Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for US forces to leave Iraq and
condemned its "shameful and stupid" actions in Shi'ite holy cities.
Iran's Shi'ite clerical leadership had until recently been relatively muted in its criticism of the US-led invasion and occupation of its western neighbour, while calling repeatedly for the occupying forces to leave Iraq as soon as possible.
But revelations about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US personnel and the incursion of US military forces close to some of the holiest Shi'ite shrines in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Kerbala this week have stirred Iranian anger.
"The Americans' military aggression against holy Shi'ite sites is a rude, shameful and stupid measure," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a speech, extracts of which were reported by the official IRNA
news agency.
"Muslims and Shi'ite in Iraq and other places will not remain silent regarding this aggression and rudeness," he said.
"Today the Americans have become bogged down in a quagmire in Iraq and the more they continue the more they will be sucked in," he continued.
"The seed of hatred the Americans have sown in Iraq will breed hatred for 10 years," he added.
The Ayoatollah also called plans to hand over control to the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council on June 30th "deceitful".
"Iraqi politicians should know that any of them who come to power, if they are appointed by the Americans, they will be just as hated as the Americans," he said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mr Hamid Reza Asefi told a weekly news conference today that US forces should leave Najaf and Kerbala as soon as possible."Otherwise the American government will be responsible for the consequences of disrespecting holy places."
Mr Asefi said that while Iran would not mediate between the US-led forces and Iraqis it would use its influence in the Iraqi Shi'ite community "to try to lessen the differences between Iraqis".