General Odierno alluded to a boast on Monday by Ahmadinejad that he was able to visit Iraq openly, unlike other foreign leaders who made unannounced visits that lasted just a few hours, reported AFP.

“My comment is I’m not surprised. Because over the last 12 months whenever a visitor would come from the United States, we needed to foil a rocket attack, he said.

“Guess what? That is because it was being done by an Iranian surrogate.”

Odierno cited Iran as one of several factors that could reverse gains made over the past year in reducing the violence, along with intra-Shia violence and a spectacular attack that could rekindle sectarian violence.