Iran has offered to train Iraq's military and supply
Baghdad with artillery systems.
The United States has not delivered
artillery to the post-Saddam Iraq Army.
Iranian officials said Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani offered a
wide-ranging training and procurement package to Iraq during talks last
week, Middle East Newsline reported. Shamkhani met his Iraqi counterpart, Saadoun Al Duleimi, in Teheran in
the first such high-level session since the fall of the Saddam Hussein
regime in 2003.
The United States responded cautiously to the Iranian-Iraqi defense
talks. U.S. officials said Iraq has not confirmed that it would sign a
defense cooperation agreement with Teheran.
The two ministers agreed to explore the prospect of defense cooperation.
Shamkhani said several technical committees would be established to examine
the feasibility of projects.
"Some committees will be formed in relation to the training,
reinforcement and
reconstruction of Iraq's military force and artillery," Shamkhani said.
Most of Iraq's Soviet-origin artillery force — comprised of
self-propelled and towed guns, was destroyed or stolen during and after the
U.S.-led war in Iraq in 2003. The Saddam army also contained the U.S.-origin
M109 155 mm howitzers, procured in 1984.
At a news conference on July 7, Shamkhani said agreements on military
cooperation with Iraq would soon be signed. He did not elaborate.
"I think what we've seen are some competing statements or contradictory
statements, both from Defense Ministry officials in Iran and as well as
Iraqi Defense officials, as well, that denied the claims that the Iranians
made," State Department acting spokesman Tom Casey said. "So, I think it's
fairly uncertain as to what may or may not have happened."
