By Kenneth J. Theisen, 8/11/07
Bush has recently had
problems keeping the puppet leaders of Afghanistan and Iraq in line with his
attempts to isolate Iran. Apparently even puppets occasionally tug at the
strings that bind them. Prior to his visit to Camp David to meet with Bush,
President Karzai stated that Iran is a partner in the fight against terrorism
and narcotics. He said, “So far, Iran has been a helper.” But Bush on
August 6th strongly contradicted Karzai when he stated to him, “I
would be very cautious about whether or not the Iranian influence there in
Afghanistan is a positive force.”
The U.S. has repeatedly
accused Shia Iran of arming the Sunni Taliban. But Hamid Karzai has denied
this. At Camp David, Bush warned Karzai to be suspicious of Iran repeating the
accusations that Iran and the Taliban are working together. (While this is possible it would be a change
of course for Iran which has previously supported foes of the Taliban. The
Taliban even executed several Iranian officials during its initial rise to
power. Iran supported and armed factions of the Northern Alliance to overthrow
the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in 2001.)
As if that was not enough of
a problem, a week later, Iraq’s Prime Minister visited Iran. While there,
Al-Maliki thanked Iran for its “positive and constructive” work in
“providing security and fighting terrorism in Iraq.” Iranian leaders
told al-Maliki that they wanted Iraq’s friendship and would do all they could
to boost Iraqi security. Al-Maliki was
obviously off message as far as the Bush regime was concerned.
Bush was visibly miffed at
this when he rebuked the Prime Minister by saying, “If the signal is that
Iran is constructive, I will have to have a heart-to-heart with my friend, the
prime minister. Because I don’t believe they are constructive. I don’t think
he, in his heart of heart, thinks they’re constructive either.” During the
visit al-Maliki also met the families of seven Iranian officials arrested in
Iraq by US forces. The U.S. has accused the seven of being members of Iran’s
Quds force sent to Iraq to foment trouble. Iran maintains they are diplomats.
Further undercutting the Bush regime’s position, Al-Maliki promised the families
that he would work for the detainees’ release.
In what appeared to be a
threat against the Iraqi Prime Minister, Bush stated, “Now, is he trying
to get Iran to play a more constructive role? I presume he is. But that doesn’t
– what my question is – well, my message to him is, is that when we catch you
playing a non-constructive role there will be a price to pay.”
But apparently others within
the Bush regime thought Bush had gone too far as the White House later “clarified”
that Bush was referring to Iran. Bush then accused Iran of being “a very
troubling nation”and a destabilizing influence” in the Middle East. He then warned that “there will be
consequences” for any Iranians shipping weapons to Iraq.
The Bush regime has been
attempting to portray Iran as a supporter of terrorism in both Afghanistan and
Iraq for quite some time. It has stepped
up these accusations by accusing the Iranians of arming “terrorist forces” in
Iraq, specifically accusing Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces of supplying
sophisticated mines to those opposing the U.S. there. In Afghanistan, the U.S. line is now that the
Taliban is being armed by Iran as well.
These accusations are part of
a much larger campaign by the U.S. to build up support for an attack on Iran.
That is why the Bush regime has been upset this past week at deviations from
this carefully orchestrated propaganda campaign by Karzai and then by the Iraqi
Prime Minister. And that is why Bush
himself was the messenger that rebuked these two.
But even if these U.S. claims
are partially true, they in no way justify an attack on Iran, and it is not in
the interests of the people of the world to support the Bush regime against the
reactionary leaders of Iran or the reactionary Taliban. An attack against Iran
would only further the interests of the Bush regime’s fascist agenda and lead
to untold devastation to the people of Iran and of the people of the world.