We already know that Iran is supporting the terrorists in Iraq who are killing our troops, by providing Iraqi militants with weapons and armor. We also know that President Bush has called the country the “leading state sponsor of terror”.

So why is our tax money going to help this volatile nation? With US officials already calling for American people and business to not do business with Iran, The World Bank seems to think they are above that plea.

Millions of hard earned American green which is being taken through taxes and given to The World Bank is in turn being handed over to Iran to assist in the building of their industrial and natural gas sectors.

The reason they are allowed to do this is because of one of their many programs (The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency) which guarantees help for developing nations. And since the United States is one of the largest contributors to this program ($24 Million since 2000) it is our money that is going to Iran.

The problem comes when you realize that the US and The United Nations is actively trying to reduce foreign transactions with Iran, especially in their energy sector. And the disgusting thought is created that our money is (in a way) purchasing armor and weapons for the people we are fighting against.

The way the program works is that the bank guarantees investing companies in countries like Japan protections against the risk of "war and civil disturbance," and any potential breach of contract by the government of Iran.

And it gets worse, in many other instances (too many to document here) our money is going to people who in turn use it to support Iran. This at a time when US officials warn any help given to the country could aide in its nuclear and ballistic missile systems.

And according to US Representatives Steve Rothman (D - N.J.), and Mark Kirk (R - Ill.) — a former Bank staffer — the global lending institution has "transferred at least $50 million in U.S. and allied taxpayer funding to Iran" over the last six months.

In a letter to Secretary of State Rice Rothman and Kirk argued the World Bank is "undermining the Iran policies of the U.N. Security Council, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States by giving technical assistance, loans and investment guarantees directly to the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."

The letter urges the Bush administration to "align the World Bank board to the policy" of the U.N. Security Council, by suspending all World Bank loans to Iran and all guarantees on foreign investment in the country.

But it is still unclear weather or not the bank even cares that they are helping a country which is actively trying to kill Americans, although a spokesman insists that the assistance will soon end, "There are no plans to approve any new loans to Iran. These loans ... were designed to help Iran's poorest people and meet basic humanitarian needs."

But I wonder about the basic humanitarian needs of American soldiers, who are being killed by weapons created by a country that is getting support from US tax money.