Middle East News
US Senate says Iranian force is terrorist group
Sep 26, 2007, 21:46 GMT
Washington - The US Senate urged the Bush administration Wednesday to declare Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group to help the United States roll back Iranian influence in Iraq.
The measure passed by 76-22 votes over the objections of Democrats, who argued it could lead to war with Iran because the Revolutionary Guard is part of the Iranian military.
Though backed by President George W Bush's Republicans, the administration is unlikely to heed the measure. The lower House of Representatives passed similar legislation a day earlier that also called for more US sanctions on Iran.
The actions by Congress came during a week when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad caused protests and outrage with a visit to New York, where he spoke at Columbia University and the United Nations.
The US Defence Department has accused the Revolutionary Guard of fomenting violence in Iraq, including training and arming militants responsible for attacks on US troops.
Both congressional measures called on the US State Department to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.
The Senate version recommended 'prudent and calibrated use' of US power in Iraq 'including diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and military instruments' to fight Iranian influence in Iraq - language that helped prompt 'no' votes from about 20 Democrats.
Declaring the Revolutionary Guard as terrorists goes beyond standard US policy of refusing to rule out military force against Iran, Democratic Senator Jim Webb said.
'It is for all practical purposes mandating the military option. It could be read as tantamount to a declaration of war,' he said during debate Tuesday.
The House sanctions measure would strip Bush of a waiver he has used to exempt foreign companies that invest more than 20 million dollars in Iran, based on a 1996 law.
US presidents have used the waiver to avoid alienating European countries, who have played a key role in diplomacy to keep Iran from building nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear activities, including uranium enrichment, are for civilian purposes.
The United States, which broke diplomatic ties with Iran in the wake of the 1979 Islamic revolution and hostage-taking at the US embassy in Tehran, already has comprehensive sanctions against Iran.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
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For once I agree with you SOHRAB.
I agree that it's ridiculous to label them terrorists. *If it is true* that they are training insurgents in Iraq, then they should be considered an armed force committing an act of war.
They should also be considered an occupying force in Iraq, and thus Iran should be given the very same 'occupier' treatment that Israel gets.
Finally, though I do not seek war, it is quite clear that Muslims are intent on inflicting violence upon the world and instigating what is now the beginning of a clash of civilizations.
Better the U.S. and Israel blow Iran to kingdom come now, than wait for the boil on humanity that is Islam to fester any longer.
Benny you got a gun but so has Mohammad now!
Your a very funny person, I don't think you really understand anything about World Politics, but I am sure you do understand Nationalism, and Benny, B E N, sounds Jewish to me huh?
Look, as much as you hate Muslims and the Iranians, and you advocate anything in support of Israel, across the fence from you there are a Billion people that have more reason to feel like that about the US and Israel. You can support your team of course you can, thats up to you, but let me tell you one thing now and in the coming years you remember this -
The war will suprise you very much, so much so that all of what you have now you will wish you could have back, because you underestimate Iran, Its Allies and their resolve, you will get the biggest shock of your life. Over the next couple of Months Iran will play down its strength, but be preparing for all eventualities, you can carry on thinking that Iranians are stupid, and that they should all be Nuked as I believe this is what you are advocating, but every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and human beings are no different, there are alot of people waiting to return the Iraq Favour back to the US, and then when you think about Irans strength, hehe, better for it to never happen.
Remember what I said.
'Benny you got a gun but so has Mohammad now!'
Mohammad was only a threat to the little girls he raped.
' Benny, B E N, sounds Jewish to me huh?'
'SOHRAB'... That sounds like savage monkey to me... huh? Wanna banana?
'across the fence from you there are a Billion people that have more reason to feel like that about the US and Israel.'
Why don't you move there and raise that little chimp of yours to be a suicide bomber like all good Muslims aspire to? (Since they can not create, they might as well destroy) You see, as it stands now, you are a hypocrite for advocating this for Iranians:
www.liveleak.com/view?i=44a_1176709269
www.liveleak.com/view?i=271_1189517695
www.liveleak.com/view?i=518_1190245078
Yet hiding in the west like a big pussy so you won't get lynched for making the wrong move. Go back and get stoned, with rocks, idiot.
'The war will suprise[sic] you very much, so much so that all of what you have now you will wish you could have back, because you underestimate Iran,'
Israel has about 200 warheads, some of which are hydrogen targeted on all of Iran's major cities. The worst thing that can happen to the Iranians (only worse then living under the thumb of the regime they have now) is for these madmen to get atomic bombs. The death toll will be in the millions.
'Over the next couple of Months Iran will play down its strength, but be preparing for all eventualities,'
Iran's strength is terrorism, not war. They can only stab in the back. They list to Iraq, a country that was defeated in 3 weeks.
' you can carry on thinking that Iranians are stupid, '
It doesn't help when Ahmadinejad opens his mouth. What kind of moron believes in a 12 year old imam hiding in a well for 1000 years? The brat is dead Mahmoud...
' there are alot of people waiting to return the Iraq Favour back to the US,'
We just talked about Israels atomic weapons. The USA has about 9,900 warheads. Enough to scrape Iran off the face of the earth and drop it the Arabian gulf. So spare us your impotent threats.
' and then when you think about Irans strength...'
Sooooo not impressed. They are real good at blowing up unguarded buildings and sending out idiots to blow themselves up, but they stink at real war.
SOHRAB: I understand plenty about world politics. It is a mistake on your part to make the assumption you have because you do not agree with me. I will admit however that I do not take these particular boards very seriously, therefore you won't see me presenting a thesis here.
Having said that, I do notice you did not respond to any of my comments. Do you not believe that Iranian forces, if they are truly training insurgents in Iraq, are committing an act of war against the U.S.? Do you not believe that Iranian forces, if they are in Iraq, are occupying forces? Please, do comment on these issues, I'd like to hear your opinion even if I don't agree with it.
Regarding my name...It's just a user name, not my real name. You can read into my user name all you wish, but it won't lead you to any accurate conclusions.
And, as far as your other comments. I actually do not wish for war, however I do believe it is inevitable I'm sorry to say. Your warnings are understood, by me at least, however I would suggest a few warnings of my own.
Be aware that there will come a day when the strategy of terrorism to fight wars will cease to succeed. Israel will one day determine for example that it can no longer concern itself with the war of public opinion as it did last summer in the Lebanon conflict with Hezbollah. When that day comes, should that conflict repeat itself, Israel will decimate Hezbollah even if it has to flatten every inch of Lebanon to do so.
The same holds true for the United States, and any other nation that may some day find itself in conflict with Islamic terrorism, or state sponsors of it.
I say these things not because I am rooting for them to happen, but rather because they will happen. I take no joy in war. It is a senseless waste of human life and potential, it solves nothing, and brings only misery and grief to all involved and effected by it.
Benny - I think your last paragraph is the only comment you made that makes sense, so you actually do want peace then?
Under Saddam Iraq was propped up for a long period by the US administration, the majority of Iraqi's are Shia and were ruled by a minority of Sunni's, ok, you got that? At the time when a dictator was ruling them, Iran with strong religious, financial and moral support for the Shias, was the only country giving them support in their hour of repression and tyranny. Shia Iraqi's and Iranians have a 'brotherly' relationship, both in their joint ideals and in their ancestry. So, the moment Saddam went down, of course there were going to be a partnership with their Brethren across the border. It is completely bazaar to suggest that Iran is Occupying Iraq, Iraq is Iran, and Iran is Iraq, there is no terrorism or support for Insurgence by Iran, you have to look at the US and Saudi support for the Sunnis to claim that. Irans support is as a brother would support his brother and that will never stop because it goes back centuries and not a mere 5 years.
If you can't get that and are brainwashed by the media that is partisan, then you and your views represent nothing.
I think War is inevitable while ever there are people like you in the world that give support and succur to occupation, Imperialism and Facism. You can't see the truth because your mind is wrapped up in self obsorbtion and aroggance, the same arrogance that messed up South America, Africa.
Maybe try to read and see with understanding not blinkers.
And to the Moron above:
You have the audacity to claim Iran is a danger to the world, yet you so clearly advocate the use of Hydrogen Bombs? Your either a child with issues, or a Jewish Fanatic whos ringletts have been chopped off.
Who really is a threat to peace....tut....like I said no point in talking to A-Holes.
And those links you keep posting : well, uhmm yes, their terrible, it shouldn't happen, it should change, but, that doesn't give a justification for Nuclear War idiot, if that was justification then Iran and the Middleast, Africa and South America have tons of justification to Nuke you.
Can you not see how rediculous your arguments are?
Not a very cogent argument SOHRAB, but thank you for responding. The two are sovereign nations, not a combined unit and not interchangeable. Iraq has its own military, and it's own government. Any Iranian military force functioning inside Iraq is most certainly an occupying force. It is there without invite, request or sanction by the Iraqi government. It is functioning in a manner that runs counter to what the Iraqi government seeks, it's presence is resulting in the loss of life both Iraqi and U.S., and it is not leaving.
This isn't very complicated SOHRAB. It's a shame you allow your biases to cloud your perception.
Iraq is its own sovereign country by right, there is no disspute about that, but the domination of the minority Sunnis started by the defacto partission of Iraq by the British and the French in 1918, Prior to that we go back to the Ottoman empire which was defeated 'eventually' by the British in the great War. The British Imposed a Hashemite Monarchy on the people and didn't take into account the different ethnic groups in the country, so the (Arab) domination of that land really began there even though the majority of the country were shiah.
I don't think I would be wrong in saying that the US are the occupiers there now, and I also would urge you to understand that Iranians and Southern Iraqi's are part of the same clan, there is no will on behalf of the Iranians to Own Iraq, but there is a will to prop up and support the shia against the possible re-ntry by Jordan, Saudi or any other Puppet government, and its here that we really get to the nub of the issues in the region.
All the so called 'Moderate Countries' that the West is so keen to support are Dictatorships, and Iran is a Theocracy that broke off that relation in a peoples revolution in 1979, Iran doesn't have hegonomic ambitions in the region, but the sittuation would spiral out of control if they didn't have a stronger influence against the Western Backed Governments, so they find themselves in a sittuation where not only have they been granted the opportunity to strengthen the alliance against the West's domination of the region, thay have been urged to pick up the flag for Arabs and Muslims across the Middleast.
So Irans influence isn't to dominate the region but to save the region from the grip of Western domination at a time when the West is more in need of the Middleast resources than ever before. Control over the region would Boulster US dominance over Russia and China who have secured resources for themselves.
I can understand why we in the West need to dominate a region to feed the economies and the energy needs, but I think we make the wrong choices in going about it.
We need to negotiate a final solution to all the middleastern region that will secure our energy needs and allow democratic reform across the board, so the people of the region can develop, strengthen cultural understanding with the West and start to live in some sort of Normalcy like we do.
Israel is one of the biggest bargaining chips the West have, its almost seen by the Middleastern countries as a colonnial outpost of Western dominance in the region. Jewish people that live in Israel have been mannipulated into thinking that all these wars are to secure their right to their ancestrial homeland, when in affect their leaders are foot soldiers of the West.
If we can finalise a reasonable solution for Palestine, and allow for a smaller Israeli State free of Nuclear arms, if we can offer peace to the region and a rotating regional security council seat for the Middleast, Africa and South America, The West could negotiate a very strong rate for energy supplies.
I strongly believe to engage in peace in this way is better for all. Countries like Iran won't feel they need to invest a huge portion of their capita on Arms and WMD, it will bring us back from the brink and secure a better future for all of us.
You know Benny that War is never a good solution, its like telling your kid that if you don't like what someone elses has said or done, go and kill him. We wouldn't do that, and World politics is only an exageration of simple common human understandings.
Its like the sittuation in Burma, the people have to stand up against their dictators, we can give them moral support, but really part of gaining their independance is the fight to gain it, and those who put themselves on the front line are the Heros of our day that we so easily forget. Theres no point raising sanctions or dissrupting the flow of funds into the country, once the investment goes, they have to buy it back at cheaper rates after the event, so were only damaging their struggle by sanctions not aiding them.
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SOHRABSep 26th, 2007 - 23:58:09
How can you brandish a soverign countries forces 'Terrorist'? Has the World gone mad?
I think its coming to the point where talking is useless with these people, there has to be War with the US in Iraq and with Israel, they have to confront them for peace. Anyone who follows world events with a non-partisan view knows why Iran is a target for the Yanks and Israelis, and they will also understand what I mean by, the only way to peace with these people is War.
Evil wins when good men say nothing.
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