Kerry fails to persuade Iraq’s Maliki to stop Iranian airlift to Assad
US Secretary of State John Kerry, on an announced visit to Baghdad Sunday, was unable to persuade Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki cut short the Iranian airlift and land route to Bashar Assad of weapons, fighters and cash. DEBKAfile: Iranian supplies are what keep Assad’s army functioning and his regime in Damascus and other Syrian towns able to survive the rebellion. This has long been an issue of contention between Washington and Baghdad.