...Although many Iraqi Shia groups are highly suspicious of Iranian motives, they are also in desperate need of financial and logistics support, as well as training. It is notable that Tehran's military assistance comprises weapons that are principally for use against coalition forces and bases - stand-off weapons such as armour-piercing roadside bombs, sniper rifles and indirect fire weapons. Tehran has also sought to dissuade its clients from undertaking internecine attacks and has acted as an intermediary in recent clashes between factions in Basra and other areas of southern and central Iraq.
This focus on anti-coalition attacks has opened up new relationships between Iran and the break-away Sadrist militias that are opposed to Iranian influence. Instead of courting Moqtada al-Sadr to attain high-level influence over the Sadrist movement, the Iranians appear to be taking a grassroots approach to influence the smaller militias....
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