Iranian missiles in Iraq

Iran is secretly moving shortrange ballistic missiles into Iraq, a US intelligence report says, which could be used to target US troops in the region. News of the movement also comes after recent leaks showing that Iranian intelligence officers have even infiltrated its military leadership.

The New York Times, citing US intelligence and military officials, says that Iran is using the current upheaval in Iraq to move the missiles. “Intelligence officials would not discuss the precise model of ballistic missile Iran has sneaked into Iraq. But shortrange missiles have a range of just over 600 miles, meaning that one fired from the outskirts of Baghdad could strike Jerusalem,” the report said.

Reuters citing two US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said there was intelligence over the past month indicating that Iran was moving forces and weapons in the region. It was not clear what specifically Iran was looking to do with the movements, they added. Quoting a US official, CNN said some of the missiles may be categorised as ballistic, but are of very short range. The concern is the missiles could now be moved into areas where they could be fired at US troops by Iranian-backed militias.

In a related development, the official said that in the last month these militias have stepped up attacks against US positions with larger rockets than had been seen before. Also raising the concerns is another report which says that a US Navy warship seized advanced missile parts believed to be linked to Iran.

In a statement, the Pentagon confirmed that on Nov. 25 a US warship found “advanced missile components” on a stateless vessel and an initial investigation indicated the parts were of Iranian origin. “A more thorough investigation is underway,” the statement said. Meanwhile, Pentagon has denied a report that the US was weighing sending up to 14,000 more troops to the Middle East.

The denial came after The Wall Street Journal reported that the possible deployment would include “dozens” more ships and double the number of troops added to the US forces in the region since the beginning of this year. But the Pentagon disputed the accuracy of the report.

“To be clear, the reporting is wrong. The US is not considering sending 14,000 additional troops to the Middle East,” spokeswoman Alyssa Farah tweeted.