Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Wednesday the United States was in no position to start a war against Iran given its military commitment in Iraq.

Shi’ite pilgrims converged on the Iraqi city of Najaf on Wednesday amid tight security for their first major religious ceremony since clashes between Shi’ite militias killed 52 people in nearby Kerbala in August.

The U.S. military said on Wednesday it had discovered a list of some 500 al Qaeda militants recruited to fight in Iraq from a range of European, Middle East and north African countries.