Iran looking for a fight?

You don’t do things like this unless you are looking for trouble or believe there won’t be any trouble.

NASIRIYAH, Iraq (AFP) – Iranian forces took control of a southern Iraqi oil well on a disputed section of the border on Friday, US and Iraqi officials told AFP. “There has been no violence related to this incident and we trust this will be resolved through peaceful diplomacy between the governments of Iraq and Iran,” a US military spokesman told AFP at Contingency Operating Base Adder, just outside the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. “The oil field is in disputed territory in between Iranian and Iraqi border forts,” he said, adding that such incidents occur quite frequently. An official of the state-owned South Oil Co in the southeastern city of Amara, and west of the field, said: “An Iranian force arrived at the field early this morning (Friday). “It took control of Well 4 and raised the Iranian flag even though the well lies in Iraqi territory,” the official added. “An oil ministry delegation is to travel to the area on Saturday to assess the situation.” The national security council was due to hold an emergency meeting on Friday chaired by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Iraqi state television said quoting the minister of state for national security, Shirwan al-Waili.

There is no way to see this as anything but the Iranians upping the ante. Either they think nobosy can do anything, or they are hoping someone does (likely so they can then whip up nationalistic flames back at home where there is some serious trouble). This is not going to be pretty.