Confirmed: Iran assisting Taliban

From ABC News:

NATO officials say they have caught Iran red-handed, shipping heavy arms, C4 explosives and advanced roadside bombs to the Taliban for use against NATO forces, in what the officials say is a dramatic escalation of Iran's proxy war against the United States and Great Britain.

"It is inconceivable that it is anyone other than the Iranian government that's doing it," said former White House counterterrorism official Richard Clarke, an ABC News consultant.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stopped short earlier this week of blaming Iran, saying the U.S. did not have evidence "of the involvement of the Iranian government in support of the Taliban."

But an analysis by a senior coalition official, obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, concludes there is clear evidence of Iran's involvement.

"This is part of a considered policy," says the analysis, "rather than the result of low-level corruption and weapons smuggling."

Iran and the Taliban had been fierce enemies when the Taliban was in power in Afghanistan, and their apparent collaboration came as a surprise to some in the intelligence community.

"I think their goal is to make it very clear that Iran has the capability to make life worse for the United States on a variety of fronts," said Seth Jones of the Rand Institute, "even if they have to do some business with a group that has historically been their enemy."

The coalition analysis says munitions recovered in two Iranian convoys, on April 11 and May 3, had "clear indications that they originated in Iran. Some were identical to Iranian supplied goods previously discovered in Iraq."

The April convoy was tracked from Iran into Helmand province and led a fierce firefight that destroyed one vehicle, according to the official analysis. A second vehicle was reportedly found to contain small arms ammunition, mortar rounds and more than 650 pounds of C4 demolition charges.

A second convoy of two vehicles was spotted on May 3 and led to the capture of five occupants and the seizure of RPG-7mm rockets and more than 1,000 pounds of C4, the analysis says.

Also among the munitions are components for the lethal EFPs, or explosive formed projectiles, the roadside bombs that U.S. officials say Iran has provided to Iraqi insurgents with deadly results.

"These clearly have the hallmarks of the Iranian Revolution Guards' Quds force," said Jones.

The coalition diplomatic message says the demolition charges "contained the same fake U.S. markings found on explosives recovered from insurgents operating in the Baghdad area."

"We believe these intercepted munitions are part of a much bigger flow of support from Iran to the Taliban," the message says.

The Taliban receives larger supplies of weapons through profits from opium dealing, officials say, but the Iranian presence could be significant.

"It means the insurgency in Afghanistan is likely to be prolonged," said Jones. "It would be a much more potent force."

If Iran's not careful, they're going to find themselves in a world of hurt by...dare I say it?...being on the business end of a...gasp!...a sternly worded UN Resolution! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Iraqi militias train in Iran

Well thank God Allah that My Damn Speaker Pe-loco is gonna go have a chat with Ahmanutjob! Maybe she'll give him a stern talking-to, San Franistan style! From Forbes:

Iraqi militia fighters are being trained in Iran to build and use deadly armor-piercing roadside bombs and complex attack strategies against American forces, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell would not say how many militiamen had gone to Iran but said that questioning of fighters captured as recently as this month confirmed many had been in Iranian training camps.

“They do receive training on how to assemble and employ EFPs,” Caldwell said, adding that fighters also were taught how to carry out attacks that use explosives followed by assaults with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.
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The accusations are the latest attempt by the United States to show that Iran is meddling in the Iraq war. If true, the training poses a serious threat to both U.S. forces and Iraqi stability. Iraq, which like Iran is majority Shiite, has found itself in a difficult position since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, trying to maintain good relations with its neighbor while not angering the Americans.

Yeah, I'd like to maintain good relations with my neighbors if they were trying to kill me.

Pelosi to meet with Ahmanutjob?

Not content to resting on her laurels after a meeting with the chinless terrorist-enabling regime of Syria, My Damn...er, "Madame"...Speaker Pelosi wants to cuddle with the top Iranian weirdbeard himself. From San Fran-istan's fishwrap:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, just back from a trip to Syria that sparked sharp criticism from Republicans and the Bush administration, suggested Tuesday that they may be interested in taking another diplomatic trip - to open a dialogue with Iran.

The Democratic speaker from San Francisco and Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, were asked at a press conference in San Francisco Tuesday whether on the heels of their recent trip to the Middle East they would be interested in extending their diplomacy in the troubled region with a visit to Iran.

"Speaking just for myself, I would be ready to get on a plane tomorrow morning, because however objectionable, unfair and inaccurate many of (Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's) statements are, it is important that we have a dialogue with him," Lantos said. "Speaking for myself, I'm ready to go -- and knowing the speaker, I think that she might be."

Pelosi did not dispute that statement, and noted that Lantos -- a Hungarian-born survivor of the Holocaust -- brought "great experience, knowledge and judgment" to the recent bipartisan congressional delegation trip to Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia in addition to Syria.

Beautiful. I can almost hear Ahmanutjob singing "Kumbaya" as we speak. Continuing:

"I find the president of Iran's remarks to be so repulsive that they are outside the circle of civilized human behavior," Pelosi said, referring to Ahmadinejad's past comments that Israel should be wiped off the face of the map and his questioning of the existence of the Holocaust.

"But a person of Mr. Lantos' stature and personal experience is saying that -- even as a Holocaust survivor and even recognizing the outrageous statements of the president of Iran -- it's important to have dialogue. I think that speaks volumes."

I can almost see the dialogue now...

Pe-loco: Mr. President, it's great to see you! I brought you a gift from my home town. It's a book called 'Heather Has Two Mommies'.

Ahmanutjob: Thank you. You are too kind. Ummm...My Damn Speaker, who is this man you bring with you?

Pe-loco: This is Congressman Tom Lantos. He's a a Hungarian-born survivor of the Holocaust and...

Ahmanutjob: Survivor of the WHAT?

Pe-loco: The Holocaust, sir.

Ahmanutjob: There was no such thing. This infidel is a fraud. Remove him from my presence.

Pe-loco: Sorry, Tom, that sucks for you. Wait in the plane.

Ahmanutjob: My Damn Speaker, where is your woman-garb???

Pe-loco: Oh, how embarassing! My apologies, sir, I'll get Tom to get my Muslim head scarf from the airplane. Now, where were we?

Ahmanutjob: Denouncing your president.

Pe-loco: Oh yes, we were indeed! Anyway, I don't know if you followed the goings-on in Florida in our 2000 election, but...

Finally:

Lantos noted that "with the speaker's support," he has co-sponsored legislation in the House that calls for making available to all countries -- including Iran -- nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes under international oversight by establishing a "nuclear fuel bank."

"So if the Iranian president says that he is developing (nuclear material) for peaceful purposes, we are assisting him in that process," said Lantos, who anticipated the legislation could pass as early as May.

Maybe we could get the UN to administer the "nuclear fuel bank"? They did such a bang-up job with that Oil-For-Food program, didn't they?

Whither thou, Abu Ghraibers and Club Gitmo agitators?

From the UK:

* We were blindfolded and subjected to interrogation
* We were told we faced seven years in prison if we did not 'confess'
* Iranians entered Iraqi waters deliberately to detain us. Fighting back was not an option
* We were 1.7 nautical miles away from Iranian waters
* We were under psychological pressure and mind games
* Faye Turney was isolated in a cell away from the rest of the crew
* Iranian state TV says crew's comments were 'dictated' by British Ministry of Defence

The British sailors released by Iran have today told how they were kidnapped and blindfolded and subjected to 'constant psychological pressure'.
...
The sailors and marines said they were bound, blindfolded and lined up against a wall while weapons were cocked, making them "fear the worst".

OK, who wants to join me in holding our breaths waiting for the Abu Ghraib and Gitmo bellyachers to forcefully denounce Iran for using these tactics that brought about their wails of condemnation against America? Any takers?

News bytes

Pelosi to chinless Syrian dictator: "Israel wants peace talks!" Israel to Pelosi: "Not quite true...and you don't speak for us!" Even the reliably left-leaning Washington comPost is piling on Pelosi. Humiliation ensues.

Polish it any way you like, but with the whole British hostage ordeal in Iran, Iran won and the UK lost. Iran came out smelling like roses, and the West came out looking weak.

Leftardosphere falls for April Fools prank. Karl Rove, you magnificent b@stard! As with Pe-loser, humiliation ensues.

Speaking of Pe-loco's visit to Syria, Jimmy the Dhimmi Carter approved of it (which automatically means it's a bad idea)...and launched into one of his typical anti-Israeli rants.

Al Qaeda wants the Dalai Lama dead, because he's not Muslim. Well, hell, just tell Mr. Lama to get out of Iraq and he should be peachy...oh, wait, he's not in Iraq. Somehow, I'm certain the moonbats can find a way to blame this on Bush.

British hostages in Iran are...Bush's fault?

Man, isn't there anything that this man isn't responsible for these days? From the Limeys:

But Britain's delicate diplomatic efforts were set back by U.S. President George W. Bush, who made a statement Saturday in which he characterized the imprisoned sailors as "hostages" - a phrase that Britain has been carefully avoiding to prevent the crisis from becoming a broader political or military conflict.

Bush calls the hostages "hostages", and that just ticked off what had heretofore been a passive, non-hostile, and reasonable Iran, right?

So Bush was awful to refer to the hostages as "hostages". Got it. Then could someone please explain how this appeared in the exact same article?

British negotiators believe the Iranians have already won all the rewards they have been seeking - mainly by using several of the hostages for propaganda purposes by broadcasting videos and letters in which they admit, possibly under duress, to trespassing on Iranian territory and demand that their government withdraw from Iraq.

In other words, Bush is a bad guy for using the exact same terminology that the newspaper used to describe the hostages? Do these guys even have editors at this fishwrap?

Satire alert

The Nose On Your Face does it again! This hilarious bit is at the expense of the mad mullahs of Iran. From TNOYF:

The tense standoff between Iran and Britain over the fifteen sailors who were captured by the Iranians last week almost came to a quick conclusion earlier today thanks to the handiwork of noted Middle Eastern funny-man Farouk bin Hasim.

Hasim, the host of the wildly popular “Persian Punk’d”, made his way into a meeting of the Iranian Grand Council this morning sporting a Ronald Reagan mask. The reaction was immediate.

“Oh, but if you could have smelled the collective seat of the Mullah’s robes when they saw him walk in with that Reagan mask on!” said Hasim’s close friend and cameraman Yephik Bashar. “There was a stench in the air more foul than a syphilitic camel sporting Paris Hilton’s undergarments. And the whimpering! ‘A thousand apologies Mr. President Reagan sir!‘ ‘We are so very sorry for the trouble Mr. President Reagan sir!.’ Priceless.”

The religious leaders became aware of the joke shortly after Hasim left and they discovered that their navy was still intact.

The episode will air early next month.

"Please, Mr. President Reagan, sir! Don't humiliate us again!"

Satire alert: Iranian hostage situation part II

From spoofmaster Scrappleface:

Iran announced today that it would release immediately the 15 British soldiers and marines it took hostage last week to avoid further “cordial pressure and devastating pleasantries” from British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

“In this test of wills,” said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, “we acknowledge the superior power of the adversary. We cannot withstand another onslaught of polite diplomatic language nor the withering, if unspoken, consternation we detect in the eyes of Tony Blair.”

A spokesman for Mr. Blair said, “Tyrants like Ahmadinejad, and the radical Mullahs who prop him up, understand only one thing: swift, targeted courtesy. And though we were reluctant to overreact to this little dust up, the Iranian leader now knows we mean business.”

The British Prime Minister’s spokesman added, “Our patience is virtually unlimited, but not infinitely unlimited. That’s why Iran blinked. They could see a day coming when the talking would stop, and we would reach into our arsenal of UN resolutions to consider more sanctions.”

Stop...or we shall be forced to say "Stop" again! :-D

Iran teetering on bankruptcy?

We should be so lucky. From the NY Sun:

Iran's civil society is experiencing major breakdowns, the country's reformist press and Web loggers are reporting. Signs of growing economic instability include high inflation, rising prices, food shortages, and long lines at gas stations. (With the exception of the latter, it sounds an awful lot like Hugo Chavez' "worker's paradise", doesn't it? - Ed.)
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The January 20 edition of the Iranian reformist daily Rooz included an interview with an economist, Saeed Leilaz. " Iran is on the verge of economic collapse," he said. "A large portion of the economic turn for the worse is due to Ahmadinejad's policies and management style … [which] have prompted many to publicly criticize [him]. … The administration has increased government expenditures so much that we will face an enormous budget deficit in the coming year."

Mr. Leilaz also said Iran's deep economic crisis could "ultimately lead to the disintegration of the government."

Maybe we'll get lucky and see Ahmanutjob tossed out on his tuchus before Israel has to bomb their nuke facilities.

"Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq"

File this under "About damned time!" From the Washington comPost:

The Bush administration has authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq as part of an aggressive new strategy to weaken Tehran's influence across the Middle East and compel it to give up its nuclear program, according to government and counterterrorism officials with direct knowledge of the effort.

For more than a year, U.S. forces in Iraq have secretly detained dozens of suspected Iranian agents, holding them for three to four days at a time. The "catch and release" policy was designed to avoid escalating tensions with Iran and yet intimidate its emissaries. U.S. forces collected DNA samples from some of the Iranians without their knowledge, subjected others to retina scans, and fingerprinted and photographed all of them before letting them go.

WTF? "Avoid escalating tensions with Iran"? Pardon my French here, but what kind of pansy-ass shizit is that? Yeah, let's not piss off a country that (a) wants to nuke us and (b) is killing our soldiers on the battlefield! No damned wonder Americans think we're losing the war in Iraq!

Continuing:

Last summer, however, senior administration officials decided that a more confrontational approach was necessary, as Iran's regional influence grew and U.S. efforts to isolate Tehran appeared to be failing. The country's nuclear work was advancing, U.S. allies were resisting robust sanctions against the Tehran government, and Iran was aggravating sectarian violence in Iraq.

"There were no costs for the Iranians," said one senior administration official. "They are hurting our mission in Iraq, and we were bending over backwards not to fight back."

With stupid-ass p#ssy policies like THAT, it's obvious that politicians, not soldiers, are bungling the war! Need further proof of that? Here it is:

The wide-ranging plan has several influential skeptics in the intelligence community, at the State Department and at the Defense Department who said that they worry it could push the growing conflict between Tehran and Washington into the center of a chaotic Iraq war.
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Advocates of the new policy -- some of whom are in the NSC, the vice president's office, the Pentagon and the State Department -- said that only direct and aggressive efforts can shatter Iran's growing influence. A less confident Iran, with fewer cards, may be more willing to cut the kind of deal the Bush administration is hoping for on its nuclear program. "The Iranians respond to the international community only when they are under pressure, not when they are feeling strong," one official said.

If our gutless and shameless politicians really "support the troops", how about stop playing footsies with maniacal dictators who are trying to get our brave ones killed and let the soldiers do their damned jobs?