U.S. FAILURE IN IRAQ ENCOURAGES IRAN

"... officials at all levels of government here say they see the American presence as a source of strength for themselves as they face the Bush administration. In almost every conversation about Iran's nuclear showdown with the United States and Europe, they cite the Iraq war as a factor Iran can play to its own advantage..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/weekinreview/29slackman.html?_r=1

MIDEAST ELECTIONS TURN DEMOCRACY AGAINST U.S.

"... (concerning) the administration's campaign for greater democracy in the Middle East. Elections in Iran, Iraq, Egypt and now the Palestinian territories have resulted in the defeat of secular and moderate parties and the rise of Islamic parties hostile to U.S. interests."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/27/AR2006012701562.html

MAHDI ARMY SIDES WITH IRAN

"... Muqtada Sadr, the... militant young cleric, said on Sunday that the Mahdi Army, which is now a big part of the Iraqi government to be, says that his forces will fight alongside Iran’s if Iran is attacked by the United States over its nuclear program..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0123-26.htm
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Iran_Iraq_Sadr.html

BRITAIN ADMITS WRONG IN BLAMING IRAN FOR BOMBS

"... Government officials now acknowledge that there is no evidence, or even reliable intelligence, connecting the Iranian government to the infra-red triggered bombs which have killed 10 British soldiers in the past eight months... the mother of a young soldier killed... by an improvised explosive device at al-Amarah, north of Basra... said: "They don't like Iran and they are using this for sympathy towards their attitudes, claiming that they were involved in the murder of our sons. ... it was just an excuse for another invasion. They have a foothold in the Middle East and they want to go further."
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article336567.ece