[Chaos of leadership] US Fighting Iran in Yemen and Syria, Helping Iran in Iraq, Negotiating with Iran in Switzerland – Confused?

It feels like our leaders may be a bit confused about how foreign policy is supposed to work. In a bit of confusing TV, somewhat reminiscent to Abbot and Costello’s Who’s on First?, NBC’s Richard Engel recaps America’s schizophrenic relationship with Iran.

The U.S. in Iraq, we’ll just take Iraq, the U.S. right now is helping this mission in Tikrit which is being backed by the militias, and the militias are potentially going to boycott that operation, but the U.S. is backing the operation led by the militias. That is in Iraq.

In Syria, the U.S. is fighting against Iran and is an enemy of Iran, which supports Hezbollah and the government of Bashar al-Assad. But in Syria, the U.S. is also fighting with Iran against ISIS. So in Iraq, we’re against Iran — sorry — it even gets confusing for me and I have done this for twenty years.

In Iraq we are fighting with Iran [against ISIS]. In Syria we are both with and against Iran, and in Yemen, now we are backing Saudi Arabia and Egypt and this other coalition against Iran, but we say we aren’t going to get deeply involved. We’ll just kind of assist with some intelligence.

While at the same time, huge negotiations, profound negotiations are underway in Switzerland with Iran. It is clear. I see a path in front of us. It is totally clear.