Khamenei billboards in Baghdad and Basra

Ayatollah Khamenei, right, and Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, late father of Muqtada al Sadr in Baghdad, Iraq. As a consequence of Operation Iraqi Freedom, in many respects Iraq is now Iran's closest ally in the region.

Photo: Jarim Kadin, Associated Press

Iran Joined Militias in Battle for Basra

The Sunday Times will report in its 6 April edition that Iranians were operating at a “tactical command” level alongside the Mahdi Army militias fighting Iraqi security forces last week.

The Sunday Times reports that the commander of US forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus, is expected to tell Congress this week that Iranian forces were involved in the battle for Basra.

Last Saturday, Iran arranged negotiations in Qom between Moqtada Al Sadr and the representatives of the ruling Dawa Party and Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. Sadr issued a declaration after the meeting in Qom which led to the current ceasefire between the Mahdi Army and Iraqi security forces.

Surge in Iraqi Violence and Iran

US President George Bush said today that success in Iraq is important to send a “clear message” to Iran's leaders that they cannot “have their way” with other countries in the Middle East.

Yesterday, the president had accused Iran of arming, training and funding the insurgents in Basra involved in the new surge of violence during the past five days.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman today called the accusations “groundless and boring.”

Meanwhile, heavy fighting in Basra and other southern Iraqi cities continued today. The Mahdi Army has reportedly seized the control of town of Nasiriyah, northwest of Basra. Nasiriyah’s governor was a member of SCIRI. The seizure of the town would be a major defeat for Hakim’s SCIRI, Al Maliki’s Dawa party, and the government forces.

Cheney Warns Iran

Vice President Dick Cheney said today Iran is a growing obstacle to peace in the Middle East and the US will not allow it to obtain a nuclear weapon.

“Our country, and the entire international community, cannot stand by as a terror-supporting state fulfills its grandest ambitions,” Cheney said. “We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

Chaeny’s harsh words came just a few days after President Bush warned of World War III if Iran goes nuclear.

IRGC Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Chaharbaghi, commander of IRGC missile force, had said a day earlier that Iran will fire 11,000 rockets into US military bases if attacked.

Iran analysts believe the US has given Iran a stern warning of an impending military attack if it did not halt its nuclear program. Russian President Vladimir Putin is thought to be the messenger, delivering the warning directly to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei during his last week’s visit to Tehran. Chaharbaghi’s warning was seen as a direct reply to the threat of a military attack.

The sacking of Ali Larijani as the country’s chief nuclear negotiator and replacing him by a hardliner bureaucrat with close ties to President Ahmadinejad was also seen as a clear sign of hardening of Iran’s position on the nuclear issue.

In related developments, Iran’s Tabnak news website reported today of a noticeable increase in the number of flights by US fighter planes and radar aircraft at Shalamcheh border area near Abadan.

The British Special Forces, SAS, were also reported to cross into Iran at Shalamcheh, engaging IRGC’s Quds Force in the area. The Sunday Times identified the location of SAS operations as Maysan and Basra border areas.