A recent DOD press conference emphasized Iran's role, as I wrote here.
And as I noted, with Sadr and other illegal militias inside Iran doing the bidding of Tehran's mullahs, taking down these militias will be an important sign of our resolve to go after Iran.
The Iraqi government is indeed going after the militias:
The government is cracking down on Shia Arab militias, and the attacks on Sunni Arabs. This has led to battles between largely Shia police and army units, and these Shia militias. The Shia troops and police appear to have accepted the concept of shutting down Shia militias that try to deliver their own idea of justice.
This will help with amnesty, too, since Sunnis will want some confidence of being protected so that amnesty has practical and not posthumous benefits.
These pieces of the puzzle (and some more) seem to indicate a looming confrontation with Iran.
By knocking down the Shia militias and building oil stocks, are we denying Iran their two main weapons to deter us from taking down their regime?
But this isn't the first time I've thought we are close to taking Iran's mullahs down.
