This is for Armando. If you are not Armando, then stop reading. No, I mean it. Stop right now. Do not pass this first paragraph and do not collect $200. Are you still reading? Well... I guess you can continue... but I'm watching you.
Sorry, Armando, I wasn't able to scrounge around for as much as I wanted. But here is a couple links. Next time I'll translate some of the rumor mill stuff, but not this time (that and I'm pretty bad at it).
So, the general idea is that Muqtada al-Sadr isn't taking all his orders from the hard-liners in Tehran (you don't need to give direction to somebody that is going your way), but that he is receiving material and diplimatic support from them, and they are trying to position him. Sadr and Tehran have a common interest; they want ot see America fail and an Islamic Revolution in Iraq, even if they disagree on the some of the details. Since Sadr doesn't have the religious clout of a Sistani, he needs to use the religious standing of others. Iranian Ayatollah Kazem al-Haeri is one of those that provides this cover, calling Sadr his "representative" in Iraq. Haeri is very close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Sadr, looking for more support, met with Expediency Chairman and former-president Hashemi Rafsanjani and head of Revolutionary Guard intelligence Murtadha Radhai. There he received the promise of support or Iran and terrorist surrogate Hizbollah. Since then, Rafsanjani has used his Friday sermon to support Sadr and diplomatic attempts have been made to get Sadr accepted by others in Iraq as the important leader.
Although I tried to keep any sources out that you might not find too redible, for just one piece from the right, here is one of Michael Ledeen's articles on the connection.
Here is a good overview of what other articles have gone into details on. The source is kind of weak (written by Jack Kelley "national security writer for the Post-Gazette and The Blade of Toledo"), but anything in the article can be found in others that are more complete, if you dig enough.
Who is Behind the Iraq Insurgency?
The revolt by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr was largely financed by Iran. An Iranian defector told the London-based Arabic daily al Sharq al-Awsat that Iran has been spending $70 million a month on activities in Iraq, and has set up three training camps just across the border from Iraq for members of al Sadr's militia, the "Mehdi Army."
Although this article off the Pacific News Service doesn't give the details of the workings, it tells of how the different factions in Iran have backed different sides in Iraq. This, I think, is very important. Much of the analysis written on Iran's involvement in Iraq suffers from not making a distinction between the different factions within Iran. Juan Cole seems particularly suseptible to this failure, as he pulls quotes from the reformist camp and applies them to "Iran" in general.
The Tehran Factor in Iraq's Shi'ite Uprising
When Iran's influential former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani recently hailed the Shi'ite Muslim militia of wanted Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as "heroic," he might have been signaling that Iran is finally coming out from behind the scenes in the confrontation between the U.S. and al-Sadr that has left dozens dead. [...]
This split mirrors in many ways the tension between reformists and conservatives in Iran as well. But in the recent elections in Iran, the reformists--led by President Khatami--were outmaneuvered and defeated by the conservatives who ally with Supreme Leader Khamenei. Though the means were dubious since many reformist candidates were banned from running, the end result has been a strengthening of the conservatives' power in Iran. Now they are able to come out more openly in support of al-Sadr. Previously when they had invited al-Sadr to Iran, President Khatami had refused to meet him, though he had met with the moderate al-Hakim.
Reza Ladjevardian in the Houston Chronicle, with a sideswipe of Bremer's decision to shut down Sadr's newspaper, draws parallels between Iran and Iraq giving a more general pictures in a short but interesting article.
Iran's mullahs influencing resistance in Iraq
Al-Sadr is trying to copy Khomeini's formula. By setting himself up as the undisputable leader of the anti-American camp of the Shiites, al-Sadr hopes for a harsh retaliation by the American forces to boost anti-Americanism among the Shiites.
This way, he'll compel Sistani to increasingly become more critical of the American occupation or risk marginalization. Either way, al-Sadr will enhance his own prestige and following. He believes that through intimidation, he can also leverage his organized yet relatively small militant group.
There is an article in the Washington Times, but it is mostly just a review of news reports from outside the US. It is basically the same story ever other place has. Sadr's Mehdi Army was trained by Iran, and it the story of Sadr's coming back with a "suitcase full of money" is a repeat of the Rafsanjani meeting, just without mentioning that name specifically.
Iran Supporting Iraqi Radicals, Arab Dailies Say
But Iran, meanwhile, has maintained three "military camps and training centers" on the Iran-Iraq border used by members of Sheik al-Sadr's Mahdi's Army, according to the daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat (the Middle East).
Mr. Amir, who came to Israel from Iran shortly before the Iranian revolution of 1978-79, said Sheik al-Sadr visited Tehran eight months ago "and returned to Iraq with a suitcase full of money."
I'm sure I can dig up a lot more, but this is what I could find in an hour of looking. There are other reports on Mahdi Army training using border Revolutionary Guard faciliies, but I'm not sure how true they are. Also, I and the sources I get information from (well not me, but the sources my source gets her information from) are all wrong and somebody like Juan Cole is entirely right. For example, an email I received by first-hand sources (I guess, third- of fourth-hand after they reached my) about using mosques and pilgrims to collect and distribute money and supplies across the border to hostile forces in Iraq could be incorrect. However, if I were to put some money down in it, I would place it on Iran being a substantial support for Sadr.