U.S.: Iran is arming Iraq
By Herald staff
The Boston Herald
As the Iranian president arrived in the United States, the U.S. military accused Iran yesterday of smuggling surface-to-air missiles and other advanced weapons into Iraq for use against American troops.
The new allegations followed Iraqi leaders’ condemnation of the latest U.S. detention of an Iranian in northern Iraq, saying the man was in their country on official business.
Military spokesman Rear Adm. Mark Fox said U.S. troops were continuing to find Iranian-supplied weaponry including the Misagh 1, a portable surface-to-air missile that uses an infrared guidance system.
Other advanced Iranian weaponry found in Iraq includes the RPG-29 rocket-propelled grenade, 240 mm rockets and armor-piercing roadside bombs known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, Fox said.
Meanwhile, The Times of London reported that the Air Force has formed a covert planning group charged with “fighting the next war” with Iran.
Citing confidential sources, the newspaper reported that Project Checkmate, a spinoff of the group that planned the Gulf War, was quietly re-established at the Pentagon in June, reporting directly to the chief of the Air Force, Gen. Michael Moseley.
The project includes 20 to 30 top Air Force officers, defense and cyberspace experts with tight ties to the CIA.
According to the Times, Checkmate’s job “is to add a dash of brilliance to the Air Force thinking by countering the military’s tendency to ‘Fight the last war’ and by providing innovative strategies for war-fighting and assessing future needs for air, space and cyberwarfare.”
Tensions are high between with Tehran over U.S. accusations that Iran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons and helping Shiite militias in Iraq that target U.S. troops - claims Iran denies.
Last week, retired Gen. John Abizaid, who headed Central Command, said he was confident that if Iran gained nuclear arms, the United States could keep them at bay.
“I believe that we have the power to deter Iran, should it become nuclear,” he said, adding “there are ways to live with a nuclear Iran.”
But critics said Abizaid failed to account for Iran’s ability to arm terrorist groups like Hezbollah with nuclear weapons.
