Iran: A ‘Malign Force’

‘U.S. Military Deaths In Iraq And Afghanistan Were Directly Linked To Iran’
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: “Do we think that with the sanctions coming down, that Iran will have some additional resources for its military and for some of the activities in the region that are a threat to us and a threat to our allies?  I think that is a likelihood that they’ve got some additional resources.” (President Obama, Press Conference, 7/15/15)

“The totality of European Union sanctions, including the embargo on Iranian oil and prohibitions on energy investment, will evaporate. And nearly all of the American measures that had effectively severed Iran’s economy from the international financial system will be waived, permitting somewhere in the realm of $100 to $150 billion in Iranian assets that had been held in overseas accounts to flow back in the hands of Iranian leaders.” (“Un-Sanctioning Iran: What The Nuclear Deal Means For The Future Of Sanctions,” Brookings Institute, 8/3/15)

Gen. Dunford: ‘Iran Will Continue To Exert Its Influence Across The Middle East’
GEN. JOSEPH DUNFORD, Incoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: “‘Senator,’ Dunford responded, ‘I know the total number of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that were killed by Iranian activities, and the number has been recently quoted as about 500.’” (“Iran Linked To Deaths Of 500 U.S. Troops In Iraq, Afghanistan,” Military Times, 7/15/15)

• “Dunford, who pending confirmation will become only the second Marine to serve as the U.S. military's top officer, referred to Iran as a ‘malign force,’ telling lawmakers that, despite a nuclear agreement, Iran will continue to exert its influence across the Middle East.” (“Iran Linked To Deaths Of 500 U.S. Troops In Iraq, Afghanistan,” Military Times, 7/15/15)

“At least 500 U.S. military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan were directly linked to Iran and its support for anti-American militants — a newly disclosed statistic that offers grim context for the Obama administration's diplomatic deal with the Iranian regime aimed at curtailing the rogue nation's nuclear ambitions.” (“Iran Linked To Deaths Of 500 U.S. Troops In Iraq, Afghanistan,” Military Times, 7/15/15)

• “The 500 estimate is a ballpark figure based on intelligence assessments, according to a Pentagon official familiar with Dunford's remarks.” (“Iran Linked To Deaths Of 500 U.S. Troops In Iraq, Afghanistan,” Military Times, 7/15/15)

Flashback: ‘Iran Is Very Directly Supporting Extremist Shia Groups…Which Are Killing Our Troops’
RET. ADM. MIKE MULLEN: “‘Iran is playing an out-sized role right now,’ Mullen said at a lunchtime conversation with journalists at the Pentagon. ‘Iran is very directly supporting extremist Shia groups (in Iraq), which are killing our troops.’” (“U.S. Military Leader Says Iranian Weapons Killing Americans In Iraq,” CNN, 7/7/11)

• “They are shipping high-tech weapons in there -- RAMS, EFPs -- which are killing our people and the forensics prove that,’ Mullen said.” (“U.S. Military Leader Says Iranian Weapons Killing Americans In Iraq,” CNN, 7/7/11)

FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES: “Iran is furnishing new, more deadly weapons to Shiite Muslim militias targeting U.S. troops in Iraq as part of a pattern of renewed attempts to exert influence in the region, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.” (“Iran Arming Iraqi Groups Attacking U.S. Troops, Gates Says,” Bloomberg, 6/30/11)

• “Iran is ‘facilitating weapons, they’re facilitating training, there’s new technology that they’re providing,’ Gates said. ‘They’re stepping this up, and it’s a concern.’ Iran is supporting radical Shiite groups intent on ‘killing as many as possible in order to demonstrate to the Iraqi people that, in effect, they drove us out of Iraq at the end of the year,’ he said.” (“Iran Arming Iraqi Groups Attacking U.S. Troops, Gates Says,” Bloomberg, 6/30/11)

FORMER AMBASSADOR JAMES JEFFREY: “James F. Jeffrey, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, said Tuesday 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… ‘There is no doubt this is Iranian,’ Jeffrey said in an interview.” (“Weapons Prove Iranian Role In Iraq, U.S. Says,” Washington Post, 7/5/11)

• “‘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.’” (“Weapons Prove Iranian Role In Iraq, U.S. Says,” Washington Post, 7/5/11)

MAJOR GEN. JEFFREY BUCHANAN: “Now, according to Maj. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, chief spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq, the primary threat to the Americans comes from three Shiite militia groups operating in Iraq, which officials said they believe are being trained and equipped by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps special forces. ‘All of them receive at least indirect support from elements in Iran,’ Buchanan said in an interview this week.” (“U.S. Military Says Iran Behind Rising Deaths,” Washington Post, 6/30/11)

STATE DEPARTMENT: “In a 2009 report on global terrorism, the State Department accused Iran of providing Iraqi militant groups with ‘advanced rockets, sniper rifles, automatic weapons and mortars’ for use against coalition forces. The report also accused Iran of increasingly the lethality of the roadside bombs, or IEDs, that militants were using to blow up U.S. military vehicles.” (“Weapons Prove Iranian Role In Iraq, U.S. Says,” Washington Post, 7/5/11)

“The Iranian-made EFPs first appeared in Iraq in 2005 and for years were the most lethal weapon that American troops faced during the eight-year Iraq war. Unlike the typical improvised explosive devices U.S. troops encountered there, the EFPs used more sophisticated technology and required more skilled milling to produce. Also known as ‘shaped’ explosives, they used curved copper plates to direct or ‘shape’ the bomb blast.” (“Iran Linked To Deaths Of 500 U.S. Troops In Iraq, Afghanistan,” Military Times, 7/15/15)

“Iran's elite military unit, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has transferred lethal new munitions to its allies in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent months, according to senior U.S. officials, in a bid to accelerate the U.S. withdrawals from these countries.” (“Iran Funnels New Weapons To Iraq And Afghanistan,” Wall Street Journal, 7/2/11)

“The Revolutionary Guard has smuggled rocket-assisted exploding projectiles to its militia allies in Iraq, weapons that have already resulted in the deaths of American troops, defense officials said. They said Iranians have also given long-range rockets to the Taliban in Afghanistan, increasing the insurgents' ability to hit U.S. and other coalition positions from a safer distance.” (“Iran Funnels New Weapons To Iraq And Afghanistan,” Wall Street Journal, 7/2/11)

• “In June, 15 U.S. servicemen died in Iraq, the highest monthly casualty figure there in more than two years. The U.S. has attributed all the attacks to Shiite militias it says are trained by the Revolutionary Guards.” (“Iran Funnels New Weapons To Iraq And Afghanistan,” Wall Street Journal, 7/2/11)

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