This July 1, 2009 photo shows Iranian pilgrims performing religious rituals outside the shrine of Imam Ail at the holy Shiite city of Najaf, Iraq. There is no place outside Iran that has closer links to Tehran's ruling establishment than Iraq's holy Shiite city of Najaf, where the silence during Iran's post-election crisis says much about the deep complexities of their cross-border bonds. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)