Defense Secretary Gates, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Pace say again that members of Iran's elite Quds force have been detained in Iraq

Senior U.S. military officials have repeated they do not know if the highest levels of the Iranian government authorized the transfer of sophisticated weapons to insurgents in Iraq.

But Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace said again Thursday that members of Iran's elite Quds force have been detained in Iraq. They also repeated that Iranian-made explosive devices have been found in Iraq and used against U.S. forces there.

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Gates and Pace say the presence of Quds force members in Iraq is worrisome, regardless of whether Iran's top leaders ordered them there.

Gates also said the U.S. is not looking for an excuse to go to war with Iran. He says U.S. forces are focused on disrupting networks in Iraq that are responsible for killing U.S. forces.