Regards, Ivan
Posted on 07/16/2004 4:10:01 PM PDT by MadIvan
Re-elected Bush would act to foment revolt, says senior official
THE US will mount a concerted attempt to overturn the regime in Iran if President Bush is elected for a second term.
It would work strenuously to foment a revolt against the ruling theocracy by Iran’s “hugely dissatisfied” population, a senior official has told The Times.
The United States would not use military force, as in Iraq, but “if Bush is re-elected there will be much more intervention in the internal affairs of Iran”, declared the official, who is determined that there should be no let-up in the Administration’s War on Terror.
To what extent the official, known to be hawkish, was speaking for the White House was unclear, but his remarks are nevertheless likely to cause alarm in Europe. He hinted at a possible military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying that there was a window of opportunity for destroying Iran’s main nuclear complex at Bushehr next year that would close if Russia delivered crucial fuel rods. To destroy Bushehr after the delivery would cause huge environmental damage. The rods would allow the Iranians to obtain enough plutonium for many dozens of nuclear weapons, he said.
The official also stepped up the pressure on Britain, France and Germany to take a tougher line on Iran, voicing the disdain within the Administration for the Europeans’ attempt to defuse the Iranian nuclear threat through diplomacy. Britain had joined the effort in order to demonstrate its European credentials, he said. France and Germany had teamed up with Britain because they realised that the pair of them could no longer run Europe alone.
Washington believes that the trio has been embarrassed by Iran’s failure to hold good to a deal it struck with the Iranian regime last October. Iran pledged to give UN inspectors the freedom to make snap inspections, and also to suspend uranium enrichment.
Since then, some members of the Administration have begun referring in private to Britain, France and Germany as “the Tehran three”, and to Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, as “Jack of Tehran”.
If the Europeans fail to get Iran to back down at a meeting this month, the US wants to close the gap between the rival diplomatic approaches and refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council.
Russia is due to deliver the first shipment of nuclear fuel to Iran early next year for insertion into the reactor at Bushehr before the end of the year.
Despite that, the official believes that “it is not impossible to get Russia to see it our way” and back a UN resolution that would “raise the international saliency” of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. He is convinced that Iran is afraid of a “conveyor belt” that would lead inexorably to sanctions and even military action.
Iran is one of the three members of President Bush’s “axis of evil” and has further angered Washington with its covert interference in Iraq since the end of last year’s war to topple Saddam Hussein.
The official dismissed suggestions that Washington would hesitate to seek regime change in Iran, given the problems it has encountered in Iraq, and Colin Powell, a restraining influence as Secretary of State, will not be serving a second term. It is less clear how the Administration could foment a revolution without uniting Iranians against “the Great Satan”.
The official claimed that more than its dislike of the mullahs, the Iranian population was dissatisfied with an economy that did not have jobs for the young: 60 per cent of the population is under 24.
There is little organised opposition inside the country and financing it directly or through front organisations would probably play into the hands of the mullahs anyway.
At present the US relies on about a dozen Farsi satellite television and radio channels in the San Fernando Valley, California. They beam pirate broadcasts to the estimated seven million Iranians with illegal satellite dishes.
Last year Washington also set up a Persian-language Voice of America programme that is broacast into Iraq. The internet offers another channel for US propaganda, but efforts to impose stiff sanctions or fund anti-Government exile groups have been frustrated by a Republican split over the relative merits of confrontation or engagement.
Despite the US threats one of Iran’s top ruling clerics vowed yesterday that the Islamic republic would continue to pursue its controversial nuclear programme. “We are resolute. It is worth achieving it at any cost,” Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, head of the Guardians Council, said.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
This should be done now, yesterday for that matter. Iran is the real threat.
The Official. Office just down the street.
lay the smack down GWB
A rather chatty "senior official". Having a 3 martini lunch?
Time for Kerry to send another letter to the Mullahs, I mean their newspaper "The Tehran Times" suggesting he can work together with them. Chirac might supply some back channel support. What will the Mullahs whip up to help Kerry???
So many terrorism sponsoring regimes to destabilize ... so little time.
As you said, such good reasons to re-elect Bush President!
Iran is the spawning grounds for Islamic fundamentalists. Khomeni started it all in 1979 by hijacking the Iranian Revolution. Carter undermined the Shah and stood by while a country vital to our national interests was taken over by the mullahs. Khomeni's successful takeover plus his humiliation of the US with the hostage crisis created the myth that the US and the West were paper tigers who could be defeated by Islam.
Don't talk. Do.
"If you're going to shoot, shoot. Don't talk." - Tuco Ramirez.
Excellent.
Who has that old map that used to be posted around here that calls Iran "New Texas"??
No, wait...I heard F'in was going to make it easier for HIV infected immigrants to get into the US, and fact, one of the first things he would do as President! That's gotta be way more important than this 'terrorist' nonsense...
Khatami called Hezbollah "the pride of Muslims"--we call it terrorist.
Kerry kissed serious butt with his staff's email promise to "repair the damage done to international relations since 911"--
This is not a sentiment shared by W.
W has publicly implied--insofar as the leader of the Free World may--that the meter is running on Khomeanie and Khomommy.
Stuff happens: a weapons plant explosion in Syria, a weapons train explosion in North Korea--
Let us dispatch Jean-Fraude Kherrimenie first, while preventing a terrorist attack on CONUS.
Then we will enter the era of Pay-Back for the Iranian Islamic Republic.
We can rerun the old late shows. . . .
Ping!
"Jean-Fraude Kherrimenie .."
LOL. That's a good one
Good.
While Israel walks quietly with a big stick...
We would be smart to make Iran, not Iraq, the campaign's
number-one issue.
By November Iraq will be the #1 accomplishment.
One evil regime at at time.
"It is worth achieving it at any cost,” Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, head of the Guardians Council, said."
Great. Ante up, suckah.
It's been a long time coming.
Bush Admin. sending a message to G. Britian, and the world: The screws are slowly tightening on Iran.
"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin”
Why wait??
I remember that map. I use to have one with New Exxon, New Texaco and others too... I have no idea where.
At the end of the session, Bush reportedly told the group, “I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn’t do my job.’’
http://www.lancasteronline.com/pages/news/local/4/7565
Blair got burned trying detente with Iran - he learns.
Regards, Ivan
.
Was this a high US official?
Perhaps a discussion focused on the nuclear weapons and their destructive force is more prudent than environmental issues of destroying such capabilities.
".....up pressure on Britain, France and Germany to take a tougher line on Iran, voicing the disdain within the Administration for the Europeans’ attempt to defuse the Iranian nuclear threat through diplomacy
...nah, too many words, they have been tripping over the 16 for how long?
One of my favorite movie lines!
This needs to be rescinded.
Executive Order 12333
Part 2. Conduct of Intelligence Activities
2.11 Prohibition on Assassination.
No person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination.
'Bout friggin' time somebody did it.
bump
Sometimes you have to wonder....
Then your governement will be destroyed....
News to me.
It would seem that someone is raising this piece of conjecture to create a Eurocrat/mediot uproar over Iran in order to harm Bush's re-election chances. They know Powell is popular especially in Europe.
What bothers me is why Russia would sell nuclear fuel rods to Iran. From what I understand, that would be a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. One notes that the Times made nothing of that, preferring to wag a solemn finger at the US should it attempt to do something about it. No surprise there.
And in the fwiw department, I'm still pi$$ed about our embassy and those 51 Americans held for 444 days. T'is time for that dish of revenge to be served cold, very cold.
5.56mm
If we stick our paws in this, we'd bloody well better stay the course and not bail on these people.
I believe 43 rescinded that EO a while ago, right after 9-11. Someone please correct me if I'm mistaken.
"So let it be written, so let it be done!"
Yes you and I and most freepers have that take from this article, but it seems Time is deliberately putting a negative spin on this to scare people away from voting for W. Using line such as: “if Bush is re-elected there will be much more intervention in the internal affairs of Iran” seems to me would scare away half the spineless soccer mom type crowds.
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