Dear Secretary Gates:

Why would Iran supply Sunni insurgents in Iraq with high tech IEDs (which is itself a bit of an oxymoron)? It doesn't make a lick of sense, given that the only reason U.S. troops are in Iraq is to prop up the Shi'a led, Iranian-backed government, and to protect the Shi'a majority against ethnic/sectarian attacks by Sunni nationalists. In fact, it's starting to look as though pretty much everything the American military has done to date in Iraq has strengthened Iran's position in the region; we have eliminated their most troublesome rival, elevated their agents to positions of power, and handed said agents a significant share of Iraq's 220 billion barrels of oil. So, please calrify: what possible motive could Iran have for helping its enemies in Iraq? I await your timely response--

smoogatz

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070210/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/gates

from the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/10/world/middleeast/10weapons.html?ei=5094&en=ca3616f749ffa5e8&hp=&ex=1171083600&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print

"The assertion of an Iranian role in supplying the device to Shiite militias reflects broad agreement among American intelligence agencies, although officials acknowledge that the picture is not entirely complete.

In interviews, civilian and military officials from a broad range of government agencies provided specific details to support what until now has been a more generally worded claim, in a new National Intelligence Estimate, that Iran is providing “lethal support” to Shiite militants in Iraq. "

WE supplied the Shia militias as they began as part of the government forces we formed after disbanding the Batthist-controlled one.

we're not at war with the Shi'ite militias.