American intelligence officers offer proof of Iran's involvement in the current choas in Iraq, which the US blames for the failure of America's venture in Iraq.
Photo: AP
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America Clutches at Iranian Arms
// A New Argument Found in Iraq for War Against Iran
Yesterday Tehran categorically denied information pointing to its involvement in supplies of arms to Iraq. The statement from the Iranian side came after American military spokesmen in Baghdad unveiled examples of Iranian weapons that had been seized in Iraq. The attempt to blame Iran for America's failures in Iraq was met with bewilderment not only in Tehran but by leading Democrats in the US Congress. Many observers believe that the Bush administration is merely continuing its search for a pretext on which to go to war against Iran.
Iranian Explosives Versus American Armor
Sunday's demonstration of the "Iranian trophies" took place in strictest confidence in Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone, where the American general headquarters is located. The members of the media who were invited to the presentation were forbidden to take photographs or videos of the objects on display, and no recording devices were allowed. The journalists were also not informed of the names of the military experts and representatives of the American command in Iraq who spoke at the press conference. However, the organizers of the conference furnished the assembled journalists with illustrated materials about Iran's "subversive role" in Iraq, including CDs with photographs of examples of Iranian weapons that have been used against the American forces in Iraq. The American military spokesmen also pointedly asserted that the Iranian arms on display were only a small portion of the enormous arsenal that was produced in Iran and secretly funneled to Iraq. "There is a vast difference between what we know and what we can show," said one of the army's experts, adding that a more detailed disclosure could play into the hands of Iraqi insurgents.
Among the Iranian weapons in the presentation were ground-to-air Mishag-1 rockets, grenades, pieces from 60-mm and 81-mm mortar launchers, and charges for launching mortars. The journalists were also shown photographs of boxes of Iranian dynamite that were labeled in Farsi and testimonials from two Iranians from the elite Kuds unit of the Revolutionary Guards who were arrested in northern Iraq during a raid by American forces on the town of Irbil.
However, the centerpiece of the presentation was a new generation of shaped-charge projectile: a mine with extra-destructive explosive power that is filled with small copper pellets capable of piercing armor. According to the American experts, these Iranian-made devices are used by Iraqi militants to mine roads and have been employed to devastating effect against American Abrams tanks and armored Humvees. They are blamed for 170 of the 3,400 casualties suffered by US forces in Iraq since 2003.
The Meaning of "Guided Chaos"
According to the American side, the Iranian weapons that find their way to Iraq are being used to create a situation of "guided chaos" that is being controlled by Tehran. According to the explanations offered by the Americans, the elements of this guided chaos include attacks on American and Iraqi soldiers, stoking of tensions between Shi'ites and Sunnis, and terrorist acts against the civilian population, which are aimed at proving America's inability to ensure security in Iraq. Washington claims that Tehran's main goal in pursuing a strategy of guided chaos is to force the Bush administration to become ever more bogged down in Iraq.
However, Iran's desire to influence the situation in its neighbor notwithstanding, observers in the region maintain that attempts to present Iran as the chief driving force behind the carnage in Iraq, as well as the source of the relentless wave of terrorism convulsing the country, is groundless. Independent observers have pointed out that, during the recent demonstration of Iranian weaponry found in Iraq, the American representatives relented slightly on Washington's previous position, which maintained that Shi'ite Iran was supposedly supporting the Sunni insurgents in Iraq, who have destroyed the largest number of American forces and equipment. According to the new version of events, the Iranian weapons are being supplied to the militants by the anti-American Shi'ite leader Muktada Sadr, who is in close contact with Iranian agents.
Noting the flaws in the idea of "guided chaos," many Iraqi politicians point out that the US is becoming increasing concerned by the close ties between Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Tehran. "The Iraqi government does not consider Iran an enemy. The Americans are trying to prove to the Iraqis that they are speaking out against Iran not only because of its nuclear program but because of what is going on in Iraq," said Mahmoud Otman, a member of the Iraqi parliament. "There is no proof that the Iranian government is involved. The weapons could have been illegally smuggled into Iraq," said Iranian legislator Neda Sudani.
According to the American side, the demonstration of Iranian weapons used by Iraqi insurgents was supposed to convince Baghdad to turn away from Tehran and to quit what the US sees as the unholy political partnership between Iran and Iraq.
"It's All Untrue"
As could have been expected, Tehran firmly denied the allegation that it is inflaming the conflict in Iraq and furnishing arms to Iraqi militants. "The statements made by the Americans over the last several months, claiming that Iran has something to do with the current woes in Iraq, are entirely groundless," said official Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini yesterday. Also yesterday Iran denied information that members of the international terrorist organization al-Qaeda are hiding on its territory. "At this moment, not a single member of al-Qaeda is in Iran. In the past several of them were being detained, deported, or jailed," said Iranian Intelligence Minister Qolamhoseyn Mohseni Ezhei in response to a report that appeared in the newspaper The Washington Post last week concerning the US administration's intent to accuse Iran of concealing the al-Qaeda operatives Suleiman Abu Ghaith and a son of Osama bin Laden.
However, the circumstances that may prove most dampening for the Bush administration's fighting spirit were the critical responses from the US Congress to the demonstration of the Iranian arsenal. "I take all of this with a hefty dose of skepticism, given previous experience with similar operations," said Christopher Dodd, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a statement that reflected a widespread opinion among the Democrats. John Kerry, another well-known Democrat, said that although Iran's involvement in the situation in Iraq is beyond a doubt, it is necessary to talk the matter through with Iran rather than jump into a confrontation.
In the opinion of observers, despite the absence of the necessary support from the Democrats, representatives from the Bush administration are going to continue their search for a pretext on which to attack Iran and are ready to go for the brass ring. That was made abundantly clear in a comment published last week in Newsweek from Hillary Mann, a former member of the US National Security Council: "They intend to be as provocative as possible and to force the Iranians to do something that will oblige America to retaliate," she said. An editorial in the same issue of Newsweek opined that "there is already a covert war between the US and Iran taking place in Iraq."
European Union Introduces Sanctions Against Iran
Yesterday the foreign ministers from the 27 countries of the EU agreed at a meeting in Brussels to impose sanctions against Iran in response to Tehran's refusal to cease work on uranium enrichment as demanded by UN Security Council resolution #1737, which was adopted in December of last year. The sanctions will take effect no earlier than the beginning of February, after the European Commission formally declares its intent to implement them. In a statement, the EU foreign ministers expressed their readiness to continue discussions with Tehran about international control over the Iranian nuclear program. "We are in favor of continuing a dialog, and Iran knows what we want to achieve," said senior EU representative for common foreign policy and security Javier Solana.
Sergey Strokan
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 13, 2007
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