Kansas City, MO — Expect General Petraeus to discuss increasing Iranian ties to violence in Iraq as well as the state of affairs in Basra this week, McCain told the press corps aboard his plane Sunday.

“I think you’re going to hear more about the Iranian influence, the arms they’ve provided, the money, the training, particularly the extent of their influence in Southern Iraq. It’s pretty extensive and I think he’s going to be talking about that,” McCain said en route to Kansas City, where he is preparing to deliver an address on the war Monday.

The presumptive GOP nominee said he has not spoken with Petraeus about his testimony but said of Iran: “I hope that we can present the facts this time and they would be irrefutable, and they would be based on concrete evidence.”

McCain said the Iranians are “stepping up some of their efforts” because they are worried about an effective Iraqi government taking control, adding that some of the evidence he is seeing of increasing Iranian military involvement are not “Curveball’s allegations.” ((Curveball was the infamous Iraqi CIA informant whose stories about Iraqi WMD development in the leadup to the war turned out to be false.))

Queried whether his Iran talk is part of a drumbeat for war, McCain retorted that “because I’m worried about Iranian influence doesn’t mean that I’m ready to go to war with Iran.”

Petraeus is set to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday.