. These sources say that Tehran believes that the nuclear issue is outwardly separate from the other regional files, especially the Iraqi file. However, *regional files reflect on the nuclear issue negatively or positively, especially since Tehran cannot give up, or accept participation in, cards, which it holds and which it considers to be strong, without achieving any progress in its nuclear file in exchange for this.* It proposes proceeding with regional files in parallel to the nuclear file.

Given that the US doesn’t want to link the nuclear issue with anything else, this whole thing is getting increasingly complicated.

Solid.