Iran Holds US-Led Coalition Responsible for Violence in Iraq

Iran holds the US-led coalition responsible for the spread of violence in Iraq. The Islamic Republic News Agency quotes Hamid Reza Asefi, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, stating that the presence of occupiers in Iraq has caused chaos in the country. The terrorist organization Hezbollah, financially supported by Iran, also blames the US for what it describes as brutal actions and heinous crimes against civilians. According to existing facts, Muqtada al-Sadr, an agent of Kazem al-Husseini al-Haeri, a cleric residing in Iraq, recently expressed solidarity with Hezbollah and the terrorist group Hamas, calling himself their attacking arm in Iraq. He urged his followers to terrorize and attack the enemy. Members of Sadr's personal militia, known as the Mahdi Army, took to the streets in several Iraqi cities, attacking Iraqi citizens, police stations, and coalition forces. General Mark Kimmitt, deputy operations chief of the coalition, stated that such behavior will not be tolerated. Those who cause violence will be pursued and arrested or killed. Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, labeled Muqtada al-Sadr a rebel. He is accused not only of trying to gain power through violence but also of complicity in the murder of Abdul-Majid Khoei, a respected Shia cleric and human rights advocate, in April 2003. Dan Senor, a spokesman for the coalition, mentioned that an Iraqi judge issued an arrest warrant for Muqtada al-Sadr based on evidence linking him to the brutal murder of Khoei, who was killed in front of one of the holiest shrines in the world by repeated stabbings and gunfire. In my opinion, the message to all those involved in this murder is that the people of Iraq want elections and do not want a mob rule to decide who will govern the country. President Bush agrees, stating, 'Regarding Sadr, it must be said that he is someone who, instead of allowing democracy to flourish, wants to resort to force. And this is something we cannot allow to happen.' Mr. Bush added, 'America and its partners will ensure that a free Iraq rises not only for their own security but for the sake of free nations everywhere.'