The United States has warned Iran against any interference in Iraq, amid claims that Tehran has sent agents there to stir up the Shi’a population and advance Iranian interests in Iraq.

Citing un-identified US officials, the "New York Times" reported Wednesday that Iranian-trained agents as well as and irregular members of a special unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards had been crossing into southern Iraq to boost support for Sh’ia clerics and an Iranian-style Islamic government, confirming reports published earlier by Iran Press Service.

"Infiltration of agents to destabilise the Shi’a community would clearly fall into that category", Fleischer added.

Others chanted "No to Chalabi", referring to Ahmad Chalabi, the US-favoured leader of the Iraqi National Congress (INC), who has returned after decades of exile.

Mr Fleischer said Washington had passed its message to Tehran through "well-known channels of communication" between the two countries.

Though he did not name those channels, but Iranian sources noted that the British Foreign Office Secretary Jack Straw, who has visited Tehran twice, has established friendly relations with his Iranian counterpart and the British Ambassador to Tehran has met twice with Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer al-Hakim, the leader of SAIRI.

Asked in an interview whether Paris would be punished for its anti-war stance, Powell replied bluntly: "Yes."

"We have to take a look at the relationship. We have to look at all aspects of our relationship with France in light of this," he told PBS television.

Calling the shots, Mr. De Villepin said From Ankara on Wednesday that what France is defending is "international legitimacy and would continue in this direction".

Powell's comments came as senior US officials weighed tough measures against France, including sidelining Paris at NATO and limiting its participation in transatlantic fora, at a high-level meeting this week.

Observers said while Iran had adopted an "active neutrality" concerning Iraq at the eve of American-British attack, France had threatened Washington with the use of its right of veto at the Security Council, thus blocking the second resolution the United States and the United Kingdom wanted to introduce as a "ploy" to get UN’s blessing for attacking Iraq.

However, the Coalition’s quick victory over Saddam has placed the "anti-war" axis, made of France, Germany and Russia in a difficult position.

"During his meeting with Iranian officials, Mr. De Villepin would explain France’s policy concerning Iraq, the reasons why Paris opposed American-British plans to attack Iraq and also why it is insisting on the role of the United Nations for the post-Saddam period", an Iranian political observer told IPS, adding: Here he would find fine tuned ears to hear his voice", referring to the Iranian policy concerning the Iraqi crisis, a line witch is very similar to that of France.

"With the influence Iran has over the Iraqi Shi’a community in the one hand and on the Iraqi Kurds on the other, Tehran has a privileged position that no one shall underestimate and France seems to have realised this factor before other major players", said Mr. Mohammad Soltanifar, the Chief Editor of the English-language daily "Iran News", which is edited by the official Iranian news agency IRNA.

He said the same, as France needs partners in its diplomatic confrontation with the United States, Iran also needs powers like France, Germany and the European Union it wanted its voice to be heard in international arena.

"It is clear that France has lost the game to the American military might, but it still is a power one has to reckon, particularly since it used to exercise a certain influence in Iraq, mostly with the Kurds, whom, like Iran, it helped in the past. It is also certain that whenever our interests collide with those of the United States, we stand to be the loser side. But if we have France, Germany, the EU at our side, the least Washington might do is at least to listen to us", he observed.

Iran has said it would not recognise any government in Baghdad if imposed by Washington, but would co-operate with anyone that take the power with the blessings of the United Nations.

Before coming to Tehran, the French Minister had visited Ankara and Amman, two Iraqi neighbours that that like France and Iran, were against the war and now urges Washington to leave Iraq "the soonest possible" and let the United Nations to take the lead role in the economic, social and political reconstruction of Iraq.