Iran "making mistake" with Iraq meddling-Rumsfeld

alertnet: U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, days after calling Iran the world's top state sponsor of terrorism, ratcheted up the pressure on Tehran on Friday with fresh accusations of interference in Iraq.

Rumsfeld, in Taormina, Sicily, for a meeting of NATO defence ministers, used an appearance in Europe for the second time in a week to talk tough over Iran, which the United States and European Union fear is covertly developing nuclear weapons.

Asked during a news conference about U.S. assertions that Iran, as well as Syria, supports insurgents in Iraq, Rumsfeld said: "We have undertaken a series of initiatives to try to persuade them that their behaviour is harmful to a new Iraqi government and indeed harmful to the region. Thus far we've not been successful."

"I think they're making a mistake," Rumsfeld said, "although I can certainly understand that from their standpoint having a free and sovereign and democratic Iraq on their borders probably is not terribly encouraging to their type of government. So I can understand their resistance to that." Read more

db: Rumsfeld is not clear regarding when the world should expect to see this 'free' and 'sovereign' Iraq. My guess is not soon - or ever if the US has its way.