Could this be the real reason the U.S. doesn’t want to leave Iraq?  Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made it clear that Iraq and Iran are coming together to act as a regional power.

On May 16, Maliki told Iranian media that Iraq and Iran will expand military, as well as economic, cooperation.  He said the ongoing situation in the Middle East (caused by Western forces) demands that the ancient powers of Iraq and Iran must work together to create stability in the Middle East.