Bush keeps beating the 'attack Iran' drum. Those on the scene aren't so sure.

Top U.S. officials have made strong charges in recent weeks that Iran is directly stirring up trouble in Iraq. But inside Iraq, it's hard to see any change and some American officials in Baghdad say privately the evidence is not that clear.

Most experts on Iran say there is no question that Iran is funneling support to certain Shiite political parties in Iraq, groups it long supported when they were fighting Saddam Hussein.

Ironically, most of that aid appears to go to the same Shiite parties in Iraq that the American government supports and that are part of the government. The more militant Shiite groups are equally critical of U.S. and Iranian influence in the country.

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"Iran has every reason to want a stable Iraq," said Juan Cole, a professor of Middle Eastern history at the University of Michigan. "The evidence is that the Shiite groups most opposed to the (U.S.-led) coalition presence and the current pro-U.S. government ... are also the most anti-Iranian."

Iran is believed to finance some major Shiite political parties, but mostly ones the United States also backs.


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