THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

The international community will be holding talks on what to do about Syria in Vienna. One of the parties invited to the talks is Iran in recognition of its support and involvement with the Assad regime.

Iran confirmed Wednesday that it will attend the international talks on Syria's future later this week in Vienna, following an invitation from the Russian envoy, for Tehran's first appearance at such a gathering.

The invitation came after the United States declared itself ready to engage Iran, the most committed backer of the Assad government, in search of an end to Syria's four-year civil war. Inviting Tehran to the table reflects a shift in Washington and a retreat by key allies such as Saudi Arabia, which had — in response to previous Russian efforts to include the Iranians in the talks — vehemently opposed any Iranian role in shaping events in Syria.

Tehran, which characterized the latest development as Washington accepting the “realities” on the ground in Syria, has provided the government of Bashar Al-Assad with military and political backing for years. Iran admits that its Revolutionary Guard officers are on the ground in Syria in an advisory role, but denies the presence of any combat troops in the country.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russia's Lavrov and several top European and Arab diplomats, including those from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, will be attending — a familiar cast that up to now has not included any Iranian representatives. Kerry departs for the Austrian capital on Wednesday.

Iran's attendance could be a game-changer, though Syrian opposition groups are likely to balk at Tehran's inclusion in any discussions on what a post-Assad Syria should look like. Iran's attendance would also mean that traditional Iran-Saudi regional rivalries could surface at the negotiating table. The U.S. reportedly lobbied its regional ally Saudi Arabia to accept Tehran's place in Friday's meeting.

Given that its involvement is equal to, if not greater, than ours it would be hard to ignore them. But it runs up hard against the usual Saudi-Iran struggle for influence in the region. And everyone else is enjoying watching us in the middle of those two.