NAJAF, Iraq, May 28 (UPI) -- Iran and Iraq have agreed to unite against "saboteurs" crossing their 700-mile border in an effort to increase the security of both countries.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani reached the understanding after a meeting in the Iraqi province of Najaf, The New York Times reported.
The United States military has been strongly encouraging the Iraqi government, under Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, to get control of the border.
The lack of border security has led to the funneling of weapons and money from Iran to Shiite rebels, the Times reported.
Maliki is also under pressure from the United States to fill several top security posts. Iraq's government is suffering from a lack of efficiency and authority, and officials from the United States and Iraq hope to use the border issue as a way to demonstrate the power of the new government.
