REGION: Iraq’s Defense Minister Complains of Iran’s “Wide and Unprecedented” Infilteration in Iraqi State Organs

Iraq’s defense minister accused the Islamic Republic government’s intelligence services of having infiliterated Iraq’s government organs, and threatening to export terrorism to Iran’s neighbors. July 20, 2004 - “The Iranian infiltration is wide and unprecedented since the founding of the Iraqi state," Shaalan said Tuesday in a telephone interview with the Saudi daily al-Sharq al-Awsat, monitored in Beirut. “The Iranians infiltrated the various departments of the state in general and have set up intelligence and security centers in several Iraqi cities,” he said. He threatened Iran with reciprocal action. He said Iraq could respond to the terrorist attacks that claimed scores of Iraqi lives by exporting terrorism to the countries supporting and financing terrorism in Iraq. Shaalan said Iraqi authorities have arrested 35 terror suspects in Baghdad recently, including remnants of the ousted Baath regime and Muslim extremists. Shaalan said Iraq has an estimated 40,000 national guardsmen who are not part of the regular army and who will be in charge of restoring security to the war-torn country with the assistance of US-led multinational forces US officials, including former coalition authority administrator Paul Bremer, have repeatedly accused Iran of destabilizing Iraq, but the Islamic Republic officials have denied the accusations.