In an interview with ABC, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that his government is "opposed to any kind of conflict in Iraq." And he dismissed documents and other piece of evidence the U.S. military has presented as proof of Iranian involvement.
Iran has denied any cooperation with insurgents in Iraq, but the Pentagon cites what it calls compelling evidence to the contrary. The U.S. military says it has proof that Iran is providing militias in Iraq with deadly roadside bombs known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs.
The powerful roadside bombs are capable of piercing U.S. M1 Abrams tanks, one of the most heavily armored land vehicles used by the U.S. military. And in addition to being more deadly, the devices are also more compact than most roadside bombs.
After months of wrangling over how to broach the issue, military intelligence officers released their evidence Sunday in Baghdad. Pentagon officials reiterated the accusation Monday.
The U.S. experts say that metal disks used in the bombs are precision-engineered and bear Iranian serial numbers. And, U.S. officials say, the EFPs are known to have been used only by Shiites — the majority religion in Iran.
Robert Siegel talks with NPR's Guy Raz.
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