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‘Iran is sending weapons to Iraq’
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| josh4 |
| quote: |
Iranian arms intercepted at Iraqi border
Britain warns Tehran about weapons smuggling
Ewen MacAskill, diplomatic editor
Thursday August 11, 2005
The Guardian
Britain yesterday described as "unacceptable" the smuggling of weapons from Iran into Iraq after revealing that a consignment was intercepted at the border between the two countries.
While complaints have been made in the past, it is relatively rare to have concrete evidence of such smuggling.
The British embassy in Tehran raised the issue at a meeting with the Iranian foreign ministry. Officials relayed the government's concern and pressed Iran to acknowledge that there was a problem that should be dealt with.
Donald Rumsfeld, the US secretary of defence, warned Iran this week about the extent of smuggling. The US has been protesting for the past two years over alleged Iranian meddling in Iraq. Mr Rumsfeld told a Pentagon briefing that the smuggling was "a problem" for the Iraqi government. "It's a problem for the coalition forces. It's a problem for the international community, and ultimately, it's a problem for Iran," he said.
Disclosure of the smuggling came hours after four American soldiers were killed and six were wounded as a patrol was attacked near Baiji, 112 miles north of Baghdad, late on Tuesday. A bomb wrecked two Humvees and a bigger armoured vehicle.
Iran has repeatedly denied any involvement in the insurgency or party politics in Iraq.
A senior British official disclosed yesterday details of the incident two weeks ago when a group crossing from Iran was intercepted near Maysan, which is in the British controlled sector of Iraq. Iraqi security forces opened fire and the smugglers fled back to Iran leaving their cache of timers, detonators and other bomb-making equipment.
The British official said he did not know the identity of the group or those behind it but said it had the "fingerprints" of either Iran's Revolutionary Guard, controlled by the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, or the Lebanese based Hizbullah which Tehran backs. The incident came against a backdrop of tension between Iran and the west over allegations that Tehran is intent on securing a nuclear-weapons capability.
The US has had no diplomatic relationship with Iran since 1980 and has branded it part of the "axis of evil". But Britain usually opts for a less confrontational approach than the US. The British official said he thought such smuggling from Iran was infrequent and trivial compared with the weapons going into Iraq from Syria.
Bayan Jabr, Iraq's interior minister, also played down the incident, saying it "was very much exaggerated".
Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Iraq's prime minister who spent years in exile in Iran, dodged questions yesterday about the alleged use of Iranian weapons by insurgents.
Iran has a vested interest in maintaining a degree of instability in Iraq to ensure the US and Britain leave but it does not want anarchy threatening its own security. Events in Iraq are going in the direction Tehran would have wished with its Shia co-religionists dominant and an increased Islamisation in the British sector.
Iran can exert influence through the many prominent Iraqis who were exiled in Tehran and via the Badr brigades, the Iraqi Shia militia that was based in Iran.
The British claim the Badr brigades have been disbanded but although they have swapped their uniforms for Iraqi police or army gear many of the men retain their original allegiances.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Stor...1546837,00.html
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they probably are smuggling in weapons but the Bush administration is probably once again blowing things out of proportion to fit an agenda especially since Britian doesn't seem to be too concerned |
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| Cyrus King |
| quote: | Originally posted by josh4
they probably are smuggling in weapons but the Bush administration is probably once again blowing things out of proportion to fit an agenda especially since Britian doesn't seem to be too concerned |
knowing the nature of stupid americans, they would probably beleive anything the administration says even after tehyve blatently lied about WMD's in iraq. |
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| apostrophe |
Next thing you'll know, Bush will declare war on Iran too!
As much as it would be a ... :wtf: and I hope it wouldn't happen,
it wouldn't surprise me if those in power tried to justify this. |
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| hardcore trancer |
| oh great what a great excuse to invade another country. |
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| Q5echo |
| quote: | Originally posted by josh4
they probably are smuggling in weapons but the Bush administration is probably once again blowing things out of proportion to fit an agenda especially since Britian doesn't seem to be too concerned |
it's obvious whats going on there. i don't understand why you can't see it. this will help.| quote: | | “It’s quite conceivable that what one is seeing is different parts [of the Iranian] government pursuing their own strategies with regard to Iraq. But it would seem quite credible that there is both a desire to prevent direct conflict with the United States over Iraq but to ensure that the government that does eventually emerge in Iraq is one that is pro-Iranian. Or if not pro-Iranian, at least resolves Iran’s continual security problems with Iraq,” |
i don't know why you have to throw around the "Bush agenda" scare tactic either when all the facts are right in front of you. if anyone's agenda is blowing things out of proportion it's the Guardian's. |
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| St_Andrew |
| quote: | Originally posted by Q5echo
it's obvious whats going on there. i don't understand why you can't see it. this will help.
i don't know why you have to throw around the "Bush agenda" scare tactic either when all the facts are right in front of you. if anyone's agenda is blowing things out of proportion it's the Guardian's. |
Remember before the iraq war? Yeah thats right, you had proof then too! |
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| MisterOpus1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Q5echo
it's obvious whats going on there. i don't understand why you can't see it. this will help.
i don't know why you have to throw around the "Bush agenda" scare tactic either when all the facts are right in front of you. if anyone's agenda is blowing things out of proportion it's the Guardian's. |
Here's the thing that's a bit confusing with the whole matter, and yes it seems somewhat like there's a tiny bit of skewing the intelligence to fit the agenda (which I know is SOOO foreign of you to think of this Administration doing that, but hang on for a tick).
I do agree that it's certainly conceivable of these events occurring. But what is implied or even directly stated with the matter is the whole Iranian government being behind the arms being smuggled. Is there direct evidence of such an occurrence? Because if we are to go with such a premise that the Iranian gov't is behind this, how then would a Shiite Iranian gov't want to DELIBERATELY kill it's own Shiite neighbors in a neighboring country by handing over arms to the insurgents which are causing great havoc on the pro-Shiite gov't attempting to form in Iraq? If we assume the Iranian gov't is behind this, that would create a strange and contradictory desired outcome for the Iranian gov't itself. So I have sincere doubts of the Iran gov't being directly or even indirectly involved.
That's not to say that others in Iran have other interests in the matter, however, so I won't exclude this possibility completely. |
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| LazFX |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cyrus King
knowing the nature of stupid americans, they would probably beleive anything the administration says even after tehyve blatently lied about WMD's in iraq. |
Well knowing the nature of stupid Cyrus King, he would believe anything some dirt dobber in Palistine would tell him.
ignorant dumpster slut... |
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| ZZandirt |
ofcourse (off course?) weapons are being smuggled (up-n-forth, mind u all!!) these borders, as well as drugs and people etc... but this has little to do with their respective governements..., they should only control it.... (since it is illegal)
I think the US could only politely ask Iran to control it. (the brittish approach) this thing has been blown way out of proportion. Not only by the Bush admin. but (worse!!) by the media in general... creating misconception.
leave the entire region be!! if people have to die, be murdered etc..., they've been pretty capable of that themselves for centuries!!!
who are we to interfere...?? |
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| hardcore trancer |
| quote: | Originally posted by ZZandirt
leave the entire region be!! if people have to die, be murdered etc..., they've been pretty capable of that themselves for centuries!!!
who are we to interfere...?? |
in right man.
But nooooo those people there are on their knees asking American to come for the rescue and to give them democracy. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:. |
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| Q5echo |
| quote: | Originally posted by St_Andrew
Remember before the iraq war? Yeah thats right, you had proof then too! |
you're frikken brilliant:o
let the brave figure this out. you're doing fine right where you are. enjoy:) |
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