Iran: Boots on the ground in Iraq? Not us.

By KENDALL BREITMAN

3/5/15 

“We have always had advisers helping the Iraqi government and the Iraqi army,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad. Zarif | AP Photo

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insisted Thursday that his country does “not have forces on the ground in Iraq.”

“We have always had advisers helping the Iraqi government and the Iraqi army,” Zarif told CNNs Christiane Amanpour in an interview in London.

U.S. officials and published accounts strongly suggest otherwise.

As Iraqi forces have been trying to push Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant forces from the city of Tikrit, Iran is said to be playing a major role. Even Iran’s own FARS news agency has reported that a commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force — Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani — is personally directing the advancement of Iraqi troops.

The New York Times has reported that “Iran has taken the most prominent role on the ground” in Iraq with militias and “Iranian generals sometimes directing the fighting.” A source also confirmed to NPR that Iranian fighters were among the forces storming Tikrit.

American officials have spoken at length about the role of Iranian operatives and the importance of Iranian assistance to the fight in Iraq, but the siege of Tikrit appears to represent a new level of Iranian engagement.

Top Pentagon officials have decided not to provide air support to the attack on Tikrit because Iran is backing the operation with special operations assistance, artillery support and other military help.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that Iran’s role in the battle for Tikrit had been considerable.

Iran’s involvement could ultimately be “a positive thing,” Dempsey said, if Iranian-backed Shiite militias, which are helping Iraqi regular troops in the attack, eject Islamic State terrorists from Tikrit without destroying the city or launching reprisals against its mostly Sunni population.

“This is the most overt conduct of Iranian support, in the form of artillery and other things,” Dempsey said. “Frankly, it will only be a problem if it results in sectarianism.”

Secretary of State John Kerry appeared to contradict Dempsey’s statements Thursday in a news conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Asked about Iran’s role in Tikrit, he said that Iraq’s prime minister had confirmed that it is “an Iraqi-led operation – Iraqi-designed, Iraqi-led.”

“Is General Suleimani – has he been on the ground, is he playing a role? The answer’s yes. We’ve got information to that effect,” Kerry said. “But we are encouraged that as part of this operation, Prime Minister Abadi ensured the support of the Sunni leaders, including the governor of Salahuddin province and other local tribal leaders, as well as the speaker of the parliament, Salim al-Jubouri.”

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal agreed to disagree. “The situation in Tikrit is a prime example of what we’re worried about,” he said. “Iran is taking over the country.”

Phil Ewing contributed reporting.