The spectre of Iran

Add Tony Blair to the list of "allied" officials warning Tehran not to intervene in Iraq. The prime minister says evidence points to Iran in explosions in Basra. Reports in American publications (TIME, New York Times) have also pointed to Iran as an insurgent (one of the insurgencies) ally in at least the manufacture of explosives.

Blair's argument that Tehran may be involved relies on the nature of the explosives, Times of London:

He said that armour-piercing bombs, triggered by infrared "trip-wires", which have become a recent feature of insurgent attacks on troops in Basra, could be traced back to Hezbollah, the Tehran-backed militia based in Lebanon.

"There are certain pieces of information that lead us back to Iran, however we cannot be certain of this at the present time," he said.

"What is clear is that there have been new explosive devices used, not just against British troops but elsewhere in Iraq. The particular nature of those devices leads us either to Iranian elements or to Hezbollah, because they are similar to the devices used by Hezbollah."

Blair's logic as to why Iran would risk involvement/entanglement in Iraq is naive, Guardian:

He argued it could be the case that the "country next door" to Iraq was anxious about having a democratic neighbour, saying: "What's it going to be like if you have a free Iraq ... run by the rule of law, with a free press ... run by the will of the people?"

It is much more likely that Iran is interested in a destabilized area that entangles the United States and Britain and results in less military might available to punish Iran's nuclear agenda.

The Guardian Unlimited blog has Scott Ritter, of no WMD fame, detailing anti-Iran planning:

Scott Ritter, the former UN weapons inspector to Iraq and at one time a US marine, warned in apocalyptic terms in London last night of a US-led attack on Iran, writes Ewen MacAskill, diplomatic editor.

Mr Ritter - a high-profile opponent of the war in Iraq - is not resting on his laurels after having accurately predicted that no weapons of mass destruction would be found in Iraq and that US-led forces would be caught in a quagmire.

Speaking in a debate at the ICA about the prospects of military action against Iran, Mr Ritter said preparations were already under way. He said the US was backing Khalq insurgents who are carrying out raids in southern Iraq, and air bases were being readied in Central Asia.