'US psywar targets Iran-Iraq ties'

(Press TV) -- Political insiders say reports that an Iranian-backed militant has been arrested in Iraq are designed to divert attention from the US role in regional violence.

An Iraqi police official told the Associated Press on Sunday that a member of an Iranian-backed militia has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in a terrorist attack that killed three US soldiers on Thursday,.

An informed source speaking on conditions of anonymity said Monday that suchlike reports are circulated by US intelligence agencies and the powerful remnants of the Ba'ath Party in a bid to portray Iran as the enemy and influence Iraqi people against their better judgment.

According to the source, these reports not only target the flourishing relations between the two countries, but also seek to undermine Iraq's determination to safeguard its own security and independence.

“With the main goal of prolonging the presence of foreign military troops in the country, these reports wage a psychological warfare against Iraqis in order to make them feel incompetent,” said the unnamed source.

Weary of the Bush-era war on terror doctrine, the US military has on many occasions attempted to accuse Tehran of aiding and abetting Iraqi militants.

Iranian officials have repeatedly dismissed the accusations as false and baseless. The Baghdad government has also warned that no country can stand in the way of Iran-Iraq relations.

"Iraq adheres to international principles and has opened a new page of close relations in its dealings with its neighbors, especially Iran,"said Mohammed Naji, a member of parliament with the ruling United Iraqi Alliance, on July 8.

Washington invaded Oil-rich Iraq in 2003. The country's oil reserves reportedly rank third in the world, producing over 2 million oil barrels a day.

A complete US military pullout is expected to take place by the end of 2011