Particularly in light of this...

Iran and Hezbollah are going to have to be dealt with..at some point.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday that new explosive devices used against coalition forces in Iraq "lead us either to Iranian elements or to Hezbollah."

While stressing that "we cannot be sure" about Iran's possible role, the British leader linked the issue to the diplomatic confrontation between Tehran and Western nations over Iran's nuclear program.

"There is no justification for Iran or any other country interfering in Iraq," Blair said. "Neither will we be subject to any intimidation in raising the necessary and live issues to do with the nuclear weapons obligations of Iran under the (International) Atomic Energy Agency treaty."

Speaking at a news conference with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Blair appeared to back away slightly from accusations against Iran made Wednesday by a senior British official.

"We know that the devices are of a similar nature to those used by Hezbollah, and there are certain pieces of information that lead us back to Iran," Blair said. "But I'm not saying any more than that — we cannot be sure of this."

"What is clear is that there have been new explosive devices used, not just against British troops but elsewhere in Iraq," Blair added.

"The particular nature of those devices lead us either to Iranian elements or to Hezbollah, because they are similar to the devices used by Hezbollah," the Lebanese group which is backed by both
Syria and Iran.