Heated Exchanges Mark U.S.-Iran Meeting

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, said there were several tense moments during his seven-hour meeting today with top Iranian diplomats and Iraqi officials.

The most heated exchanges came when Crocker noted that U.S. officials have detected an even higher level of Iranian support for various Iraqi militia groups since Crocker met with Iranian officials two months ago.

"I made it clear we were seeing direct Iranian support to extremists militias, both training and actual weapons," Crocker said in a conference call with reporters. Crocker added that he provided a brief summary of the U.S. evidence of the support but that the Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, angrily denied the charge. Further tense exchanges came when Qomi tried to broaden the discussion to include other topics, including U.S.-Iranian relations.

Crocker refused, saying that a larger discussion would have to include a conversation about Iranian support for extremist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. Crocker said there were some lighter moments, but "overall, it was a difficult discussion.”

--Kevin Whitelaw