Via MSNBC:

“SEVILLE, Spain - Serial numbers and markings on explosives used in Iraq provide “pretty good” evidence that Iran is providing either weapons or technology for militants there, Defense Secretary Robert Gates asserted Friday.

Offering some of the first public details of evidence the military has collected, Gates said, “I think there’s some serial numbers, there may be some markings on some of the projectile fragments that we found,” that point to Iran.

At the same time, however, he said he was somewhat surprised that recent raids by coalition and Iraqi forces in Iraq swept up some Iranians.”

Heh, surprised, do tell:

“Speaking to reporters at a defense ministers conference here, Gates said Friday, “I don’t think there was surprise that the Iranians were actually involved, I think there was surprise we actually picked up some.”

He and other U.S. officials have said for some time that Iranians, and possibly the government of Iran, have been providing weapons technology, and possibly some explosives to Iraqi insurgents.

The improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been a leading killer of U.S. forces in Iraq, where more than 3,000 servicemen and women have died in the nearly 4-year-old war.

The Bush administration has promised a detailed accounting of allegations that Iran is contributing to violence or instability in Iraq but has not yet released that dossier. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other officials have faced skeptical questions from lawmakers about the strength of the evidence and the parallels to administration claims about Iraq before the 2003 invasion.”

And that’s been the rub on this deal at least as far as the media is concerned. But speaking to people of intelligence there is absolutely no doubt that Iran is involved. As I said on the MacRanger Show last week Iran will do anything they can to get us to leave the region. They cannot afford to have us sitting there with 150,000 troops in Iraq.

The administration is stepping on egg shells here for sure but before they release a full report they are going to make sure that proving the link isn’t subject to question.