Ali Ansari, director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews tells MEE that for Shiite-majority Iran, the battle underway in Iraq is part of a wider sectarian struggle also playing out in Syria and a continuation of a proxy war the country has had with Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia "for some years now", said Ali Ansari.
"I think [the Iranians] see this as part of a broader struggle," Ansari said. "At the end of the day, they see the US behind all of this."
Further comments and analysis read: Iraq response, Iran and US could find rapprochement opportunity