By now the world is quite used to strange, convoluted, and at times, rather psychotic claims and accusations emanating from the mouths of high-ranking Iraqi officials. However, assuming that leaders of a country usually act in their perceived self-interest, let alone the interests of their people, one can draw some reasonable conclusions about Uday Hussein's accusations against Iran on Friday.

News reports quoted Uday as having claimed that Iran, not Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, is behind the hard-line Islamist group in Iraq's Kurdish-rebel-held north which has reportedly experimented with deadly toxin on animals.

"The Iranians set up the extremist group called Jund al-Islam (Soldiers of Islam), which has not the slightest connection with Islam but equally no link with the Al-Qaeda network," Saddam's eldest son told his youth TV network.

Uday's comments came after Kurdish rebel leader Jalal Talebani hinted early last week that that Baghdad might have links with a group of former Arab volunteers from the war in Afghanistan who had found refuge with a small rival faction, the Islamic Movement of Iraqi Kurdistan.

These reports, coupled with others about shadowy groups, such as Ansar ul-Islam, operating in Iraqi Kurdistan, come at a time when Iraq's ruling establishment is facing the possibility of an U.S. attack, and the country itself is crisis-ridden and in turmoil.

Therefore, some regional analysts suggest Iraq has decided on a two-pronged propaganda tactic: One, the so-called charm blitz aimed at Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that are considered U.S. allies, and the other, a misinformation and disinformation offensive against neighbors such as Iran -- thus helping the United States in its war of accusations against the Islamic Republic, and diffusing the center of attention from Iraq itself if and when a U.S. attack on Iraq is launched.

For instance, the group Uday Hussein referred to in his television interview has recently begun operating in northern Iraq in areas bordering Iran and is reported to espouse extremist ideas similar to the Taleban and conducts activities and operations that can only lead to further crisis and conflict in the region, which already has more than its share of both.

The group's activities in recent months have especially been focused on creating and aggravating sectarian differences between the Shia and Sunni Muslims of northern Iraq and naturally are detrimental to the peace of the region and in line with U.S. policy of encouraging such conflicts.

The current crisis in Iraq, including Iraqi Kurdistan -- contrary to Uday's hallucinations and accusations -- has roots in the repeated and immensely tragic misrule of Iraq's rulers and their total disregard for United Nations' resolutions.

It is certain that any terrorist and extremist activities in Iraqi Kurdistan close to Iranian borders are a cause for concern in Tehran and jeopardize Iranian security as well -- as was the case with the Taleban in Afghanistan, which burdened Iran with huge costs to maintain the security of its eastern borders.

Therefore, bearing in mind that the U.S. leaders have also, from time to time, made baseless accusations that Iran is harboring Al-Qaeda fugitives, one has to wonder whether an unholy propaganda alliance is shaping up between two unlikely allies in the war of words against the Islamic Republic.