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It Wasn’t Already?

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to classed as a “specially designated global terrorist” organization.  Specially designated for missile strikes, air raids and spec ops assaults, I hope. WaPo:  

The Bush administration has chosen to move against the Revolutionary Guard Corps because of what U.S. officials have described as its growing involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its support for extremists throughout the Middle East, the sources said. The decision follows congressional pressure on the administration to toughen its stance against Tehran, as well as U.S. frustration with the ineffectiveness of U.N. resolutions against Iran’s nuclear program, officials said.

Follows congressional pressure to toughen stance?  I thought Congress wanted to beg Iran to stop while we leave.  Oh, they mean, Congress is finally waking up, getting a clue:

The administration’s move comes amid growing support in Congress for the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act, which was introduced in the Senate by Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) and in the House by Tom Lantos (D-Calif.). The bill already has the support of 323 House members.

It’s a start. What’s really needed is an Iran-Gets-The-Crap-Bombed-Out-Of-Its-Nuke-and-Terror Facilities Amendment.    

The administration’s move could hurt diplomatic efforts, some analysts said. “It would greatly complicate our efforts to solve the nuclear issue,” said Joseph Cirincione, a nuclear proliferation expert at the Center for American Progress. “It would tie an end to Iran’s nuclear program to an end to its support of allies in Hezbollah and Hamas. The only way you could get a nuclear deal is as part of a grand bargain, which at this point is completely out of reach.”

Wouldn’t want to hurt the diplomatic efforts.  Not when they are going so well.

NYT tells us this move is intended to mollify hawks and up the pressure in the UN Security Council for more sanctions.  Bummer if this is not in fact a step toward useful action.

According to European diplomats, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has warned of the move in recent conversations with European counterparts, saying that a delay in efforts to win approval from the United Nations Security Council for further economic sanctions on Iran was leaving the administration with little choice but unilateral action.

A move toward putting the Revolutionary Guard on the foreign terrorist list would serve at least two purposes for Ms. Rice: to pacify, for a while, administration hawks who are pushing for possible military action, and to further press America’s allies to ratchet up sanctions against Iran in the Security Council.

Saber-rattling that is aimed at the UN Security Council is aimed in the wrong direction, except in that meaningless sanctions are a customary prelude to action. More on this move as Rice’s effort to counter Cheney’s push for action:

The officials said the declaration was being pushed by Ms. Rice, and would not say if it had been endorsed by the National Security Council or the Pentagon.

President Bush seemed to signal a tougher approach to Iran last week when he called attention to what American officials have said was an active role by the Revolutionary Guard in providing munitions, training and other support to Shiite militants who have been attacking American troops in Iraq. “When we catch you playing a nonconstructive role, there will be a price to pay,” Mr. Bush said of Iran during a news conference on Thursday.

Listing would set in motion a series of automatic sanctions that would make it easier for the United States to block financial accounts and other assets controlled by the guard. In particular, the action would freeze any assets the guard has in the United States, although it is unlikely that the guard maintains much in the way of assets in American banks or other institutions.

In the internal debate over American policy toward Iran, Ms. Rice has succeeded over the last year in holding the Bush administration to a diplomatic course in which America and five other world powers have used the Security Council to impose sanctions to try to get Tehran to suspend its enrichment of uranium.

But in recent months, there has been resurgent debate within the administration about whether the diplomatic path is working, with aides to Vice President Dick Cheney said to be among those pushing for greater consideration of military options.

…

In taking aim at the guard, the administration is also trying to divide Iran’s population. During his news conference on Thursday, President Bush addressed the Iranian people directly. “My message to the Iranian people is, ‘You can do better than this current government,’ ” Mr. Bush said. “ ‘You don’t have to be isolated. You don’t have to be in a position where you can’t realize your full economic potential.’ ”

…

The decision would have little impact on American military activities in Iraq, where coalition forces already pursue fighters, advisers and financiers who support antigovernment forces, according to a senior Defense Department official. “We are going to go after any forces that are engaged in activities that are disruptive to the stability and security of Iraq,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the subject was pending administration policy.

I wouldn’t be so sure of that “little impact” assessment, and I don’t know how well this Condi maneuver is going to work for her.  Look for future officials releases of evidence re Iranian arms and support in Iraq, seizure of Iranian agents, etc., to have the label “Iranian terrorist organization” attached to them. 

Omar at Iraq the Model doesn’t want to see direct military confrontation with Iran, but thinks talk is just words, and the best way to influence Iran’s behavior within Iraq is with a big stick.  

Topics: GWOT, Iran, pols

  Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:35 am on Wednesday, August 15, 2007

18 Responses to “It Wasn’t Already?”

1. tuscanred Says:
   August 15th, 2007 at 9:05 am

   I hope this terrorist label will be a waypoint that will be looked back on in years to come as a key turning point.

2. The_Real_JeffS Says:
   August 15th, 2007 at 9:49 am

   I’ll believe it when I hear that cruise missiles are heading towards Iran.

3. 4iraqisfuture Says:
   August 15th, 2007 at 9:52 am

   My favorite quote from the WaPo article:

   “Sanctions can serve as a prod, but they have very rarely forced a country to capitulate or collapse,” he said. “All of us want to back Iran into a corner, but we want to give them a way out, too. [The designation] will convince many in Iran’s elite that there’s no point in talking with us and that the only thing that will satisfy us is regime change.”

   With China and Russia making UN sanctions against the Revolutionary Guards impossible, this unilateral approach is actually better. This will “serve as a [cattle] prod” with a jagged cliff on the other side, no “corner to be backed into”. No negotiations desired.

   The “Revolution” in Iran is being unveiled as total fraud. The average person has a dismal economic outlook while members out the military elite and well-connected mullahs are stripping the country of it’s wealth in a privatization scam. Unions are brutalized.

   The western media snoozes.

   This is the right move at the right time. Massive amounts of capital are moving into Revolutionary Guards hands through the privatization of state property. See Amir Taheri’s writing on this.

4. Vanguard of the Commentariat Says:
   August 15th, 2007 at 11:17 am

   It escapes me why we do not seem to consider putting the pinch on these clowns where it would get their attention, but would not ultimately kill a lot of folks. I’m talking about things like gasoline refineries (Iran has lots of oil, limited refining capability), water treatment plants (duh, its the Middle East), or even just an pre-advertised show of strength where we come in, shut down all of their EW capabilities, and deliver a couple of MOABs to an uninhabited area. Seems like there are lots of things we could do to help them get their minds right in between full boots on the ground and the “lets have tea with them and address their grievances” that the Left seems to constantly advocate. And heck, maybe we do consider them and reject them for some good reasons. Although I’m a former military aviator, now I’m just a contractor. So I know as much about foreign policy as most singers do!

5. tanstaafl Says:
   August 15th, 2007 at 11:24 am

   It’s amazing to me that weapons seized inside Iraq are, reportedly, clearly of Iranian provenance (”still in original packaging”) and yet Ahmadinejhad continues to stare into the camera and call the idea of Iranian weapons in Iraq (as well as to the Taliban in Afghanistan)…ridiculous.

   I imagine many in the European press might back him up.

6. Buck Naked Politics Says:
   August 15th, 2007 at 11:59 am

   Are we Inching Closer to War with Iran? (Updated)

   Once again, the Bush Administration’s creative labeling is confusing me. The Washington Post reported:The United States has decided to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country’s 125,000-strong elite military branch, as a specially des…

7. tanstaafl Says:
   August 15th, 2007 at 12:05 pm

   Ahmadinejhad has gotten so good at spinning El Baradei and his IAEA on the Iranian nuke program (that dance has been going on for years), spinning his remarks on what needs to happen to “the Jews”, extending restrictions on speech, press, dress etc. inside Iran (and, reportedly, suppressing news of protests against same)…

   I guess he’s just cocky enough to deny that actual physical weapons are his own.

8. RebeccaH Says:
   August 15th, 2007 at 12:06 pm

   The way to get a stubborn mule’s attention is to hit him between the eyes with a two by four. The talking comes after.

9. The Thunder Run Says:
   August 15th, 2007 at 12:46 pm

   Web Reconnaissance for 08/15/2007

   A short recon of what�s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.

10. 4iraqisfuture Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 1:47 pm

    Tanstaafl—Ahmadinejhad’s confidence comes from the divine belief that any lie, no matter how outrageous, told to an infidel is justified under rules of jihad. He even carries this insane cockiness over to his own people looking them in the eye and telling them his economic policies will work because the “12 imam” is coming. But hey, Charley Manson looked pretty self-assured in his time too.

    Michael Leeden writes a definitive piece on the situation here. He quotes Yon to show Washington has practically no credibility in Iraq, it’s the military that has credibility amongst Iraqis.

    “On the Brink”

    Washington is a wonder on Iran.

    By Michael Ledeen

    “…The politicians, diplomats, and spooks downplay the Iranian role, reshaping the facts to fit their desire for a “negotiated solution” they know in their heart of hearts will never be accomplished. But our military officers, whose troops are being blown up by Iranian explosives or Iranian-trained suicide bombers or gunned down by Iranian-trained snipers, are laying out the facts for anyone who cares to know what’s going on…

    That the Iranians are at the heart of the region’s violence is proven most every day. So while Karzai was publicly kissing up to Tehran, Colonel Rahmatullah Safi, the head of the border police along the Iranian frontier, told the London Times “it is clear to everyone that Iran is supporting the enemy of Afghanistan, the Taliban,”

    …They’re in trouble at home, too. Indeed, things are so bad that the government itself has open fissures, the latest caused by the resignation of the minister of industry and mines, and by the public testimony of the minister of welfare:

    “The welfare minister, Abdol-Reza Mesri, appeared at the Majlis social committee on Saturday and announced that about 9.2 million Iranians live below the absolute poverty line. About 10.5 percent of residents in urban and 11 percent of residents in rural areas live below the absolute poverty line. Nevertheless, Mr. Mesri insisted that indicators used in computing the poverty line must be changed. The minister’s persistent suggestion to abandon internationally recognized methods of computing the poverty line has been met with the reaction of experts and professionals.”

    In simple English, there is so much poverty in Iran that the minister wants to change the reporting requirements so that nobody can really know the full dimensions of the Iranian people’s misery. Even their current language (what is “the absolute poverty line” anyway?) is designed to mislead.

    Iranians are not stupid people; they know they are ruled by tyrannical incompetents. Listen to the words of one Reza Zarabi, in the August 5 Jerusalem Post: “Iranians have become accustomed to dictators, yet an incompetent despot that bases his economic policies on the future benevolence of the coming Islamic Messiah is another thing altogether…It is quite remarkable for such economic damage and global ridicule to be heaped upon a nation in (so) short a time. Yet the policies of the current Iranian administration have left nothing for the imagination.”

    I ask you, is this not a perfect description of a revolutionary situation? And you reply: So why aren’t we doing anything about it? Which, I think, is precisely the question our military leaders in Iraq, and the people of Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, are aiming at Washington.”

    http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDU5OTczMGU3NzRkZTJkNzFlMmFjNThkMDJiMDlhODE=

11. Truth v. The Machine » Archives » IRGC to be designated “terrorist” Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 2:35 pm

    [...] commenting are Captain’s Quarters, Wake up America, Flopping Aces, Harry’s Place, Jules Crittenden, Hot Air and The [...]

12. Wake up America-Media Rats Jumping Ship Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 5:58 pm

    U.S. Moving Against Revolutionary Guard Followup.

    So here we have a regime that has been, and still is, providing weapons that are killing our troops and civilians in other countries such as Israel. Some how the left makes them out as victims.

13. Consul-At-Arms Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 11:26 pm

    First time commenter, longtime reader.

    I see this as a good and necessary first step, and am underwhelmed by the Center for American Progress’ predictable commentary.

    I’ve linked to you here: http://www.blogger.com/posts.g?blogID=11660240

14. U.S. Moving Against Revolutionary Guard Followup. at Conservative Times--Republican GOP news source. Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 11:46 pm

    [...] this.Flopping Aces understands this is more about a “financial coup” than about war.Jules Crittenden wonders if Congress is finally waking up and getting a clue.Hot Air thinks it is strange that we [...]

15. saltydog Says:
    August 16th, 2007 at 12:12 am

    RebeccaH, you are succinct–and right–as usual.

    I must also side with TRJeffS, I’ll believe it when I see it. And oh, how I long to see it. The more we stall and play politics, the more deaths.

    Will the left ever admit that they cause death and destruction through their politics? Don’t bother answering. I know already.

16. tanstaafl Says:
    August 16th, 2007 at 11:36 am

    Once you designate a ‘terrorist organization”, then certain parameters kick in to try to squeeze them.

    It’s like designating Darfur as “genocide”, and, then, “sending in The UN”.

    (never mind that Sudan’s head of state has been unwilling to let “The UN” in and “The UN” hasn’t any kind of track record for particular accomplishments, anywhere)

    (Latest reports, lighter skinned Arabs are moving into areas of Sudan formerly occupied by dark skinned peoples. Islamization was part of the goal, and the janjaweed made a point of raping darked skinned women to make lighter skinned babies.)

    And back to Iran, Michael Ledeen made a good point, that Mullahocracy is more impressed by the fact that Crocker is “forced” to talk to them than it is by anything Crocker is saying.

    “Walk softly but carry a big stick” is likely the best “diplomatic” advice around.

17. tanstaafl Says:
    August 16th, 2007 at 12:16 pm

    I guess it was “speak” instead of walk…

    What Theodore Roosevelt said was not “walk softly but carry a big stick” as is often mis-quoted. He gave his famous quote during a speech in 1903:

    “There is a homely old adage which runs: “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” If the American nation will speak softly, and yet build and keep at a pitch of the highest training a thoroughly efficient navy, the Monroe Doctrine will go far.”

18. steve Says:
    August 16th, 2007 at 9:24 pm

    “The real reason for the move is to set up a legal basis for airstrikes or special operations raids on the Guard’s bases in Iran.

    Our policy is that we reserve the right to whack terrorists anywhere in the world. Now we have newly designated terrorists. And we know exactly where they are.”

    Ralph Peters “Whacking Iran”

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