The Iraq/Iran pipline deal is a GO! (Whaddaya mean you didn't know about that?)

While the Cheney administration tries to demonize Iran while telling us how the still placenta-covered democracy in Iraq is blossoming, (and will eventually spread its contagious freedom all over the Middle-East), Iran, the bad and Iraq, the good, are making deals with each other.

Iran and Iraq signed an agreement to build pipelines for the transfer of Iraqi crude oil and oil products, the state-run said on Saturday quoting the Oil Ministry.

The 32-inch (81-centimetre) pipeline will bring crude from the southern Iraqi port of Basra to the southwestern Iranian port of Abadan. There will be a separately 16-inch one for oil products.

Under the deal, Iran would buy 100,000 barrels of Iraqi crude to be refined in the southern port of Bandar Abbas, then sell the product back to Iraq. The accord would have no upper limit on quantities.

The report did not say when the pipeline will be built or who will pay for it. In August 2006, Tehran and Baghdad signed a memorandum of understanding for Iran to refine 100,000 barrels per day of Iraqi crude in return for two million litres per day of refined products.

One would think Iraq, which was a major oil producer would have its own infrastructure for refining crude into product.

Iraq has the world's third-largest proven reserves of crude but has faced chronic shortages of refined products ever since the US-led invasion of 2003, as insurgents have targeted its oil infrastructure. The Iraqi government has been forced to import refined products from a number of neighbouring countries.

Oh yeah. That. Another improvement resulting from the US invasion of Iraq. Life just keeps getting better for those people, doesn't it?

The agreement was signed on Friday by visiting Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani and his Iranian counterpart, Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh.

Sharistani's visit to Tehran comes two days after one by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, in which he had talks with officials that reinforced growing bilateral ties.

So, lemme get this straight. You put the lime in the coconut (Sorry). Iraq is all buddy-buddy with Iran, which Cheney would like to bomb. Iran will have an interest in an Iraq oil export venture. Iran will provide a service to Iraq which Iraq used to be able to perform itself until the US invaded and the terraists, which didn't exist until the US occupation of Iraq, started taking out refineries, (which were protected by Coalition of the Willing Spaniards and Italians, until they left). If Cheney gets his way and pulls the trigger, (on Iran - not a hunting partner), Iraq will probably experience a severe petroleum product shortage.

Why didn't we learn about this on CNN or FOX?