More News from the Iranian Front

Here's a bit more information which might enlighten as to the motives of the Iranian sleeper cells uncovered in Kuwait:

On November 20, 2006, the Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai reported: "An extremist Iranian group is threatening to carry out suicide operations in the Gulf countries that are allies of the U.S., in the event that the U.S. uses its own bases in these countries to attack Iran." [3]

The paper quoted the commander of the Kataeb Al-Istishhadiyeen (Martyrdom Brigades) organization, Firooz Rajai, [4] as saying: "If the [U.S.] bases in the [Gulf] countries are used by the American forces as a point of departure for an attack [on Iran], these [countries] should not expect to enjoy security while we [Iran] have none." She added: "If some of the [Arab Gulf] countries provide America with bases or camps for them to use for conducting an attack against Iran, is it logical for them to expect security?"

The report also said: "Rajai further clarified that the Martyrdom Brigades, which was founded in 2002, currently included 56 volunteer suicide bombers, and was independent and unconnected to the [Iranian] government or the IRGC.

"She said that she had been one of the students who took over the U.S. Embassy [in 1980] after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and that she would be willing to do it again were [the Embassy] to reopen."

Rajai has been in the Iranian media a number of times, as leader of an Iranian organization of volunteers who have registered to carry out suicide operations against American targets and interests in the region:

· On May 27, 2004, the reformist daily Sharq reported that Rajai-Far was an activist for a local Iranian organization called Hizbullah, and quoted her as saying that "martyrdom operations are the only option to expel the Americans and British from Iraq." [5]

· On June 5, 2004, Sharq reported that Rajai-Far had been one of the organizers of a conference for signing up volunteers for suicide operations against American targets in Iraq and against Israel. The report also said that she had been among the "students who support the line of Imam Khomeini" in their occupation of the U.S. Embassy.

Sharq also quoted Rajai-Far as saying, "The violence of martyrdom operations is the same as the violence of the war, and there is no escape from [this violence]. Although the target of the [martyrdom] operation is military, civilians may also be killed - and this is exactly what the Americans do. When civilians are killed in their [the Americans'] attacks, they blame the inaccuracy of their weapons, and act innocent." [6]

Iranian General Yahya Rahim Safavi gave a recent press interview which sounds about 2 parts bluster, 1 part information:

"If the Zionist Regime or the Americans Make Problems For Us and Organize Attacks Against Us..."

"As I pointed out, starting a war with another country or attacking it is currently not part of our plans or strategy. But if the Zionist regime or the Americans make problems for us and organize attacks against us... The Zionist regime is about 1,300 kilometers from our centers. If we have a missile range of 2,000 kilometers, it is only natural that a distance of 1,300 kilometers is within this range.

"I'd like to say something else. If the Zionist regime was defeated by a group of Hizbullah in Lebanon... After all, Hizbullah is a small group in Lebanon, which defeated the Israeli army in this 33-day war. How can Israel withstand a great nation that numbers 70 million, 90 percent of which are Shiites? As for the IRGC and the Basij - we have 10 million Basij members and strong Revolutionary Guards. There is no comparison."

"We Will Respond to Any Invading Power with a Force That They Cannot Even Imagine"

"Therefore, I do not believe that the Zionists would even dream of threatening us. If they do, they will face the greatest danger to their very existence. I say again: We are interested in peace and quiet in the Middle East. We have no policy of attacking [anyone], but we will respond to any invading power with a force that they cannot even imagine. Neither the Americans nor the Zionists know what complex, precise, and intelligence-based plans we have designed in order to defend our country and to deal with their possible attacks."

This seems like a bit of misdirection. The Iranian missiles deployed to Lebanon and fired against Israel weren't very effective, and topping these with nuclear warheads likely wouldn't result in successful attacks if Israel has missile defense systems (one presumes they do). I'd much enjoy the spectacle of Iranians raining nukes down on themselves, but I suspect this is a magician's sleight of hand to get our intelligence folks focused on missiles and not on other things the Iranians prefer we don't see.

And for those of you who might wonder whether we're really at war with Iran, you might want to ask why the Iranians are showing what they claim to be captured American and British soldiers on state television.

Maybe they're just doing some prep for the regional Iraqi Support Group Jimmy Baker's trying to stand up.