IRAN: Report says U.S. waging secret war

An explosive article by veteran New Yorker investigative reporter Seymour Hersh alleges that the U.S. has secretly allocated up to $400 million to run covert operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Hersh alleges that the Bush administration is funding Iranian Arab and Baluchi militant groups as well other groups including possible Kurdish rebels and the Mujahedin Khalq, or MKO, a cult-like militant group with offices in Paris and fighters in Iraq that opposes the Islamic Republic. The money was also to be used to dig up intel on Iran's nuclear program, a source of major friction between Tehran and the West.

The report alleges that the Bush administration briefed Congressional leaders about the stepped up activity late last year.

"Clandestine operations against Iran are not new," Hersh writes, in a report that will appear in the July 7 and 14 issue of the New Yorker. "But the scale and the scope of the operations ... have now been significantly expanded."

The Los Angeles Times reported in April about the kaleidescope of Iranian separatist groups along Iran's borders, some of which said they were receiving help or would welcome funds and weapons from the U.S. to fight the Iranian government.

"None of the groups appear to pose a serious threat to Iran, but Tehran regards them as Washington’s allies in an effort to pressure it to scale back its nuclear program and withhold support for militant groups fighting Israel," the Times report said.

Iran is closely watching these developmments. In an exclusive interview with the Times last week, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed Ali Hosseini said there was "plentiful" evidence that the U.S. was waging a secret war against Iran, which included funding dissident groups, planting bombs and supporting militants such as the ethnic Baluchi group Jundollah, cited in the Hersh article as a potential recipient of U.S. aid.

Last week, Iranian media picked up a report about a meeting between U.S. officials and Iranian Kurdish rebels at a hotel in the Iraqi city of Sulaymaniya. According to the report, originally carried by a Kurdish website, 10 U.S. military officers met with the leaders of four Iranian Kurdish groups.

A correspondent in Tehran predicted the government would use Hersh's report as a "trophy" to bolster ts longstanding allegations of U.S. meddling in Iran and to give it an excuse to clamp down even harder on domestic dissidents.

But that may be the point, Hersh wrote. "One possible consequence of the operations would be a violent Iranian crackdown on one of the dissident groups, which could give the Bush administration a reason to intervene," he wrote.

Ethnic Persians make up slighty more than half of Iran's 70 million or so population. The bulk of the rest are ethnic Azeris, who actually enjoy a fairly privileged status within Iranian political and business circles. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, for example, is an ethnic Azeri.

But Iran's ethnic Kurds, Baluchis and Arabs fare more poorly. They are mostly Sunni, while most Iranians are Shiites. Even before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which overthrew the pro-U.S. government, they chafed under Tehran's rule.

The most militarily effective and best organized of the anti-Iranian groups is the Kurdish organization PEJAK, which has become somewhwat off-limits to the U.S. because it is very close to the PKK, which fights NATO member Turkey.

Critics also argue that unlike Iraq, Lebanon or the former Yugoslavia, all cobbled together hastily, Iran is no colonial invention. It's been around for thousands of years and is unlikely to disintegrate so easily.

— Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

Photo: Fighters of anti-Iranian Kurdish rebel group PEJAK sit at their camp in the Qandil mountains in Iraq, Sunday, May 4, 2008. Credit: Yahya Ahmed / Associated Press

Comments

[B]

Baluchi militants just killed 16 Iranian soldiers on the Pakistani border.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/world/middleeast/05iran.html

Of course the media reports it as just "drug dealing thugs" but when you pay attention Iran has been under siege from all sides, militarily, economically, and politically, by the US.

Really makes you wonder when "Al Qeada" is doing America's work for them (again.) I'm starting to think these "9/11 was an inside job" guys might be on to something...

[Rasmus Elling]

The Arabs of Iran are not - as implied in this article - predominantly Sunnis.

[Jaff Sassani]

Dear sister/brother of the Aryan people in Iran and around
The world

Please read the statement of PJAK organization below and our
short respond to the people in charge of PJAK organization
and help as much as you can to diffuse blood letting of our people for separatist, Communist, Democratic, socialist or
any other ideology that will Help the current Government
stay longer in power and kill More Iranian people.

Dear Leader of PJAK

Please try to join other Iranian organization if you really not agent of other countries around the world. The Kurdish
People should look at the outcome of the Kurdish people
struggle for more than 50 years in Iraqi Kurdistan (Sothern Kurdistan) and see people like Jalal Talabani who used
them successfully for his own benefit. Look at the life
of ordinary people now after what they call liberation of
southern Kurdistan.

We hope that PJAK leaders are not other adventurist like
Jalal Talabani whom they want to use Kurdish blood for
Their own benefit and making money in the expanses
Of the misery of Kurdish people.

We are not different from Persian, Azari and other Iranian
People. Why we are always fighting central Government
Without meaning full result.

Get United with other Iranian people and fight for the
creation of an Aryan Economic Union (AU) similar to
the Europeans Economic Union (EU) so we can be
liberated from the Arab and Turk Imperialist whom divided
our people and took most of our land.

Wake up there are no point to kill each other for separatist,
Communisms, Islamism or any other ideology. In the end let
The people to elect their own representative freely and form
the Parliaments to solve Economic problems.

Stop killing now and join popular movement.

Sincerely,
Jaff Sassani
From the SKDC
Sep-6-2008

PJAK: Free the Kurdish and Iranian prisoners, stop torture
• PJAK
• 06/09/2008 00:00:00

Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK)
05 September 2008
To the people and public opinions:
The Islamic Republic of Iran has been under a considerable pressure from the international community due to its hegemonic aggressive policies. In order to defuse any kind of internal problems, consequences and reactions, it has waged a distinct assault and warfare on its people.
Due to its ideological- totalitarian system, it has started new aggressive policies of arbitrary arrests and summary executions. The Islamic authorities, they do torture those who have different sets of beliefs, hold different opinions or religion, conduct different functions or write in a different manner. They have tracked down and persecuted all political and civil activists along with liberal and democratic intellectuals to create the atmosphere of extreme fear and terror among the people.
After the revolution of the Iranian people a group of religious elites who held a religious chauvinist ideology usurped the power. Since then thousands of Iranian people in particular Kurdish nation in Eastern Kurdistan have been imprisoned, traumatized and have ended up by being martyrs under torture, executed or put before firing squads. Therefore the entire Iranian nations have been victim of brutal and tyrannical policies.
Obviously the underpinnings of the Iranian regime's terror against Iranian peoples and specifically Kurdish nation is the official ideology of the Iranian authority and the legal institution of this regime, which do not pay any attention to human rights and honor. Within this framework they have again started to execute the political and civil activists. At the beginning of this stage they tortured and hanged one of our wounded comrades called "Hasan Hekmet Demir" last winter. After this brutal and inhuman action they have started a new surge of arbitrary arrests, torture and summary execution of our prisoners.
The Iranian Islamic dictatorial regime thinks by executing the other offenders, by suppressing and executing the democratic intellectuals, freedom and democracy defenders and human rights activists, they will clear out Iran from any dissents and oppositions.
We are against all Iranian’s regime policies of executions, torture and ill-treatments of political and civil detainees that violate all international human rights laws and standards. It is the legitimate, natural and legal rights of all prisoners of conscious to express their discontent against this inhuman and unacceptable situation.
Hence the hunger strike staged by Kurdish detainees on Monday 25 of August, in all of Kurdistan and Iranian prisons, is the legitimate right of these detainees. The demands and the objectives of the hunger strikers in according to human rights standards are political. Consequently both Iranian government and judiciary courts must take immediate measures to accept the detainees demands and halt all ill-treatments, torture and executions.
The Iranian authorities must withdraw death sentences given to all political and civil activists in Iran and Kurdistan. It is quite clear that if Iranian authorities do not take immediate and responsible measures to review its undemocratic policies, then the activists would extend their protest further and this would have a direct impact on the Iranian and Kurdish masses.
Hence Iranian judiciary system and its institutions should be reviewed in accordance with both human rights conventions and international prohibition of torture's agreement and should be democratized. Nonetheless the urgency and importance should be given to principles, honor, freedom and human rights.
We declare to our people and all components of our society particularly women, youths and the relatives of the detainees as well as defenders of freedom, democracy and human rights, that PJAK’s leadership, members and supporters give full support by actions and deeds to the detainees and the hunger strikers to achieve the prisoners objectives.
We call upon the international community, United Nations, human rights organizations and the democratic forces all over the world to standup with the Kurdish and Iranian people in their struggle for freedom, democracy and peace.
Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK)
Coordination Committee
• PJAK
• 06/09/2008 00:00:00
_________________
Jaff Sassani

http://www.jaff-sassanie.com/Default.aspx

[Jack Meoff]

Who cares? What's on TV tonight??

[chuck kinney]

IF WE HAVE WORLD WAR 3 CHOOSING WAR OVER PEACE , ALL OUR VOICES COUNT AS NOTHING ,THE END .

[groundhog day]

Haven't I seen this picture before?

[An Iranian Azeri]

As article talks about Iran's ethnic mix and their dynamics within, I think a disclosure of the author's nationality/ethnicity might be necessary to avoid misleading statements like this: Ethnic Azeris "actually enjoy a fairly privileged status within Iranian political and business circles"??!!
well, you might want to check these:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/047/2006/en/dom-MDE130472006en.html

http://www.henryjacksonsociety.org/stories.asp?pageid=49&id=343

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/02/opinion/edshaffer.php

[Jacques Traynham]

if these fool are dumb enough to start another war and the american people stand and let this happen. Then the U S deserves what ever happen. and this time I hope they do wipe isreal off the map.

[Intellectually Honest]

I agree with a lot of the bloggers. We are the aggressors this time around. It is as if the Jews have become Germans and the Germans have become like peace-loving, enterprising productive Jews. The U.S. is basically committing suicide for Israel, and Israel doesn't care. What will be left of the United States after our government fails to stop a retaliatory attack on our soil? Multiple secessions? Not enough people stood up to the Bush Administration. We are guilty like the Germans, although those in charge of all of this (The war in Iraq, the possible war in Iran) are basically Jews. Let's tell the truth.

[Jim Lukas]

Next they'll be telling us the USA has been pioneering extra-judicial kidnapping and torture in the 21st century...

[Khoshteep]

Whaaat? only $400 mil? that's pretty cheap, wouldn't you say? have you checked out the real estate prices in Tehran?

I mean, you ought to house these militant groups somewhere, right? Heck mere apartments (flats) runs as high as $12,000 per square meters, houses are even more expensive, I think them poor rebels will run out of money before even being able to buy arms.

Hey maybe if they invest the $400 mil wisely and play the real estate game for a while, then in a few years they'll be good and ready, not to mention well funded, although by then they'll be suite wearing business men.

I suggest that Georgie Shrub to be less of a Scrooge and show them fighters more money than this chump change.

Although I could be wrong

[average joe]

Is it really a surprise that this administration is doing everything possible to incite a conflict with Iran? Remember, we were never in Cambodia either. Here you have a country that has seen an Imperial power start major conflicts on each side of it, on both its major borders, virtually daring it to take up arms and defend itself. What should be noted in all of this is the tremendous where with all shown by the Iranian leadership to not be duped into retaliating. It should speak volumes as to the level headedness of their leadership, especially in comparison to our own. The fact that they are able to see this for what it is and we can not, only shows just how much trouble our society is in. We should be singing the praises of the Iranian leadership, our leadership has no concern for its citizens whatsoever, our government has only one agenda. The purpose of the war in Iraq is just that, war. The purpose for the retreat against the Taliban and al-queda in Afghanistan is for no other reason than to ensure a never ending conflict for use as a political tool. We fund, arm, and fight the enemy for the sake of having an enemy to fight. This is disgusting, this goes against every American value. We are the ones starting WWIII. We are the ones inciting conflict. We are the ones that are responsible for all this destruction for all of this destabilization. 9/11? Seven years and 2 trillion dollars later, what has been done? This has nothing to do with 9/11. We have lined the pockets of defense contractors and American corporations destroyed our economy and for what. We have in our employ the worlds largest mercenary army. We have been lead to a deliberate stalemate so that a despotic regime posing as a government can force us into yet another unneeded, unnecessary, unwanted war of aggression. Why would they do that? Look at what they have been able to gain for themselves. Look at just how little time it took them to reverse or destroy what generations of working americans built. If we do not wake up they will have their war. If we do not wake up now there will be nothing to wake up to.

[John Rambo]

So, just how large a part of the $400 million USD is going to these Al Qaeda connected organizations?

I don't think this financing of Al Qaeda connected organizations is a very smart idea in the long term, even if it would look like that today. (Which it doesn't, at least to me.) We had one 9/11 already, how many could this money produce?

And isn't financing terrorism against american values and principles, not to mention our laws?

[Clark Thomas]

If these reports are true, then it appears that Bush/Cheney are thinking like the French king who said, "Apres moi, le deluge."

They ASSUME that the Iranians will initiate nuclear war with whomever, most likely the Israelis. A better argument could be made for the Israelis using nukes on Iran first.

They ASSUME that any attack on Iran will quickly be another "mission accomplished." Sure, of course!

Truth is, even if PART of the Iranian nuclear program is destroyed by a "surgical" strike, they can buy whatever they want from underground Russian sources. That would imperil NYC and DC, maybe even LA.

If you like $4/gallon gasoline now, get ready to wake up to $14/gallon gas with the Straits of Hormuz shut down. But Bush/Cheney already know that, and expect McCain to lose anyway, so what do they have to worry about?

They are acting, they think, for history. Alas, if they understood history they would know that the Persians gave up on attacking the West at Thermopylae.