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(White House-AP) -- The White House is warning Iran not to interfere with the creation of a new democracy in Iraq.
Press Secretary Ari Fleischer says U-S officials have told Iranian officials the administration would "oppose any outside influence" in the set-up of a post-Saddam Hussein government.
The warning follows a published report that Iranian agents have infiltrated southern Iraq and are working to promote friendly Shiite Muslim clerics and advance Iranian interests.
Asked if he could confirm the New York Times report, Fleischer replied, "We have concerns."
However, he says again that President Bush views with "joy" this week's Shiite religious observances, which have drawn hundreds of thousands to the streets of Karbala. Bush sees it as a celebration of Iraq's newfound freedom.
But Fleischer cautions America will insist that Saddam's regime not be replaced by an "Islamic dictatorship" -- which is what the administration sees in Tehran.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
