EFL - from the Beeb
Iran has said it has arrested a number of members of the al-Qaeda network, but that they are not high level operatives. The announcement comes amid intense pressure on Iran from the United States, which alleges that Tehran is allowing terrorists safe haven in the Islamic republic. Iran rejects that charge. Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi told a government television station that Iran had been "the pioneer in fighting al-Qaeda terrorists, who have been posing threats to our national interests".
Then his lips fell off
Washington says there is a link between Iran and the attacks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earlier this month, which killed 34 people including nine suicide bombers. The US is reported to have cut off behind-the-scenes talks with Iran since the Riyadh attacks. The Washington Post newspaper said the officials would consider a Pentagon plan to destabilise the country.
About friggin' time!
The issue has reportedly revived the split between moderates in the Bush administration who favour diplomacy and hardliners who prefer more robust action.
The diplo-moderates (nice phrase, showing who the Beeb thinks is right) have absolutely nothing to show for their efforts since 1979, and things are getting worse. Time to admit they were wrong? Never!
| It's also fired up the debate between the moderates in Iran who favor self-preservation and hardliners who prefer to tug on Uncle Sam's beard. |
President George W Bush listed Iran as one of three countries in an "axis of evil" last year, but relations warmed slightly in the wake of the war in Afghanistan. Lately, however, they have become more tense.
| Yasss... An unappetizing soup of regime change, seasoned with Hezbollah... |
Washington accuses Tehran of harbouring al-Qaeda members, of working towards building nuclear weapons, and of interfering in US reconstruction programmes in Iraq. Tehran has strongly denied all of Washington's charges.
It suspects that hardliners in the US administration are trying to pave the way for moves to undermine or change Iran's Islamic system. Mr Kharrazi says Iran has been fighting al-Qaeda for years. Iranian officials insist that they have detained and expelled more than 500 al-Qaeda suspects over the past year. But they admit that al-Qaeda suspects could be in the country without Iranian authorities being aware of it.
....rigghhhttt
| It's possible. Ansar al-Islam seemed to trot back and forth across the border at will, getting medical care and buying groceries — "Ahmed, we need some bread, milk and eggs. Oh, and don't forget to pick up some arms and ammunition!" I've no doubt that the same thing happens on the eastern borders, especially at the nexus of Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan. We have enough trouble tracking down our own illegal immigrants to understand that. At the same time, organized groups are something the government has a responsibility to know about, especially at the provincial level. So the question becomes how much do the government hacks not want to know? And how much does the Guardians Council-dominated end of the government know that the Majlis-dominated end of the government doesn't? |
|