A TIME investigation reveals the Tehran regime’s strategy to gain influence in Iraq–and why U.S. troops may now face greater dangers as a result
By MICHAEL WARE / BAGHDAD
The U.S. military’s new nemesis in Iraq is named Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani, and he is not a Baathist or a member of al-Qaeda. He is working for Iran. According to a U.S. military-intelligence document obtained by Time, al-Sheibani heads a network of insurgents created by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps with the express purpose of committing violence against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. Over the past eight months, his group has introduced a new breed of roadside bomb more lethal than any seen before; based on a design from the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hizballah, the weapon employs "shaped" explosive charges that can punch through a battle tank’s armor like a fist through the wall. According to the document, the U.S. believes al-Sheibani’s team consists of 280 members, divided into 17 bombmaking teams and death squads. The U.S. believes they train in Lebanon, in Baghdad’s predominantly Shi’ite Sadr City district and "in another country" and have detonated at least 37 bombs against U.S. forces this year in Baghdad alone.
Tehran, Iran, Aug. 21 – A new sex-segregated park is under development in the city of Mashad, north-eastern Iran, according to the head of the National Women’s Council.
Tehran, Iran, Aug. 20 – The man designated by Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as his Minister of Justice vowed on Saturday that “improperly-veiled women†will be treated as if they had no Islamic veil at all.
Tehran, Iran, Aug. 17 – A scientific study conducted by two independent experts found that 71 percent of teenagers in Iran suffer from depression, a Tehran-based news agency reported.
Tehran, Iran, Aug. 07 – Women will not be included in the cabinet of Iran’s new hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a leading ultra-conservative figure said on Sunday. 
LONDON – Britain protested furiously on Tuesday to Iran over comments by a leading Iranian politician that the London bombings might have been deliberately carried out by the British government. 
Tehran, Apr. 13 – A young man in Iran is to have his right hand and left leg amputated today for theft, a state-run daily reported.
