Michael Stephens of the Royal United Services Institute had this to say on the Today programme 19/05/15
"Let's take this inconsistency of US policy:
you have an Iran-backed government in Syria which the US doesn't support;
an Iran-backed government in Iraq which the US does support,
and which it is trying to help to take Ramadi;
then you have Saudi Arabia,
which is pushing back against what are claimed to be Iran-backed
militias in Yemen.
Now, the US is closely aligned to Saudi Arabia as well,
so there's a bit of schizophrenia,
there is inconsistency...
This counter-offensive in Ramadi,
there is no other way to see it other than
Shia militias, which are run and controlled by Iran
fighting against a Sunni extremist group..."