The US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad has accused the Islamic Republic of fueling recent clashes in Basra and Baghdad.

"The recent clashes between criminal militia elements and Iraqi government forces in Basra and Baghdad have highlighted Iran's destabilizing influence and actions," Khalilzad said in a report to the UN Security Council on behalf of the multinational forces in Iraq.

The US ambassador also claimed that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, known as Qods Force, continued to 'arm, train, and fund illegal armed groups in Iraq'.

Khalilzad said the lethal aid including 'mortars, rockets and explosively-formed penetrators' provided by the Islamic Republic 'poses a significant threat to Iraqi and multinational forces and to the stability and sovereignty of Iraq'.

He went on to warn Iran and Syria to 'stop the flow of weapons and foreign fighters into Iraq, and their malign interference in Iraq'.

Khalilzad's remarks echoed the allegations last week by Admiral Mike Mullen, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who claimed that the alleged flow of Iranian-made weapons into Iraq was fueling the insurgency in the country.

This is while Iran has repeatedly dismissed such allegations, saying as Iraq's neighbor, it seeks the restoration of peace and stability in the war-torn country.

A report by The New York Times Saturday quoted unnamed US intelligence and administration officials as saying that Washington's allegations regarding Iran's intensified role in Iraq are faulty.

Observers believe 'Washington and allies' are now ratcheting up their attempts to manipulate public opinion about Iran in a bid to portray the country as a threat, thus preparing the world for yet another war in the oil-rich Middle East.

CS/BGH