The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen today took Iran to task for interfering in Iraq to pursue "maleficent goals," the Department of Defense's official site reported.
"The Iranian regime continues to violate Iraqi sovereignty by intervening in Iraqi social and political affairs, training and equipping militias to conduct attacks on Iraqi soil and thwarting efforts by the Iraqi people to pursue unfettered the economic growth, development and independence that geography and democracy have bestowed upon them," the chairman said.
Tehran wants a weak Iraq, beholden to the Iranian world view, Mullen said. "I believe most Iraq's wish to determine for themselves their own future and to define for themselves their own perspectives about the world around them, he added.
The chairman, who met with the Iraqi leaders last night, praised Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talibani for challenging the Iranian regime to stop the violence it's directing inside Iraq.
The Iraqi military has stepped up operations in concert and coordination with American forces against such Iranian-backed groups, Mullen said. "As a result, we have seen a dramatic reduction in these deadly attacks, he noted.
Fourteen U.S. service members were killed in hostile incidents in June. Most of the deaths were attributed by U.S. officials to rocket attacks by Shi'ite militias armed by Iran.