CNN: The office of Muqtada al-Sadr accused Iraqi and U.S. forces of attacking Sadr City on Friday, just hours after the Shiite cleric called for calm in the wake of the assassination of one of his top aides in the southern city of Najaf.
Iraqi, U.S. troops accused of Sadr City attack
Iran top threat to Iraq, U.S. says
Washington Post: Last week’s violence in Basra and Baghdad has convinced the Bush administration that actions by Iran, and not al-Qaeda, are the primary threat inside Iraq, and has sparked a broad reassessment of policy in the region, according to senior U.S. officials.
US advice unheeded in Basra campaign: Petraeus
AFP: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki disregarded US advice in launching a campaign in Basra last month that plunged Iraqi troops in fighting without adequate preparation, the US commander in Iraq said Friday.
Bush says no plans to attack Iran: interview
AFP: US President George W. Bush said Friday he has no intention of attacking Iran, in an interview in which he also gave some advice to his successor on how to deal with the Islamic Republic.
Iran fighting proxy war in Iraq, U.S. envoy says
New York Times: Iran is engaging in a proxy war with the United States in Iraq, adopting tactics similar to those it has used to back fighters in Lebanon, the United States ambassador to Iraq said Friday.
US navy turns away boats in Gulf, Iran denies confrontation
AFP: A US patrol boat fired a warning flare to repel three approaching speed boats in the Gulf, the Navy said Friday, where Iranian vessels have in the past played cat-and-mouse with passing US warships.
Navy approached by unknown boats in Gulf
Reuters: Three boats approached a U.S. Navy vessel at high speed in Gulf waters on Thursday but stopped after it fired a flare, the U.S. Fifth Fleet said.
Navy ship encounters Iranian boat
AP: A U.S. Navy ship encountered a small Iranian high-speed boat in the central Persian Gulf and warned it away by firing a flare, the Pentagon said Friday.
India MRPL sells first diesel cargo to Iran
Reuters: Iran has bought its first cargo of diesel from Indian refiner MRPL, Managing Director R. Rajamani told Reuters, helping fill the void left after Reliance Industries halted sales last year.
Iran’s secret missile launch site pinpointed: report
AFP: The secret site of Iran’s first space centre, opened with a recent missile launch, has been pinpointed by Jane’s, the defence group said Friday, adding that it resembled facilities in North Korea.
