February 6, 2007

America`s most recent Islamic ally, has been making strong inroads with Iran. Yesterday Pakistani President Musharraf, who has been heralded as one of America`s greatest allies in the region, visited Ahmadinejad in Tehran to discuss developments for a gas pipeline. During the meeting Ahmadinejad stressed the importance for both Islamic republics to strengthen their ties. In the President`s statements he called for greater relations when he said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran and Islamic Republic of Pakistan have great potentials as two major Islamic countries in the region, and two good neighbors for further expansion of economic, political and cultural ties."

In order to induce the aforementioned ties which Iran desires, Ahmadinejad said, "Tehran is ready for transferring its valuable technical experiences and scientific achievements in various fields to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan."

Ahmadinejad took yesterdays meeting as an opportunity to mouth off his distaste for American influence. The Iranian President referring to the U.S. said, "The Presence and interference of alien forces in the region merely leads to aggravating tension and insecurity here." He continued to say, "While maintaining our alertness, we must strengthen the feeling of solidarity and unity among Muslim nations in order to defuse this plot of the oppressive powers."

The upcoming sanctions against Iran which are expected to be fulfilled in the near future are already proving to be futile. President Musharraf referring to the gas pipeline was quoted as saying, "Islamabad is even ready to sign a bilateral contract with Tehran in order to start the project faster."

Musharraf`s statements showcase the lack of support among some of the U.S. allies to uphold the U.N. sanctions. Even though the sanctions passed by the Security Council do not call for a complete embargo on trade, the continued public support of bi-lateral trade agreements by key international actors, ultimately limit the effectiveness of any sanction process.

Iran`s diplomatic efforts to loosen America`s alliances in the region could prove to be a major setback for future U.S. policy.