They Aren’t “Pilgrims:” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says there is evidence that members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard move from Iran to Iraq, but there is no evidence of direct involvement by the Iranian government. Speaking at a Pentagon press briefing on March 14, Rumsfeld said he would not “make assumptions” about the Iranian government’s involvement, but said that the Revolutionary Guard in Iraq “are not freelancing and they’re not pilgrims.”
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
