Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, told an audience at the Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday evening that Iran provides the militias with help organizing, some weapons, and military advisers. He also stressed they were disorganized.
Nonetheless, Zarif said that any U.S. ground presence in Iraq would likely spur opposition. “The problem also when it comes to the United States is that the presence of foreign forces in any setting creates domestic opposition and domestic resentment,” he said. “And it is best, whether we support this or not—and we certainly do not support anybody engaging in anything that would complicate the situation—is to allow the Iraqis to fight this.”
Asked about the recent warnings from the Iraqi Shiite militias, a senior U.S. defense official told The Daily Beast: “We aren’t blind to the inimical interests that some of these groups may espouse.” The official added, “There is no intent to introduce American troops into a combat role in Iraq, and our focus remains squarely on helping Iraqi forces combat ISIL,” using the acronym the Obama administration prefers for ISIS.
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