Iran denies US claims on support for Iraq attacks

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=259675&lang=e&dir=news

28-09-2003
Iran on Sunday categorically denied having any role in attacks on American troops in Iraq. "These charges are just to cover the defeat of U.S. plans in Iraq and are utterly baseless," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefi told reporters in Teheran.
<snip>
Assefi further rejected Bremer's charges that Iran had dispatched hundreds of agents to Shiite areas in south Iraq for destabilizing the occupied country. "We have a suitable and positive cooperation with the Iraq administration and the only side responsible for the instability in Iraq is the U.S.," the spokesman said.
<snip>
In the Telegraph: Iranian agents flood into Iraq posing as pilgrims and traders

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/09/28/wirq28.xml&sSheet=/portal/2003/09/28/ixportal.html

Iran has dispatched hundreds of agents posing as pilgrims and traders to Iraq to foment unrest in the holy cities of Najaf and Kerbala, and the lawless frontier areas.

Teheran's hardline regime has also allowed extremist fighters from Ansar al-Islam, a terror faction with close links to al-Qa'eda, to cross back into Iraq from its territory to join the anti-American resistance.

The Pentagon believes that Iran is building a bridgehead of activists inside Iraq, ready to destabilise the country if that serves its future interests. So concerned is the coalition about Teheran's activities that it is recruiting former agents from the Iranian section of Saddam Hussein's notorious mukhabarat (intelligence) to help to counter Iran's influence in the predominantly Shia south and east of Iraq.

"They are provoking sectarian divisions, inciting people against the Americans and trying to foment conflict and anarchy," said Abdulaziz al-Kubaisi, a former Iraqi major who was jailed by Saddam and is now a senior official in the Iraqi National Congress
<snip>

And Khomeini's Grandson is over here pitching for a U.S. invasion of Iran? I smell something.

[asjr]

1. Iran

Yes, it stinks to high heaven. We had better be on our toes. Iran is probably next. The Pentagon may "believe" but the voters are no longer believing the propaganda coming from Crummy. They just never quit! Pound it into our heads and obviously we will start to believe it. They are shortchanging this country in more ways than one. We are tired of the obvious lies we have been told, and they just keep beating that poor old dead horse. It is way past time for a change.

[Barrett808]

2. It would be unadulterated madness to invade Iran

Even if we weren't sinking in the Iraq quagmire. Three times the size of Iraq, with "human waves" of suicide troops that so nearly overwhelmed Saddam in the 1980s...

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

3. Since when has this administration shown a sane face as they drive the

PNAC roadmap.

[underpants]

4. What no pre-emptive move against an actual threat at your borders?

I of course hope they aren't doing these but I would be surprised if they weren't. That, again, was one of the arguments against the war in the first place-that Iraq would become a magnet for everyone who can get something out of the country/situation.

I remember several DU'ers commenting on how yes Iraq is the perfect spot to establish a military ground presence in the ME but it is also competely surrounded by unfriendlies. Pray for the troops.

ON EDIT :+ changed 'and' to 'at' in subject line.