Iran Said to Be Plotting Iraq Offensive

Makes new allies to increase violence, prompt withdrawal
By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff
Posted May 22, 2007 8:19 AM CDT
Iran Said to Be Plotting Iraq Offensive
An Iraqi shia gunman checks the road in Basra city Iraq's second-largest city, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad on Monday , May 21, 2007. Violence hit the southern city of Basra, with gunmen killing one police officer and wounding another in an attack on their patrol, police said. (AP...   (Associated Press)

Iran is secretly allying with al-Qaeda and Sunni insurgents to launch a major summer offensive against the US in Iraq, reports the Guardian. The goal is  to trigger a political mutiny in Congress to force a withdrawal of US troops. Iran had previously been linked to Shia militias but had not collaborated with Sunnis.

The switch in tactics, US officials tell the Guardian, comes as Tehran steps up contacts across the board to put pressure on the Americans. "They're betting on all the horses in the race, even on people they fundamentally don't trust," says a senior administration official in Washington. (More Iran stories.)

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