On the Wrong Side - NYTimes.com Leaders of Iraq's Shiite-led government have often advised the United States not to worry about their ties with Iran, where Shiites are also in the majority. But the assurances are getting harder to swallow. Baghdad is showing a distressing willingness to side with the region's most repressive regimes, not just Iran but also Iran's chief ally, the brutal Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. In recent months, the United States has accused Iraq of allowing Iran to fly weapons through its airspace to Syria, where Mr. Assad is pounding his people with air power in an effort to crush an 18-month rebellion in which some 25,000 people have been killed. Last week, Reuters disclosed a Western intelligence report that said the supply operation was far bigger and more systematic than first thought, involving the transport of "tens of tons" of arms and military personnel on civilian aircraft almost daily. The report also said Iranian trucks were moving overland through Iraq to Syria. Iraqi officials deny the charges. A United Nations Security Council resolution forbids Iran from exporting arms to Syria. And member nations, like Iraq, are obligated to prohibit procurement of these items. That means Baghdad is required to deny overflight rights for Iranian planes headed to Syria or to inspect the cargo to verify what is being shipped. But the Obama administration says that after a pause, Baghdad allowed the flights to resume in July. Since then, every American official to visit Iraq has made the case that the arms shipments must stop, according to Robert Beecroft, the new ambassador to Baghdad. On Friday, Vice President Joseph Biden Jr. stepped up the pressure with a telephone call to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. Given Iraq's recalcitrance, Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, was right to warn last week that American aid could be reconsidered if Iraq failed to change course. Perhaps to address the mounting criticism, Iraqi officials may be altering their stance. On Friday, Reuters reported that Iraq had denied permission for a North Korean plane bound for Syria to use its airspace. On Saturday, an Iraqi government spokesman said authorities will start searching Syrian-bound Iranian planes if they have reason for suspicion. Iraqis have a chance to build a new democratic system based on the rule of law and respect for all citizens. It would be morally wrong and hypocritical if Iraqi leaders, who were so long oppressed by Saddam Hussein, kept working against Syrians as they struggle to overthrow their tyrant.