US: Strong signs Iran is giving Syria weapons

[IDemo]

By JULIE PACE, Associated Press – 19 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Obama administration official says a recent visit by the commander of Iran's elite Quds force to Damascus is the strongest sign yet that Iran is supplying weapons to aid Bashar Assad's crackdown on the Syrian people.

The U.S. has long said Iran is helping drive the deadly crackdown on dissent in Syria. But the official says the visit by Quds Force Commander Ghassem Soleimani provides a concrete example of direct high-level cooperation between Iran and Syria.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly.

Iran is one of the few international allies that Syria has left after its nearly year-long crackdown.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iYjwOj9rZmmKM3PicEopHC-gI_TQ?docId=8402673c9b8449a1977ff2a2ff3cdff8

[arcane1]

1. Perhaps the U.S. should explain its own presence in Syria

before we go around criticizing other countries for involvement.

Just a thought.

[TheWraith]

2. If we HAD a "presence in Syria," that statement might make sense.

As it is, it's just a knee-jerk attempt to somehow blame the US for being the supervillain of the entire world.

[Arctic Dave]

8. There are no travel restriction for Syria.

Many US citizens go back and forth regularly.

[Posteritatis]

11. That too, yeah. It's support, but in a subtler way

High level visits are a statement, the training or passage of information they suggest are also a statement, and either is much easier to get away with politically or otherwise than a convoy full of small arms.

[MinervaX]

4. Hey, it's a twofer

Two wars for the price of one. Obama is trying to consolidate government functions after all.

[earthside]

5. Guess the U.S. better attack Iran.

This is exactly the kind of propaganda that one would expect in order to justify a strike on Iran.

Will we be every sorry if the U.S. or Israel or Saudi Arabia or all three do such a foolish thing.

[msongs]

6. the world's biggest bully and arms merchant is protesting again? nt

[Mnemosyne]

7. Bound and determined, aren't they? Assholes n/t

[yurbud]

9. so what? Who do we give weapons to and how many?

[Posteritatis]

10. Well, duh; Iran is one of the regional hegemons after all

I know I'm supposed to be all outraged and everything, or conversely to believe the claims are themselves an American ploy, but pretty much everyone in the region gets their realpolitik on pretty hard at the best of times. Add to that that most of the (remaining) regimes in the area are either scarred by past uprisings or worrying about the current ones being exported, and yeah.

(Which isn't to say that I'd be thrilled to see both countries' populations turf their current governments..)

[KamaAina]

12. Assuming this is true, why are we just finding out about it now?

How convenient.