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February 13, 2007

Building the case against Iran

Anonymous DoD sources have already started building the case against Iran...

During a long-awaited presentation, held in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, the officials displayed mortar shells, rocket-propelled grenades and a powerful cylindrical bomb, capable of blasting through an armored Humvee, that they said were manufactured in Iran and supplied to Shiite militias in Iraq for attacks on U.S. and Iraqi troops.

"Iran is a significant contributor to attacks on coalition forces, and also supports violence against the Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi people," said a senior defense official, who was joined by a defense analyst and an explosives expert, both also from the military.

The Iranians are, of course, denying that they are supplying the insurgents

An official at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad called the U.S. accusations "fabricated" and "baseless."

"We deny such charges. We ask those who are claiming such evidence: Show the documents in public," said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. "We cannot compensate for the American failure and fiasco in Iraq. . . . It is not our policy to be involved in any hostile operations against coalition forces here."

To which the 'anonymous sources' replied

The U.S. officials said weapons were smuggled into the country by the Quds Force, an elite unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that U.S. officials believe is under the control of Iran's supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The officials in Baghdad said that Iranians recently detained in Iraq by U.S. forces belong to the Quds Force.

With so much official U.S. buildup about the purported evidence of Iranian influence in Iraq, the briefing was also notable for what was not said or shown. The officials offered no evidence to substantiate allegations that the "highest levels" of the Iranian government had sanctioned support for attacks against U.S. troops. Also, the military briefers were not joined by U.S. diplomats or representatives of the CIA or the office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Hmmm. This certainly sounds familiar. So the Iranians are making arms that are ending up in the hands of insurgents? Quelle Surprise. I bet Russians, Chinese, Germans and even Americans also made some of the equipment being used by the insurgents. But at least these troops are alleged to be Iranians... until we find out they aren't. By then, Tehran should be in chaos and we'll be spending $25 bn/ month to rebuild the country.

The Iraqi's are as skeptical as most Americans (at least the overwhelming majority of Americans who don't read Shelly).

Iraq's deputy foreign minister, Labeed M. Abbawi, said in an interview Sunday that the Iraqi government remains in the dark about the full U.S. investigation into Iranian activities in Iraq. "It is difficult for us here in the diplomatic circles just to accept whatever the American forces say is evidence," he said.

"If they have anything really conclusive, then they should come out and say it openly, then we will pick it up from there and use diplomatic channels" to discuss it with Iran, he said. "The method or the way it's being done should be changed, to have more cooperation with us."

I want to see troops marching across the border. Then you have proof. Until then, you're between a rock and a hard place just like we were in Vietnam when the Soviets were supplying the Viet Cong. You can't attack everyone who made gear being used by the insurgents. It doesn't work that way.

Give me real, solid proof and I'll back an invasion of Iran with the caveat that it not begin until there is a Democrat in the White House because we can't afford another Republican failure like Connecticut native George W. Bush. Build a coalition like the first Gulf War and then do it.

Until then, STFU. I'm not the in mood for more BS about WMD's.

Posted by mcblogger at February 13, 2007 10:20 AM

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