Iran: Attempts to encourage US-Iranian contacts over Iraqnote

Arab Gulf sources say GCC circles concerned by the situation in Iraq are checking out information suggesting that "friends of Iran in the United States" are seeking to conclude a US-Shiite deal in Iraq, whereby the Shiites in Iraq agree to: strategic oil investment projects with US majors, a permanent US military presence near oilfields, US airbases on the Saudi border, preferential facilities for the US Navy along the Iraqi coast.