IRAN: Is Washington telling the truth, or setting stage for war?

On Friday chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael G. Mullen delivered stern words against Iran, accusing it of continuing to supply weapons and training to Iraqi militants to target American troops despite promises not to do so.

Mullen's words carry weight. He's uniformed military, not some beltway ideologue.

Still, many in the U.S. and the world feel burned by the Bush administration's pre-war claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and support for Al Qaeda that turned out to be false.

Others believe the allegations that Iran is messing up U.S. plans in Iraq.

What do you think? Vote in the poll below.

—Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

Photo: An Iranian soldier wears a gas mask during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

P.S. The Los Angeles Times issues a free daily newsletter with the latest headlines from the Middle East, the war in Iraq and the frictions between the West and Islam. You can subscribe by registering at the website here, logging in here and clicking on the World: Mideast newsletter box here.

Comments

[poetryman69]

So why did Dubya go to war?

A. To enrich his pet dog, I mean loyal
retainer VP FUtus of Borg

B. To enrich his oil buddies

C. To enrich war profiteering corporations

D. To give his Cult the ritual human
sacrifices, maiming and dismemberments
they need to worship Satan

E. To create another Shiite nation

F. Dubya was a charter member of Numbnut Neo-Con Nimrods making the world safe for terrorism

G. Dubya was a charter member of Numbnut Neo-con Nimrod Numbskull's making the world safe for big oil.

H. All of the above

[poetryman69]

So why did Dubya go to war?

A. To enrich his pet dog, I mean loyal
retainer VP FUtus of Borg

B. To enrich his oil buddies

C. To enrich war profiteering corporations

D. To give his Cult the ritual human
sacrifices, maiming and dismemberments
they need to worship Satan

E. To create another Shiite nation

F. Dubya was a charter member of Numbnut Neo-Con Nimrods making the world safe for terrorism

G. Dubya was a charter member of Numbnut Neo-con Nimrod Numbskull's making the world safe for big oil.

H. All of the above

[Steph]

Bush and his cohorts are psychopaths in power. They have lied all the time to gain support for their aggression in Iraq, and now they want the public to support an attack on Iran??

[Johnson]

Bush administration is escapegoating and is itching for another destructive war. History will judge Bush and Blair harshly.

[hlg]

.....we need the money more than Bush does. Half of all federal tax dollars go to the military...........

Bush just prints these $$$ , don't think it was from your taxes

[Maziar]

What s strange way to ask a question! Just like Bush...? Borzou jaan, your agenda is clear as a whistle. Of course you are going to get a negative response when you form a question like that. Why don't you ask this question: should the Islamic Republic (IR) regime, occupying Iran, a medival theocracy be allowed to continue to raise hell to stay in power?
Or: Should the American forces do nothing and watch IR terrorists cause death and destructions in Iraq?
What can one expect from a US media whose Iranian journalists have hidden IR sympathies?

[Kazem Behjat]

My concern is that should the US attack, how Iran ( and the rest of the Muslim world for that matter ) would respond/react. All I see in the press here is that Iran will try to close the straights of Hurmuz and Hezbollah will attack Israel and there might be additional terrorist activity. The administration keeps telling us that Iranians are the bad guys and we will put them in their place. What they do not tell us is how these bad guys might really fight back. These bad guys have only had 5 years to prepare…

The current regime in Iran is largely responsible for making popular the phenomenon that is called suicide bombing. During the war with Iraq thousands of Iranians ran into minefields and killed themselves and changed the course of the war. These people will not just sit back and be bombed/attacked. As some of the pundits here have said, we need to be prepared for suicide bombers blowing up shopping malls, schools and bridges etc here in the US should the US attack Iran. And my fear is that is just the beginning, Iranian agents are active throughout the world from Africa, to South America to the Far East and Europe.

Iranians know that they do not stand a chance against the US which they admit is the best fighting force the world has ever seen, by trying to outgun them. So they will try and go for soft targets around the globe and especially in the Middle East. Almost all the gulf states (including Saudi Arabia) has a large Shia minority and they are closely tied to Iran. An Article that i read a while back mentioned that, the Shia in these countries who have been treated like second class citizens for years and now see their brethrens in power in Iraq and Iran. They will reek havoc in countries that support the US and will attack US/Allies forces in these countries. If we think that the insurgents in Iraq are a ruthless opponent, imagine having to fight them all around the world. The Iranians will make sure of that and we can be sure the plans are already in place.

I sincerely hope that there is not an attack on Iran by the US because unlike the war with Iraq, I think it will change the way we live significantly.

[norconian]

It's interesting to see the comments of Iranians. Two of three agree with Bush and want freedom. The third spouts fascist clap trap. I'll side with the majority. It takes more than clap trap and slogans to convince Norconian.

[Concerne citizen]

I am a concerned American Mother. Why should I sacrifice my son for Israeli ambitions?!

[Susan]

> Is Washington telling the truth

Do you even need to ask? For heavens sake-- what's their track record?

It would be nice btw if, for once, the media listened and gave voice to the folks who were *right* about what a quagmire Iraq would be, rather than the idiots who proclaimed how "necessary" it was, and what a "cakewalk" it would be.

[Frank]

This Israeli regime is evil. They shoot rock throwing kids in the streets. If that's not evil, then I don't know what is!

Take a look at this video, it's awesome!

http://www.voteubele.com/AIPAC_Documentry.htm

Enjoy,
Frank

[cascadaobserver]

Bush fears that a strong relationship between Iran and Iraqi government will cause Maliki to align with Iran, ditch us, and leave us with only the Kurds as allies in Iraq. The US propaganda about Iran is an attempt to make sure Maliki doesn't bail like Tony Blair, Bush's last poodle.

[Shahab]

As an Iranian I have to say that these people writing agaist Iran arent even Iranians, havent even live in Iran and all they do is talk mess when it comes to it. its obvious what is happening in the M.E. was already planned, lie after lie to make the public believe in bunch of bull s..t that if it was investigated then we would know what really happened. for example the incident that took place in the Persina Gulf about 2 months ago. Pentagon said that Iranian ships tried to blow up a U.S. ship like a suicide attack and providing a funcky audio (that only a real shit head would recognize it was not real) was provided with it. but what pentagon didnt know was that Iran records everything on tape when it comes to encounters with anyone in the Persian Gulf. wow, what a blow. and guys, that was just one example imagine what if Iran didnt have that video footage, then who could defend Iran today with a controlled media in the U.S?

[Jason]

Of course the US sided with Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war. Remember the Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days? Only an idiot would think "Bush/The US wants a war with Iran." Wars are expensive and politically disastrous. But when Iran keeps sending weapons that kill our troops and Iraqi police and stir up trouble in Iraq, what are we supposed to do?Smile and nod and pat Iran on the back? Iran will be stopped. They can choose to stop or they can be forced to stop. Iran already considers the US "The Great Satan" and has thought that since the Carter years so nothing we do is going to make them hate us even more. Every little accident or setback that occurs in Iran gets blamed on some US/zionist conspiracy instead of the incompetent leaders of Iran. The people of Iran are smarter than the government of Iran thinks they are.

[Frank]

You can blame this whole war on AIPAC. Take a look at this video:

http://www.voteubele.com/AIPAC_Documentry.htm

-Frank

[BruceR]

Bush intended to invade Iran 5 years ago,but nobody in the administration understood the difference between Iran and Iraq. It's a spelling thing. Potatoe, you know. Republican reality. Not too factish.

Now they get a do-over.

Bomb bomb, bomb bomb....

BruceR

[Seyedomid Zoie]

Iran's regime is evil. Its constitution lacks justice, human rights and it is affecting all people around the world. They create ideology for their inhuman desires to brainwash ordinary people. I am 24 years old and I have both experiences living inside the cage (Iran) and outside it in Australia. Every action has a reaction as we all know.
Iran is geographically situated in between many different civilizations, East and West. The end game would be the East and the West clashing into each other after passing through the middle (Middle East). So worse is yet to come when the West have to eventually confront the East. We should take the ECO solution for example. If they take over the Middle East by war and science they will face death and destruction of not only them self but the whole planet. Let the Middle East be how it is, otherwise we all will disappear the way the dinosaurs did. PEACE BE UP ON YOU ALL

[Saint Michael Traveler]

Please, President Bush, come back home!

Our own national problems include: over burdened education costs, lack of professional employment opportunity, unaffordable health insurance, crumbling infrastructures, and failing of our national banks. We have very serious problems in our own hemisphere!

What are we doing in Iraq? What are we doing in Persian Gulf the front door to Iran a country 7500 miles from home? Are own problems at home are much more serious than interventions in the Middle East.

[Donna H.]

Iran historically has had a significant role among the nations in the Middle East. Our attempts to isolate and minimize its role and deny it any significant power remind me of the mistakes the allies made with Germany after WWI, when punishment and ostracization of the German nation created fertile ground among the German people for Hitler's rise to power. Attacks on Iran will only strengthen the hand of the current government and reduce the effectiveness of democratic elements within the society. We need instead to engage the government and find some ways of giving them a voice in the affairs of the Middle East, much as we did with Germany after WWII.

[Charles]

You actually think those filthy animals have the capacity to do anythying on their own? Wake up. The sooner we take the gloves completely off and finish Iran the better. Better yet tell those idiots in Israel to clean up there own yard. They are arguably the second most powerful military, why don't thet get off their butts and use it.