Foreign Policy

Iran’s mullahs to aid

November 26, 2005 ⋅  E-Mail Article ⋅  Print Article ⋅ Post a comment

Is there a reason Iran is pledging over a billion dollars to aide in Iraq? With its recent actions of late this move by Iran appears very suspicious.

Let’s review the recent actions of the Iranian government. Iran has recently been accused of attempting to work out an ‘oil for weapons technology’ deal with North Korea. Recently there has been proven contact between Iranians and the A.K. Khan. Network. As recently as a few weeks ago there was the president of Iran calling openly in public for Israel to be “wiped off the map.” During the past week Iran’s hard-line president stated that he firmly believes the Bush administration should be tried on war crimes charges related to Iraq while also taking time to denounce the West for its position on Iran’s contentious nuclear program.

Many have known for years that Iran supports and finances the Hezbollah fighters in and around Palestine and Lebanon; they utilize this group to further their political agenda and influence in the Gulf region. And now Iranian lawmakers have voted to resume uranium enrichment and end snap UN checks of its nuclear sites if Tehran is referred to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions. You add all of this up and two questions must be asked, ‘Why has Iran not been brought before the U.N. security council?’ and ‘Why are they so anxious to help out in Iraq?

The first question is easy to answer, because the structure of the IAEA Board of governors has changed and the new participants consist of countries not as likely to go along with Western policy, among them, Cuba and Belarus, the U.S. has decided to allow Russia to be more active in resolving the nuclear issue. Many U.N. statesmen believe that if a vote is conducted there will be more abstentions than the last time, and this would be a political nightmare for the Bush administration. The second question is not so easy to answer. Iraq and Iran have fought a brutal war the past 25 years; the countries have a deep rooted hatred for one another. Iran has struggled to try and rid Iraq of Saddam Hussein, this has been accomplished. Iran has also wanted Iraq to become de-Baathified, which has also occurred.

So now why is Iran so interested in helping out the country? Do they see an opportunity to walk in the back door and snatch a hard earned democracy from their neighbors in Iraq? Is there an ulterior motive to their sudden policy shift? Has the Untied States and its allies fully addressed the influence Iran will try to now apply in Iraq? What alliances will the new Iraq government form with Iran? I feel these are all valid questions that must be asked by those leading the march to democracy in Iraq. When a newly formed government, such as Iraqs, struggling with its hold on power, begins to cozy up with a country with a reputation such as Iran’s, I feel it must be asked, what is the motive?

Iran’s mullahs to aid “one billion dollar” to regime’s arab brothers in Iraq

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