Any Iranian involvement would risk not just a Sunni/Shia civil war in Iraq, but potentially a regional religious war. Saudi Arabia has virulently anti Shia militants in abundance, part of the Salafi creed of the extreme Wahhabis is to kill Shia as apostates. As regards Pakistan, Ramzi Yousseff (1993 WTC bomber) and Khaled (supposed Al Qaeda operations head) both come from Baluchistan in Pakistan, and honed their fanaticism on Pakistani Shia and attacks on Shia over the border in Iran. There are therefore many potential recruits for a jihad against the Shia. The Blair bush needs to tread very carefully here in my view.
22/04/04