President Obama's decision to target militants from ISIS -- which is now calling itself the "Islamic State" or "IS" -- operating in Iraq comes as a huge relief to the Iranians. Officials in Tehran have been panic stricken since ISIS forces overran the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on June 10. All political factions in Tehran would like to see ISIS suffer and its latest advances rolled back. At the same time, contradictory statements made in Tehran make it clear that the Iranian authorities are divided about the implications of the American military's return to Iraq. The moderates, the group of people associated with President Hassan Rouhani's presidential administration, are nudging toward an open admission that American military operations in Iraq compliment Tehran's policy goals.
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Alex Vatanka writes that Tehran is relieved by the U.S. decision to strike ISIS
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Political hawks in Iran are avoiding admitting shared goals with the U.S., he says
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But Vatanka says both agree on the need for airstrikes and new leadership in Iraq
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Recent trends suggest that Tehran's moderates have the upper hand, he suggests
As far as the U.S. role in combating the @placeholder is concerned, the Iranian debate is likely to remain split between the moderates and the hawks.