PHOTO: Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani (left) with Ali Shamkhani, head of Iran’s National Security Council, June 16, 2014

LATEST: Rouhani — Critics of Nuclear Talks Are “Political Cowards”

Iran’s media are signalling a notable shift in Tehran’s line on the Iraq crisis: the regime is distancing itself from embattled Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and proclaiming its support of Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani.

Press TV hails a letter from Barzani to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani:

The President of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region has praised Iran for supporting Iraqi Kurds under the current tough circumstances as ISIL (Islamic State) terrorists are wreaking havoc on the Arab country….

Massoud Barzani thanked the Islamic Republic for throwing its weight behind Iraqi Kurds in the face of the ongoing crisis fueled by the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.

The Kurdish leader further said friendly relations and mutual Tehran-Erbil cooperation will definitely consolidate peaceful co-existence between neighboring Iranian and Kurdish people.

In the aftermath of June’s insurgent offensive that seized cities such as Mosul and Tikrit and approached Baghdad, Iran had firmly backed Maliki. It declared that he was the leader of a united Iraq, as Tehran despatched elite military advisors and troops to prop up Iraqi forces.

At the same time, the regime warned Barzani against any moves for Kurdish independence, including a proposed referendum.

However, Maliki has failed to secure his hold on power, with Parliament — elected on April 30 — still far from nominating a Prime Minister to form a Government and with the Iraqi military unable to dislodge the insurgency and the Islamic State from the territory they have claimed in northern and western Iraq.

The country’s leading Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, has called for Maliki to step aside for the sake of a unified response to the jihadists.

In the last week, Iranian officials have signalled that they no longer see Maliki as essential to a new Iraqi Government. Well-placed EA sources say Tehran is considering Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Prime Minister from 2005 to 2006, as a replacement.

Meanwhile, Iran’s courtship of Barzani — although Tehran is well short of supporting Kurdish independence — has been accelerated by US military intervention on behalf of the Kurds.

Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani tipped off Tehran’s concern on Sunday in a speech to lawmakers.

Larijani — who had said in June that the Islamic State was backed by Washington — tried to dismiss the American bombing of Islamic State positions since Friday, saying it was an attempt to divert attention from Israel-Gaza War:

The reality is that the US administration is neither a supporter of the Shiites, Sunnis, Christian, Yazidis, Kurds or Arabs nor an advocate of human rights as it has a too dark record to be like this.

The US wants to wash off blood from its hands which have been stained in the inhumane catastrophes that it has caused in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran by sending a number of fighter jets to bring aid or target the terrorists, but it is just a dream which will never come true.

Larijani suggested, “Maybe Hollywood can be of more aid to the US (Administration).”

Rouhani: Critics of Nuclear Talks Are “Political Cowards”

Speaking on Monday morning, President Rouhani has firmly pushed backed critics of Iran’s nuclear talks with the 5+1 Powers:

Iran and the 5+1 (US, UK, Germany, France, Russia, and China) adjourned talks for a comprehensive nuclear agreement on July 18, after 16 days of negotiations in Vienna. They extended an interim agreement to November 24 to continue the pursuit of a final resolution.

Last week, high-level Iranian officials, including lead nuclear negotiator Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, met US counterparts in Geneva to discuss the resumption of discussions.

Araqchi and other officials said talks will be held with other 5+1 members before the UN General Assembly convenes in late September.

In his speech today, Rouhani appealed for cooperation: