Bush's covert game in Iran?

Is the United States conducting clandestine operations within Iran?

The New Yorker's Seymour Hersh thinks so, and reports in this week's issue that Congress agreed to a request from President Bush last year to fund a major escalation of covert activity against Iran -- aimed at destabilizing the country's regime by backing minority groups like the Ahwazi Arab and Baluchi.

The story was knocked down quickly by the administration -- "I can tell you flatly that U.S. forces are not operating across the Iraqi border into Iran." U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker told CNN.
Hersh dismissed the denial, arguing that "when you run secret operations ... sometimes it's better not to have the ambassador know."

Saying that he does not know why the administration would be increasing covert operations in Iran, Hersh told CNN in an interview today that he believes that President Bush and Vice President Cheney "do not want to leave Iran in place with a nuclear program.... They believe that their mission is to make sure that before they get out of offices next year, either Iran is attacked or it stops its weapons program."

The Times' Babylon and Beyond blog, which reports on the Middle East, has more details here.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Posters of Iran's late spiritual leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (left) and current supreme leader Ali Khameni (sixth to the left) are included in a row of Hezbollah martyrs lining a street in southern Lebanon. Credit: RAMZI HAIDAR/AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[drkatz]

If this story is indeed true, then we are clearly encroaching on the sovereignty of a nation. Moreover, what if US soldiers are captured by the Iranians? Then either we will get embarrassed by the Iranians or worse, things will escalate to an all out war involving Iran, Syria, Hizbuallah, Hamas, and Israel.

[Aeden]

Maybe... probably.... I wouldn't put it past them.

[RABO]

Haven't we learned yet that attacking other countries only makes them more determined to . . . . now try to wrap your heads around this idea . . . . attack back. in the longer term it encourages the poularity of radical elements that want to lead the people against the US for our transgressions against them.

I am aware that the Reubs are poking fun at the idea of talking to our enemies. I still am willing to give them enough credit for being intelligent enough to realize their warmongering approach to every international problem isn't working. As a matter of fact, it's backfiring terribly.

Time for a new approach!

[Sal Robertson]

Dude. Where's this supposed bill? I went through Thomas.LOC.gov looking for it, and I can't find it... this is shabby journalism at its best. Hang the Bush administration on hearsay!

[Clyde Nugget]

The media, especially you and the NYTimes, should be more proAmerica. You report constantly items which helps our country's enemies. Why should these countries have spies in our mist when they have U.S. newspapers like yours.

[stephane mot]

Bush doesn't act as a President of the US in favor of his country.
Bush doesn't even act as a Republican in favor of his party.
Bush acts as a fundamentalism in favor of fundamentalism.

The Iraq quagmire is a total success from a fundamentalist's point of view (the so called war on terror was actually in favor of it, and the radicalization of politics across the globe even led to the revival of the movement in Europe).

Bush wants a war between Iran and Israel because he truly believes it will lead to the return of the Christ. He would do anything, ignite any false flag to make it happen during his term.

[cliff]

america may very well be on its way to being judged for its many sins. and iran just may be the country used by God to judge this wicked nation we live in.all the strange happenings and events that are taking place in this country and around the world just may no longer be in mans control, but only God can help this nation now. with its many diseseases, massive floods, hurricanes and tornadoes. america may be headed towards its final days. and that my friend is no joke. these end time events are falling in place with biblical prophoceis. if we as a nation do not turn back to God, as he says in his word this nation will be turned into HELL.

[Issam]

Bush made a monster of Iran...time to correct his mistake.

[Mehdi Orandi]

To Mr. hersh with so many predictions about Iran in the past few years.

goft Anvari k dar asar e badhaye sakht viran shavad emarat o kakh e sekandary.
Dar rooz e ahd oo navaziast heech baad. Ya morsel ar riah tow dani va Anvary

[Joe Kenrick]

Someone wrote, "Spies in our mist". Sorry to belittle, but I found it very telling...and funny!

[reply to RABO]

i agree RABo
but the sad thing is-- you would "think" they would realize this or have learned-- but we are not dealing with rationality here-- we are talking about Bush. He went to Iraq and when he announced it i thought-- you have got to be kidding me. i didn't fall for it-- unfortch-- a lot of americans did because they voted him back in office!

[Mehdi Orandi]

To Mr. hersh with so many predictions about Iran in the past few years.

goft Anvari k dar asar e badhaye sakht viran shavad emarat o kakh e sekandary.
Dar rooz e ahd oo navaziast heech baad. Ya morsel ar riah tow dani va Anvary

[Chris]

I am surprised that anyone is surprised. The pattern of the USA, over decades, has been to intervene, interfere and - if deemed convenient - invade, in order to get its own way. Hundreds of thousands are dead (maybe more) due to illegal US actions in recent decades - assassinations, cluster bombings, drone missiles that "miss" (oops), invasions, etc. - yet these things are curiously absent from the US press, except on rare occasions. However, some guy in China tries to hack a US computer and it's front page all over. Americans should consider how they would feel if they had foreign drones over their soil, spies in every network, their politicians bought by foreign interests, and their citizens snatched off Main St. by a foreign government.

[Ima Jebus]

Bad Persians.... we should bomb the whole middle east into submission with 2000lb ham bombs! Bacon bits for everyone!

[aghrab]

It is going to happen, much sooner than you think. There is no way for Iran to back-out now as they are so close to acquire the nuke power and from the West’s point of view, there is no way to let them get their hands on the nuclear capability either.

US didn’t rush into the war this time. I give the US a good credit for that, as they really played their moves very well this time around. A military conflict is unavoidable. Just read Bush’s words impartially now and see what he was saying form the beginning. He said truthfully that all options are on the table but he does prefer a diplomatic solution.

No-one wants a mess and that is including the Bush’s administration. Bush is a politician; he is looking for anything to avoid a war and that is why he has been waiting for so long. If he was a trigger happy mad man he would have gone to war months ago as Iran has already given him enough reason to do so. It is not him forcing the war and rather it is the Mullah’s regime that gives no other choice or alternative apart from a WAR.

You put yourself in Bush’s shoe. If a No Nuke Capability is the bottom line then what else could be done to stop the Mullahs now?

Just sit back and watch it from the comfort of your own home as the WAR wave is coming. I feel sorry for all the soldiers from the both side of the conflict as they (and their families) are the only ones who suffer the most/first. I wish there was other way to sort this mess out.

[Rufus T. Fisch]

Government's one job is to protect the people of this country. Too bad liberals want the government to act as a mother and coddle them (with welfare and other programs that leach off of people that work for a living) rather than a father who protects them.

[Randy]

What remarkable journalistic and investigative skills it took to author such a well researched article. For the first time in my life I can now say that I am proud that Americans have died so that the writers could write such a piece.

Pulitzer, here we come!

[Joseph Kenrick]

Cliff, I've been hearing about the end times for all of my 50 years.

Everythimg there's some small problem, you folks all think the sky is falling.

America struggled for the first 150 years of its existence. Most folks were poor and moved on to greener pastures. Once that option was out of the question, we learned to invent, innovate, create, conceive....now we all throw up our hands in the air and hope A. B. or none of the above will become president and save us.

The government didn't matter that much not so long ago and it doesn't matter that much now, if we take our country back.

We won't. Our homes are stolen, we've been sold big cars when the government knew consumption from chna and inda was overwhelming, on top of that they fed us cheap chinese imports that fired china's consumption of all the world's natural resources.

Burma (laura bush's favorite), Tibet (nobody seems to care that much since the press neutered it due to their chinese sponsors advertisers and investers, and Darfur, a couple or three million dead people and the world doesn't care because michaiel jackson lives in neverland.

America has become hell because of idiots like you. Not hellsfire and brimstione.

Talking about raining fire as you drop your cluster bombs, napalm and daisycutters on people with slingshots.

You're really out of touch with God.

Good luck

[Randy]

What remarkable journalistic and investigative skills it took to author such a well researched article. For the first time in my life I can now say that I am proud that Americans have died so that the writers could write such a piece.

Pulitzer, here we come!

[Dr Thomas]

It's the Jews.

[James McConnell]

So I guess Americans will just brush this off... "covert" illegalities are just accepted here, like they are in Israel. Who cares if it's illegal or if it starts another war, right Americans?

Americans who accept this sort of thing, who brush it off, they are the real war criminals, and they'll answer for it. Any real God would see to that. Sadly our own country is too corrupt to see that Bush answers for it.

[Cryos]

This type of baseless reporting is disgusting. You're right on Clyde. Enemy countries don't need spies in this country they can just refer to left wing media.

However it does fit the "republicans are evil warmonger and fear mongerers" mantra that liberals need to win elections since their other viewpoints and stances on issues represent left wing nutjobs.

[The Nightwatchman]

In the mid 1950's the US had a hand in overthrowing Mossadegh, who was creating a democratic Iran from the ground up. The Brits and US didn't like this because it would jeopardize their oil contracts. So, the CIA helped to overthrow Mossadegh with success. This created fundamentalists leaders like the ayatollahs and mullahs and anti american protesters who slowly began to gain power in Iran, and who eventually overthrew the puppet, the Shah of Iran, leading to the 1979 revolution. This event ruined the lives of millions of Iranians, of whom live in the US today. So, yes, the US has to go to war with Iran and clean the trash that they helped put in power almost 30 years ago.

[Kentucky Thom]

The last writer is correct on one thing, this country may very well be in it's last days. I am not so sure God has anything to do with it although I understand how all of these God fearing Americans are the same bunch who had a lot to do with getting us in the mess we currently find ourselves. I am so tired of everyone thinking it is OK for Israel to have nuclear weapons, to have taken the Palestinains land in 48 and still want more. How did it ever come to the point where we were given the right to judge who can and who cannot have nuclear weapons. Pakistan has given nuclear secrets to virtually every rogue government and group on earth and we give them billions of dollars every year so terrorists can hide in their mountains. China will not allow it's citizens to even surf the web without their watchful eyes, tells it's citizens what is right and wrong and due to our trade policies they have become a wealthy nation. Cuba however is poor because of our trade barriers? What have they done that is worse than what China does everyday? Wall Street & the GREAT investment bankers of America will not be satisfied until they have every dime of the Americans pension funds and savings, who will stop them, not the boys in Washington. The only reason they are still able to financially operate is because they have been bailed out by foreign soverign wealth funds, Chinas, middle east oil money. I guess what I am trying to say is that we very well may be in the last days of this country butt I do not think that God had anything to do with or foreign policy or the greed of Wall street executives and Washington Politicians. By, by middle class your days are gone never to return, you should have been paying closer attention when Bush One, Clinton One and the rest sold you down the river with NAFTA and the deregulation of Wall street while you were watching American Idol or applying for a mortgage you could not afford.

[jefflz]

This war mongering strategy has always been suggested as way the Bushites woiuld hold on to power. It accomplishes at least three major goals: (1) Distracts the electorate from the failed war in Iraq while maintaining an atmosphere of fear (2) Paves the way for a second war monger- John McCain to maintain Republican control of the White House (3) further extends US efforts to own or control foreign oil production

Bush must be dragged kicking and screaming if necessary from his roll as Commander in Chief. He has already abused his power to such an extent that any covert efforts to launch a another preemptive war under false pretenses in the name of national security must be the basis for impeachment in no uncertain terms. Are we gong to let military adventurers continue to rule this nation??