A week ago, anonymous U.S. briefers in Baghdad gave reporters a PowerPoint show that included photos of what were alleged to be high-tech Iranian munitions supplied by the Quds Force, including the so-called explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) that are blasting through U.S. armor and killing American troops. One briefer, an analyst identified only by his first name, argued that the Quds Force “really report directly to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.” As a result, the analyst concluded, “the activities that the IRGC Quds Force are conducting in Iraq, we assess, are coming from the highest levels of the Iranian government.” That line was echoed by White House spokesman Tony Snow, who said: “The Quds Force is, in fact, an official arm of the Iranian government and, as such, the government bears responsibility and accountability for its actions.”But the White House began to shrink from directly implicating Tehran early this week, after Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Peter Pace seemed to disavow the Baghdad briefer’s comments. “It is clear that materials from Iran are involved,” Pace told reporters. “But I would not say, based on what I know, that the Iranian government clearly knows or is complicit.” In his news conference Wednesday, the president appeared to side with Pace’s view.
U.S. officials now say the anonymous Baghdad analyst may have made one inference too many. It is true that the Quds Force is supposed to be under the supervision of Khamenei, who approves their overall strategy together with Rahim Safavi, the commander of the IRGC. But because Khamenei is not a military official, he’s not thought to be apprised of every operation.