Arms Smuggle Puts U.S., Iran on Rocks

NY Daily News ^ | 01/09/02 | THOMAS M. DeFRANK

[veronica]

Iran's apparent complicity in a massive Mideast arms-smuggling scheme presents the Bush administration with a serious diplomatic and strategic quandary — and torpedoes for new efforts to repair relations between Washington and Tehran.

"There was a lot of optimism this relationship was moving in a positive direction," a foreign policy official said after the State Department appeared to accept Israeli charges that Iran was involved in an arms shipment to Palestinian militants. "But this indicates Iran is not really ready to move in a positive direction."

"This will keep things in the deep freeze," echoed Richard Murphy, a former assistant secretary of state and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "We won't be able to sustain any opening to Iran under these circumstances."

Already under pressure from the Israeli government and its U.S. supporters for allegedly being too eager to cozy up to Iran, Bush can now expect to feel heat from Republican conservatives as well to pull back from a nation the State Department calls the poster child for state-supported terrorism.

One top administration official told the Daily News that despite Iran's cooperation in the Afghan campaign, "Thus far it would seem that you don't have a changed pattern of behavior."

"You can't say that countries that aid and abet terrorism are our enemies and then ignore something like this," a Bush political adviser noted.

Since taking office, the administration has continued efforts begun in the Clinton years to reach out to moderate elements in Iran. Several intermediaries have made unofficial overtures to the Tehran government, hoping to rebuild ties ruptured by the 1979 hostage crisis.

Those openings accelerated after the Sept. 11 attacks as Bush's war council sought to exploit some mutual interests: Iran is not only an arch-foe of Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, but also the mortal enemy of Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein, whose decade-long war in the 1980s killed hundreds of thousands of Iranians.

The government of President Mohammad Khatami was receptive. While condemning U.S. bombing strikes as a "human catastrophe," the Iranians sealed their Afghan border and agreed to allow search-and-rescue flights for downed American pilots.

Even so, Iran's hostility toward Israel appears to have trumped the desire of moderates to forge a strategic partnership with Washington.

A former U.S. ambassador said bluntly, "They've now proven they back terrorism, pure and simple."

[BobWNY]

The Iranians only helped us in Afganhistan because of their self interest of removing the Taliban.

They are pals with Osma Bin Laden and the Pakis, but you happen to notice that OBL and his real top aides (not the supposive top aides we here have been captured) have been caught yet.

The US can not be as naive to think they Iranians will change the view because we asked them too. But then again the US is the country that for years has tried the policy of "engagement" with China in the hopes they will change before they nuke us.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Iran has no plans to change its stripes. Its wishful thinking to believe otherwise.

[Mixer]

The Iranians only helped us in Afganhistan because of their self interest of removing the Taliban

So very true. Also what did they really do. I don't recall them being a huge help. Seems like they were all talk.