From the Washington Times: Casey cites Iran hand in attacks by Iraqi Shi'ites.
The top U.S. commander in Iraq said yesterday [June 22] that covert Iranian troops are training brethren Iraqi Shi'ites on how to attack U.S. and coalition troops.The disclosure by Army Gen. George Casey is the most pointed Pentagon criticism of Iran's militant regime, which is embroiled in a debate with the United States because Washington demands an end to Tehran's uranium enrichment.
From The Wall Street Journal: Khobar Towers by Louis J. Freeh.
Ten years ago today [June 25], acting under direct orders from senior Iranian government leaders, the Saudi Hezbollah detonated a 25,000-pound TNT bomb that killed 19 U.S. airmen in their dormitory at Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The blast wave destroyed Building 131 and grievously wounded hundreds of additional Air Force personnel. It also killed an unknown number of Saudi civilians in a nearby park.The 19 Americans murdered were members of the 4,404th Wing, who were risking their lives to enforce the no-fly zone over southern Iraq. This was a U.N.-mandated mission after the 1991 Gulf War to stop Saddam Hussein from killing his Shiite people. The Khobar victims, along with the courageous families and friends who mourn them this weekend in Washington, deserve our respect and honor. More importantly, they must be remembered, because American justice has still been denied. ...
The Khobar bombing case eventually led to indictments in 2001, thanks to the personal leadership of President George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice. But justice has been a long time coming. Only so much can be done, after all, with arrest warrants and judicial process. Bin Laden and his two separate pre-9/11 arrest warrants are a case in point.
Still, many stones remain unturned. It remains to be seen whether the Khobar case and its fugitives will make it onto the list of America's demands in "talks" with the Iranians. Or will we ultimately ignore justice and buy a separate peace with our enemy?
From CNN in May 2003: Iran responsible for 1983 Marine barracks bombing, judge rules.
Iran is responsible for the 1983 suicide bombing of a U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, that killed 241 American servicemen, a U.S. District Court judge ruled Friday.U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth said the suicide truck bombing was carried out by the group Hezbollah with the approval and funding of Iran's senior government officials.
And here is the Wikipedia entry for the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.
Meanwhile, from CNN: No quick Iranian reply on nuclear offer.
Iran and the world's leading industrialized democracies staked out conflicting positions Thursday on when Tehran should respond to a U.N. proposal concerning the country's nuclear program.The Western powers said Thursday they expected Iran's response to come by Wednesday, when the European Union's foreign minister, Javier Solana, and Iran's nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, meet, The Associated Press reported.
But hours after that announcement, Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, said Tehran would not complete its review of the U.N. offer until August.
Mottaki's comments are in line with those made earlier by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who said he did not plan to respond to the U.N. proposal until August 22.
The title for this cartoon comes from a headline by Robert Tracinski in TIA Daily.
UPDATE -- July 5: From Real Clear Politics: Independence Day's Lessons for the Conflict with Iran by Robert Tracinski.
One day before the July 5 deadline for Iran to say yes or no on whether it will halt its drive toward a nuclear bomb, Americans will celebrate the 230th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence--just in time to remind us of some crucial lessons for our nation's confrontation with Iran.Posted by Forkum at June 29, 2006 05:14 PM
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