Policy Watch: Iran and the Iraqi Sunnis

Abstract

"The U.S. government has long claimed that Iran is providing arms and training to anti-American Shiite militia groups in Iraq. For Iran to do this may be reprehensible, but is at least understandable in that the majority of Iranians are Shiites, and Shiite clerics control the Iranian government. On April 11, though, the chief U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, said there have been ""some cases recently where Iranian intelligence services have provided to some Sunni insurgent groups some support.""