Baghdad ? The top U.S. commander in Iraq said Tuesday that Iran is still training and equipping Iraqi insurgents but is shifting its focus to influence the upcoming Iraqi elections and exerting “soft power” over its majority-Shiite neighbor.

Iranian meddling “is more targeted now than it has ever been,” Gen. Ray Odierno said following meetings with visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. “They are focused on their attempt to influence the national elections that will come up. They will be very focused on trying to support a government that will be more friendly to Iran.”

Gates was getting a firsthand look at U.S.-Iraqi cooperation following formal handover of control of Iraqi cities to Iraqi security forces. He met with Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad over Iraqi requests for more military hardware, including state-of-the-art fighter jets.