U.S.: Iran Increasing Aid To Iraq Militias

Military Officials Say Iran Is Providing New Weapons, Training

(AP)  Iran is ratcheting up its support for militias in Iraq, providing them with newly manufactured weapons and bringing them across the border to receive training from members of Tehran's elite Republican Guard, U.S. military officials said Friday.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the military is preparing to roll out evidence - such as date stamps on newly found weapons caches - that shows that recently made Iranian weapons are flowing into Iraq at a steadily increasing rate.

Mullen would not detail the evidence - which is expected to be unveiled by military leaders in Iraq as early as next week. But another senior military official said it will include mortars, rockets, small arms, roadside bombs and armor-piercing explosives - known as explosively formed penetrators or EFPs - that troops have discovered in caches in recent months.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the evidence has not yet been made public, said that dates on some of the weapons were well after Tehran signaled late last year that it was scaling back aid to insurgents.

In addition, the evidence will include information gleaned from detainees who were reportedly trained by members of Iran's elite Quds Force, as well as insurgents who received instruction on how to do the actual training.

Part of the firepower the military will unveil was used to support insurgents during the recent fighting in Basra in southern Iraq, officials said.

Mullen said he has seen evidence "that some of the weapons are recently not just found, but recently manufactured."

He also warned that the U.S. has the combat power to strike Tehran if needed.

Both Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have made clear that while all military options are on the table, they prefer at this point to use other pressures on Iran.

In laying out details of Iran's continued efforts to fuel terror in Iraq, U.S. military leaders are sending signals both to Tehran and Baghdad.

For Iran, the message is: the U.S. knows what Tehran is doing and will take action if necessary. For Baghdad, the hope is that Iraqi leaders will resist the negative influence from their Shiite brethren, and continue efforts to take control of their own country and crack down on Shiite extremists.

"The solution right now still lies in using other levers of national power, including diplomatic, financial and international pressure (against Iran)," Mullen said.

Still, while Mullen acknowledged that launching a third conflict in that region would be extremely stressful for U.S. forces, he said he has reserve capabilities in the Navy and the Air Force for any needed military action.

"It would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability," he said.

The latest findings, said Mullen, still do not prove that the highest leadership in the Iranian government has approved the stepped-up aid to insurgents who are killing U.S. and Iraqi forces.

But he said it appears that the leaders of the Quds Force are aware of the activity. And with their strong ties to Tehran's leaders, Mullen said, it's difficult to believe that "there isn't knowledge there as well."

Still, Mullen added: "I have no smoking gun that could prove the highest (Iranian) leadership is involved in this."

Mullen's comments came as military officials confirmed Friday that a ship under contract with the U.S. Navy fired flares and warning shots at small boats - believed to be Iranian - that approached a cargo ship in the Persian Gulf.

The Navy said that on Thursday two high-speed boats approached the ship, which is contracted by the U.S. to carry military cargo, but the boats turned away after the shots were fired. No injuries were reported.

U.S. military leaders have escalated their rhetoric against Iran of late, noting that suggestions last year that Tehran may have been backing off its support for militants have turned out not to be valid. Instead, Mullen said there also is recent evidence that Iran is continuing to train insurgents for the fight in Iraq.

"I just don't see any evidence of them backing off. And Basra highlighted a lot of that," Mullen said of Iran.

He would not detail any potential U.S. military options, and he played down any impending action.

"We have to continue to increase pressure, and I have no expectations that we're going to get into a conflict with Iran in the immediate future," said Mullen. "But I am concerned over time, just in these last couple years, that tensions continue to rise. Iran does not respond and, in fact they seem to be ratcheting it up in terms of their support for terrorism."

He said Iran has made it clear it wants to be a regional power, and he believes Tehran would prefer to see a weak Iraq, so it could significantly influence what happens there.

The Persian Gulf encounter involving the Navy is one of several similar episodes in recent months. Earlier this month, the USS Typhoon fired a flare at a small Iranian boat in the Gulf after it came within about 200 yards of the boat.

In January, several Iranian boats made what the Navy called provocative moves near a U.S. ship in the Strait of Hormuz. And in December the USS Whidbey Island fired warning shots at a small Iranian boat that officials said was rapidly approaching the ship.

Iranian officials have acknowledged several of the incidents, describing them as normal encounters and saying the boats did not threaten the U.S. vessels.

[j-whitman]

damnedrelign,,,, Your motion to eliminate religious teachings has been seconded & now moves to the floor for passage ====== Any Opposed ??

None, the motion carries -- Make it happen

[j-whitman]

Floyd,,,, Looks like singinrick''s having a bad day, the 13 year old girls in his youth group has caught on to his antics & aren''t putting out.

[j-whitman]

libagenda--Rick,,,, You are a coward & a disgrace to this country for the damage you aprove of doing --- You are aiding none other than Ossama Bin Laden himself with your rantings.

[j-whitman]

libagenda-singinrick,,,,, So, it looks like you are back to calling Americans with more experiance than you in counterterrorism & more experiance than you in our military traitors again ???

[j-whitman]

This White House is still creating intel to wrap around their policies & it''s election time.

[j-whitman]

Anyone who thinks a republican can run a war is nuts, the potential of losing Afhaganistan is here & now.

Afghan leader: U.S. must stop targeting Taliban,
Karzai says insurgent group''s followers, sympathizers shouldn''t be arrested.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24321473/

[gracchus1]

For those of you who support bombing Iran, I suggest you go to a website that discusses the effects of depleted uranium on human beings. DU already has been used in American bombs that have been dropped on Iraqi cities. It only takes a enough particles about the size of a pencil eraser and you will die a quick painful death. Also have any of you seen the U.S. "Fortress" er, Embassy in Baghdad. It is 103 acres in diameter, costs $755 million, has an annual operating budget of $1 billion. And if that is not enough for you, while Baghdad is under siege, er occupation, the Disney Co. is considering buidling a Disneyland in Baghdad!

[hungry1968]

What about Russian weapons and their Chinese knockoffs?

Posted by bgwinnett at 01:30 PM : Apr 26, 2008




Good point!

I''ll bet Haliburton and Blackwater are providing those to the insurgents too!!

[bgwinnett]

Would you like to bet that the Iraqi insurgents have more AMERICAN weapons, or more Iranian weapons?

Posted by hungry1968 at 01:24 PM : Apr 26, 2008

What about Russian weapons and their Chinese knockoffs?

[hungry1968]

Who''''s gonna win? Well, the Soviets lost.

Posted by Nancy_Naive at 12:18 PM : Apr 26, 2008





Exactly. We''re fighting their war, on their terms - a war of attrition. They have a never ending supply of jihadist mercenaries, and we have only a finite supply of dollars.

Apparently our regime, didn''t learn anything from the Soviets in Afghanistan - we''re losing the war in Iraq, in EXACTLY the same way that Russia already lost.

[gracchus1]

And with Billary "Obliterate Iran" and Johnny Bomb Bomb McCain at the helm, in the future high school and college students will not only read about the Jewish Holocaust during WWII, but also the Iranian Holocaust during WWIII.

[hungry1968]

Would you like to bet that the Iraqi insurgents have more AMERICAN weapons, or more Iranian weapons?

[wogerwabbit]

Just another push to invade Iran.

[iphyt4u]

When the Democrats are in power, they like to give needy Americans a leg up. Republicans call these ''give away programs''. When the Republicans are in power, they give money to Iraqi''s, and the Democrats call this stupid.

[yongamerica]

Sadr would come out guns a blazing if he thought he had a chance. All of Iraq see''s him and his militia as Iran''s puppet and mercenary army. Iran is preparing to overthrow Iraq''s current government and install Sadr as the Supreme Leader. These intentions can no longer be hidden, The Iraqis with the US support will whittle his army away and remove he Iranian threat. And many of you will be very sad to see the Islamic Terrorists loose again.

[downtowner97]

Remember when we were in Vietnam, and China kept supplying the Vietnamese? Same thing. Now China is our bank and the supplyer of all our stuff.

It''s time to draft so we can end this "war" just like we ended the war in Vietnam. We need real borders so we can have some real sovereignty, and we need our National Guard back so they can guard our nation.

[grim56z]

Al Qada and Taliban are a bunch of skinny wimps. American Soldiers bench press 500 pounds of steel for superior physical training. Bin Laden should go back to dressing his fighters like blushing brides.

[inventagod2]

With 2/3 of the worlds OIL under Iraq/Iran, our OILman President MUST invade and capture it!

Any other decision would not be a part of the Cheney Secret Energy Plan...

[neoconrcrazy]

The true sign of the failure of the bush war is :

U.S.: Iran Increasing Aid To Iraq Militias
U.S. : Iran Increasing Arms Shipments
U.S. : Iran ... this and Iran ....that

bush and his henchmen have failed in their pre-emptive creation of democracy in iraq. Why?

Because they lied a country into war - without morals or courage they then blamed our intelligence services, and now blame the Iranians, the Syrians, and even honest Americans who''ve seen through their deceiption.

If ever evil had a face, it''s the present administration and all who contributed to needless death, and destruction.

If we don''t judge them, I pray God will.

[factsearcher]

If you take away and discredit their belief they will be emotionally destroyed,
Posted by pentangyl

Talk for yourself, lunatic, and don''t include the american people.
Deny deny deny is your constant slogan to defend your pessimistic, undeniable misetable life.