[Those] dead Iranian pilgrims are probably dead because Sunni Arab terrorists are responsible and would like to get the Iranians to retaliate through their remaining stooges and agents in Iraq. Do that and maybe an uptick in violence will frighten us off, they probably think.
Well, the Iranians seem to be thinking of reaching out and doing some killing of their own:
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments come as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was in Iraq and the Obama administration has said it wants to engage Iran after a 30-year diplomatic deadlock.
Iran has sent mixed messages to Washington in response to President Barack Obama's overtures. Iran's president has said Iran was ready to forget the past and start a new relationship — but he also called Israel a racist country and blamed the U.S. invasion of Iraq on a Zionist conspiracy.
"Dirty hands and evil brains that founded this blind and uncontrolled terrorism in Iraq should know that the fire will burn them, too," Khamenei said in a statement broadcast on state television.
More than 150 people, including many Iranian pilgrims, were killed in high-profile attacks Thursday and Friday in Iraq that primarily targeted Shiite worshippers.
Khamenei, who has the file say in all state matters, said American forces have brought greater insecurity to Iraq and have killed tens of thousands of people since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
"The American and Israeli intelligence services are the prime suspects," state television quoted Khamenei as saying.
Sadly, our president's overtures of hope and change seem to be unfathomable concepts for the Iranian mullahs.
My only question is whether the Iranians still have the evil brains to do their own burning inside Iraq.
