Yeah, it's that time again. "Iran is behind it all! Nuke 'em back to the Stone Ages!" You know the drill.
Iran is pressing Shiite militias here to step up attacks against the American-led forces because of the Israeli assault on Lebanon, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq said Friday.
Iran could foment even more violence as it faces off with the United States and United Nations over its nuclear program in the coming weeks, he added.
The Iranian incitement has led to a surge in bold mortar and rocket attacks on the fortified Green Zone, said the ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad.
...
The groups behind the recent attacks have ties to both Iran and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite militia in Lebanon that has been battling Israel for a month, the ambassador added.
"One of the main points of contact is some groups have ties to Hezbollah," Khalilzad said in an interview Friday in his home inside the Green Zone. "I think this is an effort that is continuing, that Iran is seeking to put more pressure, encourage more pressure on the coalition from the forces that they are allied with here, and the same is maybe true of Hezbollah."
Khalilzad's remarks are the first public statements by a senior Bush administration official that directly link violence here in Iraq to the war in Lebanon and Israel, and to growing American pressure over Iran's nuclear program. Until now, U.S. officials have characterized Iranian influence in Iraq in vague terms, and none have publicly drawn a direct connection between Shiite militant groups here and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Khalilzad's comments also reinforce the observations of some analysts that the rise of the majority Shiites in Iraq, long oppressed by Sunni Arab rulers, is fueling the creation of a "Shiite crescent" across the Middle East, with groups in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon working together against common enemies, whether they be the United States, Israel or Sunni Arab nations.
Well, color me confused, but gee, I thought Bush made the same sort of statements when he linked all fighting everywhere back to Iran.
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