For months, U.S. officials have said that Iranian government elements—particularly a Revolutionary Guard unit known as Department 9000—have been supplying Shia, and perhaps even Sunni, insurgents in Iraq with ordnance to kill U.S. troops. However, three officials familiar with current intelligence reporting on Iran (who asked for anonymity due to the sensitive subject matter) said that some key details were sketchy at best. “There are a couple of locations in Iran that we think [lethal Iranian-made roadside bombs] are coming from … but this remains unconfirmed at this point,” said one of the officials. Another official said U.S. government experts were also concerned that any American cross-border raid into Iran might produce an unintended escalation of violence between the United States and Tehran.
A source familiar with Lieberman’s thinking, who asked for anonymity discussing a sensitive issue, said the senator was trying to send a message. “What this is about is how we re-establish deterrence against Iran,” the source said. Lieberman spokesman Marshall Wittmann said the senator believes U.S. military action against Iran should be a “last resort.”
