“Iranian-backed militias in Iraq are using more sophisticated weapons than in the past to target U.S. troops and military installations in Iraq, according to senior U.S. officials. James F. Jeffrey, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, said Tuesday [July 5, 2011] that fresh forensic testing on weapons used in the latest deadly attacks in the country bolsters assertions by U.S. officials that Iran is supporting Iraqi insurgents with new weapons and training. ‘We’re not talking about a smoking pistol. There is no doubt this is Iranian,’ Jeffrey said in an interview. ‘We’re seeing more lethal weapons, more accurate weapons, more longer-range weapons,’ Jeffrey added. ‘And we’re seeing more sophisticated mobile and other deployment options, and we’re seeing better-trained people.’ In some cases, insurgents made no effort to remove from the weapons identification numbers suggesting that they came from Iran, ‘which in itself is troubling,’ Jeffrey said.”
– Ed O’ Keefe and Joby Warrick, “Weapons Prove Iranian Role in Iraq, U.S. Says,” The Washington Post, July 5, 2011