U.S. Troops Raid Iranian Consulate in Iraq

U.S. Troops Raid Iranian Consulate in Iraq

This happened only hours after President Bush announced he would crack down on Iran’s involvement in Iraq’s violence. It looks like it ain't just talk.

U.S. troops raided an Iranian consulate in northern Iraq late Wednesday night and detained several people, Iran’s main news agency reported today, prompting protests from Tehran just hours after President Bush pledged to crack down on the Islamic Republic’s role in Iraqi violence.

Iran released news of the raid through its Islamic Republic News Agency in a dispatch that was broadly critical of Bush’s plan to deploy about 21,500 more troops to Iraq.

The IRNA report said that U.S. forces entered the Iranian consulate in Irbil, in Iraq’s Kurdish-dominated north, and seized computers, documents and other items. The report said five staff members were taken into custody.

The Iranian foreign ministry appealed to the Iraqi government to obtain the release of its personnel.

Looks to me like the Iranians overplayed their hand.

Look for a lot of repercussions from this.