BLITZER: The secretary of state of the United States is in Iraq now. Within a few days, the foreign minister of Iran, Kamal Kharrazi, is going to be visiting Baghdad. Iran has very close ties with this new, at least many elements, the Shia elements of this new Iraqi government. How worried are you about this considerable influence, apparently at least, that Iran has over the new Iraqi government?

HADLEY: Well, we're worried about what Iran is doing in Iraq. We are worried that they are providing assistance to some of the elements that are close to the terrorists and that are in a position to undermine the political process that is going forward. So we've said both to Iran and to Syria that they need to stop any support for the terrorists, and to cooperate with the Iraqi government in bringing the terrorism down.

Certainly there are people in the Iraqi government, and in political organizations in Iraq that have had ties with Iran, that were sheltered in Iran during the period of Saddam Hussein.

I think the president's confidence, though, is that Iraqis have now an opportunity to build and run their own country. They're not going to turn it over to Iran, that in the end of the day, is what we're seeing is an authentic Iraqi political process of Iraqis for the first time now in decades having an opportunity to take responsibility for their own country, and we're confident they will do that.

BLITZER: One of those Iraqi leaders who was sheltered in Iran, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, has spent years in Iran. He's the new prime minister of Iraq. And you're saying that the Iranian government now is supporting which element of the insurgency, of the terrorists inside Iraq?

HADLEY: Well, we can't do it in terms of which element. What we've seen is activity with Iranian elements in Iraq, doing some things that give us some concern, having some contact with some of the terrorist groups, and that obviously troubles us.