You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Iraq
Iran continues to raise secret deal claim
2003-04-14
Many grains of salt unto thee:
An Iranian news agency close to top conservative military figures attributed the fall of Baghdad to a secret tripartite agreement between Saddam Hussain, Russia and the U.S.
I first saw this report in the Tehran Times.
According to the Baztab agency, 13 days after the start of the war, Saddam and Russian intelligence allegedly pledged to hand over Baghdad with minimal resistance to allied forces provided they spared the lives of Saddam and a hundred of his close relatives. The U.S., for its part, promised to safely send Saddam and his entourage to a third country.
Y'mean, what the Arabs been offering to set up before the war started?
Baztab added that Mohammed Saeed Al Sahaf, Iraqi Information Minister, was instructed to stay in Baghdad until the very last moments to lend the impression that everything in Saddam's camp was under control. The agency also claimed that Russia gained $5 billion to orchestrate this agreement. Iran's state TV, which is under the supervision of the supreme leader, also attributed the fall of Baghdad to a secret deal between coalition forces and the deposed Iraqi president. It aired the fall of Baghdad without showing scenes of Iraqis dancing in the streets. Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said there are serious questions surrounding Saddam's demise.
Seems like it's obviously in the interests of Iran for people to believe this, and much reason to doubt it. But is there any plausibility to it?

Deep-laid, insidious plots, with nothing but transitory benefit to our side, where Sammy performs out of character, and the Russers trade their good relations with the U.S. for $5 billion worth of pottage. Yeah. Makes sense to me, in an Islamic kind of way.
Posted by:Anonymous

#8  By the way, how can you have a halfway decent Mideast conspiracy theory that doesn't involve the CIA and, above all, the Mossad? Maybe Sammy's living in Tel Aviv.
Posted by: Matt   2003-04-14 18:46:06  

#7  It was an Area 51 thing...black helecopters, chemtrails, ingots of gold bullion, dogs and cats living together.....etc etc. Or its a typical islamist delusion thing........wanna buy the Brooklyn Bridge for cheap?....eh?
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2003-04-14 17:47:18  

#6  Wait, how do the alien bodies from Roswell fit into this? Oh, I know, they mysteriously disappeared from the museum in Baghdad.
Posted by: Matt   2003-04-14 17:12:05  

#5  The questionable Debka also addresses the idea that Bagdhad was betrayed but leaves open the possiblility that it occurred without Sammy's consent.

Bottom line is that the faster than anticipated victory over what was supposed to be one of the best Arab/Muslim military forces in the world shows up the readers of several of the publications now trafficking in conspiracy theories. There is probably a kernel of truth to these stories in that the US did indeed negotiate the capitulation of several major Iraqi units. However, the Medes and the Persians (Tehran Times), as well as the Russians and to a lesser extent the Israelis (Debka) and Hindus (The Hindu) were shown up by the US military performance as compared to their own vs. similar enemies. It's not surprising that these publications would follow the Arab tradition of constructing elaborate conspiracy theories to avoid inconvenient facts.
Posted by: JAB   2003-04-14 17:08:25  

#4  They're all wrong. Find Elvis and you'll find Sammy.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam   2003-04-14 16:53:46  

#3  The Hindu News seems to have bought it. This from The Corner on NRO: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/01131809.htm

Actually, I have to agree it's just another way to hide from the fact that Iraq was a hollow strong man, and once actual battle began, the entire government collapsed in a house of cards (those 55 "most wanted" variety).
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-04-14 16:53:23  

#2  Hmmm considering how much of a blow to the collective Arab street ego about their ability to fight and resist Evil America this war was. This is something that is to be expected. It makes it more palatable. "Iraq didn't really Lose he negotiated a way out, otherwise the American's would have never been able to take baghdad or Iraq."

Rationalization after the fact.

-DS
"the horns hold up the halo"
Posted by: DeviantSaint   2003-04-14 16:43:00  

#1  Iran got it wrong. This was actually a conpiracy to make Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf the next "Yakov Smirnoff." Follow the money - it'll take you where you want to go . . . Saeed's shot at the Center Square.
Posted by: FormerLiberal   2003-04-14 16:29:43  

00:00