Iran denies sending arms to Iraq

[sabra]

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?StoryId=CqVL7WeidAxjHBI1PCMfXyxjTCW

Iran denies sending arms to Iraq

TEHRAN, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Iran Wednesday denied U.S. accusations that it was exporting arms to Iraq and interfering in Baghdad's domestic affairs, the Iranian News Agency said.

The news agency quoted unidentified Foreign Ministry officials as strongly rejecting the allegations, saying they were "untrue."

The officials denied "any Iranian interference in Iraq's internal affairs," stressing that "Iran is seeking to restore security and stability to Iraq because Iraqi security means security for Iran."

[Bob3]

1. And why would Iran send arms to Iraq

It doesn't make any sense - according to most reports the main area of conflict are the Sunni areas of Iraq. The provisional government of Iraq is Shia heavy which suits Iran just fine. Why would they send arms to Iraq to be used to attack that provisional government - one that has said they wish closer ties with Iran? It would be stupid and unlike us, the Iranians are not stupid. Hell they look to be the long term winners here. Saddam gone, the entire region radicalized, it's all good as far as Iran is concerned.

[cthrumatrix]

2. Rummy is deeply disturbed you would attack his opinion

clearly, you must hate amerika and our pravda ...i mean media

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. A major mistake by Iran

not the arms, but the denial.

Now, the DOD can say
a) They supply all the rebels
b) They lie about it
c) they are untrustworthy (besides, they are arabs)
d) they have nukes

Of course, ask any red state guy about the difference between a persian and an arab, and you get asked which sport do they play?

Iraq is doing too well with contracts, connections and legit activities with Iraq (much better than Rice, Bremer, Negroponte or anyone else has done from our side) They do not want to risk a prosperous future.

[plasticsundance]

5. Wasn't Persia the birthplace for the game of chess?

antifaschits,

I think Iran already knows that Washington will say all the following anyways:

"Now, the DOD can say
a) They supply all the rebels
b) They lie about it
c) they are untrustworthy (besides, they are arabs)
d) they have nukes"


Iran also knows, as do we, Washington still has egg on its face over the WMD debacle in Iraq. Iran also knows the US military is seriously hampered inside Iraq. Iran will not back down from the US threats, and it already knows the cards Washington is willing to play. The unknown factor is a comprehensive understanding of Iran's defensive capabilities and strategies in the event of an onslaught upon them by the US.

The problem for the US under this current criminal Administration, they only think with force; therefore, all their moves are already telegraphed to the other players in advance.

[ozymandius]

8. point of contention

Iranians are not Arabs. They are Persians. Quite a difference. I understand the sarcasm in your remarks though and I find myself in agreement with them.

It seems that we are hearing the same line of rhetoric put up for sale as that about Iraq when it was touted as "the greatest threat to American security" (Rumsfeld quipped before a Senate committee in the runup to war).

[plasticsundance]

11. I was not equating Arabs with Persians

I often have to dispel people of this cultural error myself. Rather, it seems, I am uninformed about who actually invented chess.

I read a quick article to fact check my claim, and perhaps, according to this gentleman, we might both be wrong.

The Origin of Chess

[Theduckno2]

7. I agree a major mistake, but could the story be a plant?

Unidentified ministers? After their forceful declarations regarding their nuclear program, then to anonymously reply to this?
Besides what would Iran gain by supplying Sunni insurgents?

[evermind]

9. It would have been better to say "Yes! We're arming terrorists in Iraq!" ?

In any case, supply of arms by the Iranian gov. is one thing, a supply network of private individuals passing through Iran is another. The latter is far more likely, I'd have thought.

[leftchick]

4. they just replayed rummy saying this horseshit on CNN

Good Lord if even one american believes this crap I would be amazed. Hellooo rummy! Remember all of the ammunition sites YOU left to be LOOTED by average Iraqis?? Hundreds of TONS of High Explosives gone missing? They don't need no stinkin Iranian arms.

[SillyGoose]

6. That's what I'm wondering...

does this have anything to do with the tons of ammunition and explosives that were looted? There's never any mention of that anymore.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

10. out of sight, out of mind.

which is precisely how the administration treats the American people.

If they ignore the missing weapons, then they no longer exist.

If you ignore Osama bin Missing, then he is no longer a threat.

[Supersedeas]

12. Who is more credible? Iran or Rummi?

[Lecky]

21. LOL that's a good question

Rummi lied his ass off (and is still lying) about Iraq, what makes anyone think he's telling the truth about Iran?

[Moderator]

13. kick

[NNN0LHI]

14. Iran rejects US claims on Iraq arms smuggling

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayArticle.asp?col=§ion=middleeast&xfile=data/middleeast/2005/August/middleeast_August289.xml

TEHRAN - Iran on Wednesday rejected claims by US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that Iranian arms were being smuggled across the border into Iraq.

“With such contradictory declarations, Rumsfeld is trying to cover the US mistakes in Iraq,” foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said, according to the official IRNA news agency.

“The American leaders are under pressure from the international and regional public and the Iraqi Muslim people and to justify their failings they invent a ficticious enemy,” he charged.

[SteppingRazor]

15. Of course they denied it.

What're they gonna do? Admit it? Isn't that tantamount to holding up a sign reading "INVADE US"?

and even if it wasn't, what country would actually admit it and say, "Yes, yes. It's true. We sent bombs to terrorists."

Jeez. Talk about stating the obvious.

[Old and In the Way]

16. You see how this works.

(1) Invade country #1
(2) Adjacent country #2 accused of helping country #1
(3) Invade country #2
(4) Adjacent country #3 accused of helping country #2
(5) Invade country #3

ad infinatum..........

[The_Casual_Observer]

17. dumsfeld's claims were fraudulent on their face.

He offered not a shred of evidence or proof of any kind in making that serious charge. Jesus, it's getting so easy for them to practically make declarations of war on a daily basis. Doesn't this shit concern anybody?

[NNN0LHI]

18. They know they don't need evidence

They realized during the run-up to the Iraq invasion that the knuckledraggers will believe anything they are told.

Don

[Barrett808]

19. Iraqi: Iran Smuggling Reports Exaggerated

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's interior minister said Wednesday that reports of deadly roadside bombs being smuggled into this country from Iran are exaggerated.

On Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said some insurgent weapons are entering Iraq from Iran although it's unclear whether they were coming from elements of the Iranian government or from other parties.

Interior Minister Bayan Jabr told reporters that Iraqi security forces recently opened fire on a group of men carrying boxes near the Iranian border. The men dropped the boxes and fled back into Iranian territory. Inside the boxes were dynamite sticks with some wires.

"This is all that happened at the border and was very much exaggerated," Jabr said.

Appearing before parliament, Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari dodged questions about the use of Iranian weapons by the insurgents. Al-Jaafari, who spent years in exile in Iran, referred questions to the interior and defense ministries.

Al-Jaafari was responding to a question by a Shiite Muslim legislator, Hussein al-Sadr, about U.S. allegations that weapons were coming in from Iran.

"Concerning me, I don't comment on reports especially if they are coming from abroad," al-Jaafari said. "It should not be that someone says something and we sit here and open a conversation about it. We have our own sources."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050810/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_iran

[Moderator]

20. kick