Heads Up, Iran!
Gates says all that stuff moving into the Gulf is a message to Iran. We’re not tied down in Iraq. UK Guardian:
The defence secretary, Robert Gates, told reporters that the decision to deploy a Patriot missile battalion and a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf in conjunction with a “surge” of troops in Iraq was designed to show Iran that the US was not “overcommitted” in Iraq.
… His remarks followed tough comments on Iran at the weekend from other senior US officials. The vice-president, Dick Cheney, accused Iran of “fishing in troubled waters inside Iraq”, while the national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said the US was “going to need to deal with what Iran is doing inside Iraq”.
Such remarks, following the prospect of “hot pursuit” raids into Iran as raised by George Bush in his televised address last week, have fuelled speculation that the US is softening up the American public for possible action against Tehran.
Works for me.
The increasingly confrontational pose struck by the US is a repudiation of one of the key recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, which called for the start of a dialogue with Iran and Syria in an effort to extricate the US from Iraq.
Bummer for them.
Mr Gates, who as recently as 2004 publicly called for diplomatic engagement with Iran, said the situation was now different. In 2004, Iran was concerned by the presence of US forces on its eastern and western borders, in Iraq and Afghanistan, but its behaviour had changed.
Not really, but whatever.
“The Iranians clearly believe that we are tied down in Iraq, that they have the initiative, that they are in position to press us in many ways,” he said. “They are doing nothing to be constructive in Iraq at this point.”
“And so the Iranians are acting in a very negative way in many respects. My view is that when the Iranians are prepared to play a constructive role in dealing with some of these problems then there might be opportunities for engagement.”
Otherwise, opportunities for engagement of the destructive variety.
Blue Crab: it’s bad enough Ahmadinejad has an Allied fleet crusing offshore, now he’s got trouble at home. More from the UK Guardian.
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Posted by Jules Crittenden at 11:13 pm Comments (7) on Monday, January 15, 2007
7 Responses to “Heads Up, Iran!”
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January 15th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
when the Iranians are prepared to play a constructive role
The Vegas line on that happening within our lifetime, with the current Iranian administration, currently stands at 500:1.
alphie’s a true believer though and put his whole life saving down on it.
January 16th, 2007 at 1:22 am
It would help your cause if it weren’t just America’s war profiteers, racists and war porn fans banging the drums, PA.
Look around…all the decent people got off the bandwagon a long time ago.
January 16th, 2007 at 1:23 am
This seems like a low quality post. Sorry I can’t find a constructive way to say that.
January 16th, 2007 at 10:37 am
After watching the senators beat up on Condi, and particularly Biden’s comments about Bush needing authorization to attack Iran, I think Bush’s hands are tied as far as going after targets within Iran. Unless he wants to face impeachment anyway.
January 16th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
I think a lot of things are happening in Iran right now that we don’t know about, like a little power struggle. Or maybe a big power struggle. Maybe the Iranians aren’t so happy about being made to look like loons waiting for their Twelfth Imam to show.
Also, can the naysayers please explain why gas prices have fallen so low since Bush started talking tough to the Iranians?
January 16th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
$53 a barrel is still over two and a half times what oil was selling for back when Bush first took office, reb…
January 16th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
And that’s why we’re starting to get serious about alternatives.
You want that to stop I take it?