WASHINGTON, April 25, 2008
U.S.: Iran Increasing Arms Support In Iraq
Joint Chiefs Chairman Says Iraqi Insurgents Receiving More Iranian Weapons And Training
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Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, "I have no smoking gun that could prove the highest (Iranian) leadership is involved in this." (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
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Adm. Mike Mullen told a Pentagon news conference the military has evidence - such as date stamps on newly found weapons caches - that shows that recently made Iranian weapons are flowing into Iraq at a steadily increasing rate. Some of that firepower was used to support insurgents during the recent fighting in Basra in southern Iraq.
Evidence he has seen, Mullen said, "has shown me, though, that some of the weapons are recently not just found, but recently manufactured."
Both Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have made it clear that while all military options are on the table, they prefer at this point to use other pressures on Iran.
"The solution right now still lies in using other levers of national power, including diplomatic, financial and international pressure," Mullen said.
Mullen also acknowledged that launching a third conflict in that region would be extremely stressing for U.S. forces. Yet, at the same time, he said he has reserve capabilities in the Navy and the Air Force for any needed military action.
"It would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability," he said.
The latest findings, said Mullen, still do not prove that the highest leadership in the Iranian government has approved the stepped up aid to insurgents who are killing U.S. and Iraqi forces.
But he said it appears that the leaders of the Quds Force, an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, are aware of the activity. And with their strong ties to Tehran's leaders, Mullen said, it's very difficult to believe that "there isn't knowledge there as well."
Still, Mullen added: "I have no smoking gun that could prove the highest (Iranian) leadership is involved in this."
In other developments:
U.S. military leaders have escalated their rhetoric against Iran of late, noting that suggestions last year that Tehran may have been backing off its support for militants have turned out not to be valid. Instead, Mullen said there also is recent evidence that Iran is continuing to train insurgents for the fight in Iraq.
"I just don't see any evidence of them backing off. And Basra highlighted a lot of that," Mullen said of Iran.
He would not detail any potential U.S. military options, and he downplayed any impending action.
"We have to continue to increase pressure, and I have no expectations that we're going to get into a conflict with Iran in the immediate future," said Mullen. "But I am concerned over time, just in these last couple years, that tensions continue to rise. Iran does not respond and, in fact they seem to be ratcheting it up in terms of their support for terrorism."
He said Iran has made it clear it wants to be a regional power, and he believes Tehran would prefer to see a weak Iraq, where it could significantly influence what happens there.
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Add a Comment See all 17 Comments
- ''We know where the Iranian arms for the insurgents are...they are north...east...south...and west of Baghdad...right next to Saddam''s WMDs.''
- Reply to this comment
- Bush is a scorched earth policy implemented by the extreme right wing.
Regards,
Posted by Nancy_Naive
right you are - and by people financing them like Mellon-Sciafe who, wonder of wonders, as owner of a major pittsburg newpaper, came out in support of who?
Hillory! The wife of the man his paid investigators tried to incriminate in years past....why would Sciafe support Hillory?
Ask John McBush! - Reply to this comment
- Presently the US is trying to get into a confrontation with Sadr. Al Sadr is to powerful and he has a lot of public support! They are trying to strip Al Sadr of all of his power in government. The US and the IRAQ puppet government can''t afford to have Al Sadr win the public elections this fall! Because as the new leader he will kick the US out of IRAQ, and that does not fall into the real US agenda!
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- And who is Iran''s main supplier - China...
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- I don''t trust this puppet media! Using the media to set their own public agenda! The major problem is this country is harassing these countries behind the scenes! Then when they retaliate, we portray them as antagonizers. This is the same thing we did with the native americans! Times never change!
I will never trust this country!
I am glad I got out the core before this war, so I don''t have it on my conscience! - Reply to this comment
- Last year Mullen told us that Iran had drastically reduced its help in arms and explosives to the Iraqi insurgents. Now he tells us that that statement was inaccurate and he gives us a new and improved spin. I have a feeling we are being prepared for a Tehran bombing around September/October if the Democrats appear to have the election sewn up.
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- I notice that Mullen isn''t turning the materials found over to independent investigators for confirmation. Though I bet they all were stamped "Made by Republican Guard Elfs Especially to Kill Americans"...The proof they have presented is like the proof they presented regarding Iraq...
They have yet to capture a cross border shipment of weapons...a few years back, just as they were busy proclaiming that Iran was the sole supplier a special IED that killing Americans...another US PR flak outside the loop announced that the US had just captured a weapons lab that made these IEDs....red faces all around... - Reply to this comment
- Sorry Rick, I don''t live in fear. I''ve seen plenty of the Iranian story over the years and experienced the fantacism. I can assure you that what Iran and Syria are doing is real and it is coming. But like I have for 30 years, I will stand and fight against these same people that I have. They are no different than the Gangbangers and drug dealers who take over neighborhoods and hold the residents hostage. Just ever so often, we have to go in, clean out the cockroaches and you would be surprised at the reaction we get from the good citizens who couldn''t stand up for themselves due to fear. I''d like to converse back and forth with you but you seem more into name calling and untrue assumptions on someone you know nothing about.
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- Hey okcnfrcr,
"...they want to wipe Israel off the map and are wanting to attack American Interests."
Our own US State Department reports that Anti-Semitics is exploding around the world:
http://www.reuters.com/article/t
opNews/idUSN1334791720080314?feedType=RS
SfeedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true
Why is this true since May 15, 1948? - Reply to this comment
- okcnfrcr:
Nice fearmongering, troll.
"While we don''t really WANT war, blah blah Americans dead blah blah terrorism bah blah..."
Tell me, what''s it like living in fear all the time? It must be exhausting doing all that laundry, what with you peeing all over yourself every time Iran or Islam is mentioned... - Reply to this comment
- Anyone could have hidden WMDs with the mindless threats of force we made for months before the invasion had occured. Let us not forget the Clinton''s and other key Democratic leaders chimed in on Iraq and their potential threats to the world. While we may not agree due to political bias, one thing that needs to be agreed upon is Iran is a Terrorist state with ties to several terrorists'' organizations. They have publicly state they want to wipe Israel off the map and are wanting to attack American Interests. Military action is going to be the only solution if Iran''s populace doesn''t wake up and make a change in their own country. As much as nobody wants anymore wars, our country along with Russia, China, France, Great Britain, Australia, Germany, Japan know they cannot afford to allow Iran to continue. We either wake up now or we will get a very unpleasant wake up call later and many Americans will die.
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- notblue:
3. "What purpose does your daily skeptisism do to enhance America and the worlds security?"
I''ll ignore the awful sentence structure and answer the question I think you were asking. If you are trying to imply that healthy skepticism hurts America''s (and the world''s) security, you''re voicing a very anti-American sentiment. Dissent is the core of democracy. If someone''s claims are so easily derailed as to be damaged by one person''s post on a Website, I''d say those claims are pretty flimsy.
I understand you''d like us all to act as mindless cheerleaders for the Bush administration, but I think that''s dangerous. Look back to Germany in the 1930''s if you need more help understanding why dissent in important.
4. "Do you know something the commanders don''''t. How are you able to achieve this information?"
I don''t know what they know or do not know, as I don''t talk to many of them on a daily basis. Please refer to my answer to question #1. - Reply to this comment
- notblue:
I''m happy to answer your questions:
1. "why do you come on these posts to refutiate military intelligence in regards to known terrorist support?"
I didn''t "refutiate" military intelligence. I simply stated that I don''t believe what the pentagon tells me anymore, because they were so wrong about Iraq. We''ve seen allegations of politically expedient cherry-picking of evidence coupled with being DEAD WRONG on several claims. You''d have to be very naive or just pro-war to ignore that fact. I''m not prepared to risk more American lives on the battlefield, and far more on our soil (which is virtually undefended in an Iran occupation scheme) for some pig-in-a-poke.
2. "Why is it important to midigate the threats from Islamic extremist regimes?"
Threat mitigation is important at all times. We need to mitigate threats from hostile nations, from possible natural disasters, and everything else that can hurt us. I would think you knew and agreed with this...unless you didn''t pick your (misspelled) word correctly.
(continued) - Reply to this comment
- Ricknuber, just out of curiousity why do you come on these posts to refutiate military intelligence in regards to known terrorist support? Why is it important to midigate the threats from Islamic extremist regimes? What purpose does your daily skeptisism do to enhance America and the worlds security? Do you know something the commanders don''t. How are you able to achieve this information?
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- This is just too confusing. What theAdmiral says Iran is doing; is that not what we are doing with one side of this civil war?
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- This is exactly the same tripe we were fed before the Iraq invasion. Anyone remember Rumsfeld''s famous "We know they have WMD''s, and we know where they are" speech?
Let''s hope our elected officials are not so easily conned this time. This sort of rhetoric has lost it''s effect on most Americans after seeing Bush bumble through Iraq.
Our military cannot sustain another occupation, and no other nation will help us this time. There will be no "coalition of the willing" to crow about, because our credibility is blown. - Reply to this comment
Bu$hCo will invade Iran soon.- Reply to this comment
