Iran today denied US accusations that it was stoking violence in Iraq by supplying militants with Iranian-made weapons and that those at the "highest levels" of Tehran's government were involved.
US-led forces presented yesterday what officials said was "a growing body" of evidence of Iranian weapons being used to kill their soldiers. One official said: "These activities are coming from the highest levels of the Iranian government."
But an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman responded: "What was presented is weak proof that even Americans themselves do not believe and is not acceptable."
He said the United States was "designing artificial events" to justify their accusations.
"Iran's senior officials and others do not have anything to do with this issue and other issues. Any interference with Iraq's internal matters will weaken Iraq's government," he said.
Iran routinely denies US charges that it is fanning violence in Iraq, blames the presence of the US occupation for sectarian fighting and says Tehran wants a stable neighbour.
In yesterday's briefing, a senior defence official from the US-led Multinational Force in Baghdad said 170 coalition forces had been killed by Iranian-made roadside bombs smuggled into Iraq.
The officials showed journalists fragments of what they said were Iranian-manufactured weapons, including one part of bomb that is strong enough to penetrate the armour of a tank and tail fins from mortar bombs.
The officials said they were showing the evidence out of concern about the "vast increase" in sophisticated weapons used by Iraqi militants against US forces in 2006.