“Iran arming Iraq insurgents”was last month’s story. Today’s papers are telling a different story; the new line being pushed by U.S. officials is that Iran is supporting Al-Qaeda.
Today’s Washington Post:
Iran Allows Money, Recruits
to Reach Al-Qaeda, U.S. Says
‘Secret deal’ allegedly supports activities of terrorists in Pakistan
In the New York Times:
Treasury Accuses Iran
of Aiding Al-Qaeda
U.S. Accuses Iran
of ‘Secret Deal’ With Al-Qaeda
The Post calls this “the most serious U.S. allegation to date of Iranian aid to the terrorist group”– though it later notes that “U.S. officials have repeatedly accused Iran of assisting Al-Qaeda, links between the two have been difficult to prove.” This time around the charge is that a Syrian middleman operating from Iran transfers money and recruits to Al-Qaeda leaders based in Pakistan. Iran denies any role in this alleged scheme, and the evidence offered in the stories amounts to statements from U.S. officials asserting that this is happening.
The notion that Shi’ite Iran would be working closely with Sunni fundamentalist Al-Qaeda is a leap, as some of this coverage suggests.
But the Times account, by Helene Cooper, seems to go the furthest in helping to shore up the U.S. case, making the bizarre argument that the existence of U.S. allegations and the Treasury Department sanctions against individuals in the supposed network mean the case against Iran is solid:
The officials said the sanctions were nonetheless meaningful because they would serve to demonstrate that Iran was working with Al-Qaeda.
That’s like saying that the fact that the U.S. invaded Iraq to destroy its WMDs means Iraq must have WMDs.
When not providing justification in its own voice, the Times allows U.S. officials to anonymously push their argument further:
Indeed, one senior administration said the action sought to expose both “a key funding facilitation network for Al-Qaeda and a key aspect for Iranian support for international terrorism.”
“Our sense is this network is operating through Iranian territory with the knowledge and at least the acquiescence of Iranian authorities,” the official said in a conference call with reporters.
Of course, if Iranian officials were really allowing this to happen, U.S. officials would probably say so on the record.
Floating allegations about an Iran/Al-Qaeda connection isn’t new. For a good dissenting take on media coverage from last month, you can read this piece from Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett.
And it’s worth pointing out that the other Iran story, which alleges that Iran is shipping arms into Iraq to kill U.S. soldiers, isn’t going away either.
When it comes to corpress complicity with imperial innuendo, there’s no such thing as a “no fly zone”, is there?
No Doug. Unfortunately for the world, there isn’t.
Isn’t this the same kind of innuendo and BS that Bush used to get the US to go to war in Iraq?
We can’t afford another war. We haven’t paid off the one in Iraq yet. Use of our military in two protracted conflicts, may have already exceeded our ability to pay for them.
The USA has spent ~ 10 yrs fighting a war with a country that didn’t have a modern military.
What will happen if it takes on a nation with a modern military without the support of the Arab nations?
Saudi Arabia is having a hard enough time controlling dissent in its own country , Bahrain & Yemen to support the USA invasion of another Arab country, which could result in the fall of the Saudi monarchy. The people of Iraq will not let the USA use their country as a base against Iran. The Iraqis people, not the puppet government, now rearmed with USA weapons will join with their Arab brothers after 8 yrs of USA brutality that has left them worse off than under Saddam.
Will the people fall for another war for oil company profits when they don’t even pay taxes?
I think the silent majority has realize we were lied into 3 wars and are not likely to support another war.
Unless the Iranian army is lined up on the USA border there is no reason for a war with it just to appease Israel & maintain its regional military dominance.
We need to take care of the USA & its people not waste our money fighting wars for corporate control of Irans vast natural resources. Because corporate greed moved USA manufacturing to 3rd world nations war is no longer the economic boost it was. Only the wealthy corporate investors profit from USA military adventures while the children of the poor die because they have no other employment options.
Ramadan Kareem – Of course no one is going ‘on the record’ to make any sort of actual accusation; they know this is a smear campaign against Iran and when it’s shown to be a pack of lies they want to be able to quickly deny all involvement. It’s nothing new, just typical US foreign relations double-speak.
I’ll throw out some unprovable allegations of my own: this anti-Iran propaganda campaign is being orchestrated by Israel, in pursuit of their own agenda, regardless of how it may affect the United States. Israel, from first to last, has been at the heart of the US involvement in Middle Eastern wars for decades with no end in sight. The US government is indeed Israeli-occupied territory and the US will have no peace until our population as a whole wakes up and throws off this yoke.
There- I said it, and I take credit for it. Why? Because I believe what I say is true and I’ll stand by it. I don’t hide behind ‘off the record’ and ‘official’ sources who refuse to be named.
Iran is no doubt behind some of the violence in the region- but no more so than are the US and Israel and any number of other nations. Be that as it may, people need to wake up and realize WHY the violence is occurring in that region. Most don’t want to hear it, but in the end analysis the arrows all point to a den of jackals running Israel pursuing their own personal and political agendas.
We in the US should be courting Iran as an ally instead of Israel. Iran is the central power-broker in the region and is much more pro-West than our government would have us believe. More to the point, Iran hasn’t stabbed us in the back on numerous occasions- I’d rather make friends with an honest enemy than stay friends with a liar and turncoat.
What is wrong in it as america is doing this game for years to fince rebels, send agents, to organise desasters in other countries, to kill civilians. The best known are CIA,Mosaad and RAW ans is the constalation created by america and the air is going out of the baloon.
If an Tiger is deing then all the animals in Jungle come and give one blow and the same will happen to america.
my my those pesky persians are interfering with our occupations. we own iraq. we own afghanistan. we own pakistan. who do those iranis think they are? they aren’t allowed to meddle where we meddle. bad form. truly bad form.
besides everybody knows iran is evil. the small brain from texas told us so.
Iran’s actions are justified in the face of America’s subversive activities against IRAN. Terrorists, Al Qaeda, whatever you want to call them were funded by Iran BECAUSE the United States of America was interfering with Iran’s national business as far back as the installation of the Shah by the U.S. against the wishes of the Iranian people. America’s interfering has rebounded and will bite them in the butt for decades to come. Leave Iran alone, America!
Luigik
The Iranian people know their leaders are nuts.They have very little support within the confines of their own walls. From the ruling mullahs to “AH MA NEEDS A JOB”the beady eyed nut.Why is it that you…..you an educated American ,give creedence to their actions?
It is impossible to know who is lying anymore.