
Pals no more?
Does Maliki’s Iraqi government no longer regard Iran as a “close ally“?
“Official: Iraqi delegation goes to Iran to discuss militias,” by Qassim Abdul-Zahra for Associated Press (thanks to all who sent this in):
BAGHDAD – An Iraqi delegation traveled to Iran with evidence that proves the Islamic republic is arming and training of Shiite militias in Iraq, an official said Thursday.
Five Shiite politicians left Wednesday carrying documents and other material they claim indicates that Iran is supplying weapons and training fighters who are locked in a violent standoff with U.S. and Iraqi troops, the government official said.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information, said the delegation would present the Iranian government with material that implicated Iran’s elite Quds Force, part of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The delegation was expected to meet with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to discuss the issue and stress that ongoing clashes between Shiite extremists and U.S.-Iraqi forces were threatening political gains by Shiites. […]
The Quds Force is believed to operate overseas, helping to create the militant Hezbollah group in 1982 in Lebanon and to arm Bosnian Muslims during the Balkan wars.
The U.S. military has stepped up its allegations that Iran is continuing to train and arm Shiite militias despite Tehran’s insistence that it is not fueling violence in Iraq but trying to promote stability in the neighboring country….
Stability: of course. The stability of a Shi’ite Arab client state. Stability? Sure. A Pax Persiana.
The Iraqi leaders are hoping to pressure Iran to stop aiding militias by presenting Tehran with the latest evidence, a senior U.S. defense official said Wednesday.
Reda Jawad Taqi, a Shiite lawmaker and a senior member of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, confirmed the delegation left for Iran on Wednesday.
Taqi did not provide details but said the purpose of the trip was “to review the current situation in Iraq with Iranian officials, to clarify the situation with them and to enhance the mutual relationship between the two countries.”…