Via the LAT, Iraq edges closer to Iran, with or without the U.S.:

The Iraqi government is moving to solidify relations with Iran, even as the United States turns up the rhetorical heat and bolsters its military forces to confront Tehran’s influence in Iraq.

Iraq’s foreign minister, responding to a U.S. raid on an Iranian office in Irbil in northern Iraq last week, said Monday that the government intended to transform similar Iranian agencies into consulates. The minister, Hoshyar Zebari, also said the government planned to negotiate more border entry points with Iran.

While there are legitimate concerns about Iranian influence in Iraq, what does one expect?  They share a border and with the Shia majority in power in Iraq they share a great deal of common ground.

As such, border crossings and consulates are a logical outgrowth of the removal of Saddam.