U.S. Officials Say Iran Continues to Subvert Iraq

Defense Professionals ^ | 1/18/2010 | John J. Kruzel

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

As national elections in Iraq loom on the horizon, Iran continues to subvert its western neihbor’s security and political infrastructure, top American military officials said.

Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the top American commander in Iraq, said Iran aims to foment violence in Iraq and to play diplomatic and other nonmilitary roles that call into question Iran’s respect for Iraqi sovereignty.

“Iran clearly has a strategy that goes across lethal aims, diplomatic aims and then soft-power aims -- i.e., influencing people through investment in the economy -- and into some other practices inside of Iraq,” the general said yesterday at the Army and Navy Club here.

Despite success in recent years against Iranian-backed militias operating in Iraq, several new groups have formed that are receiving support from within Iran, Odierno told audience members at the event sponsored by the Institute for the Study of War.

Though down from peak levels, Iranian-backed violence is being generated in part by two groups -- Kataib Hezbollah and the Promised Day Brigade -- that gain funding and military expertise inside Iran before exporting their operations across its western border, the general said.

“We still have EFPs explode just about every day in Iraq,” said Odierno, referring to what the military calls “explosively formed penetrators,” an especially deadly type of roadside bomb that’s designed to pierce armor and is believed to have Iranian origins. “We still uncover Iranian rockets and other goods that are made, and individuals that are trained, in Iran to conduct attacks against both U.S. and Iraqi security forces.”

Asked whether Iran respects Iraqi sovereignty, Odierno replied, “I would say, since they conduct and support lethal actions inside of Iraq, it's clear that they don't.”

[JasonC]

And why exactly would they expect them to stop? Has there been one consequence to themselves for their mayhem, to date?

[DISCO]

Hillarie says they may become a dictatorship! Miss Me Yet?, comes to mind.

[ari-freedom]

I guess that means that we should be nicer to them and maybe they will like us

[ksm1]

“Hillarie says they may become a dictatorship”

Ha, right...because they’re a free democracy now, I suppose? How detached from reality are these people in Obama’s administration?

Once the Iraqi Army gets up to speed, it would be interesting to see if Iraqi Intelligence tries to pull a Dubai Hotel on some of the terrorist controllers operating across the Iranian border.

[LeoWindhorse]

I trust we are returning the favor.....

[Joe Boucher]

Iran has been killing American service members in Iraq for years and two administrations have done squat about it.
Criminal i’d say.