Slowing the Pace

For some time, I've been worrying that the US was on a too-quick collision course with Iran. The IAEA and United Nations have agreed that Iran's nuclear program is worrisome and Iran is now under international sanction. Yet, it continues to insist that it will continue its nuclear program.

Iran, of course, says its nuclear program is solely for energy purposes, which would be completely legal.

Back to my worries. In the past week, members of the US military have held an off-the-record briefing that accused Iran of supplying Iraqi militants with particularly dangerous explosive devices. The bombs are armor-piercing, even capable of penetrating an Abrams M1 tank.

President Bush seems to be convinced that top authorities in Iran are responsible. Today, he said the following at his news conference.:

we know they're there, we know they're provided by the Quds force. We know the Quds force is a part of the Iranian government. I don't think we know who picked up the phone and said to the Quds force, go do this, but we know it's a vital part of the Iranian government.

However, General Peter Pace, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, isn't yet convinced by the intelligence:

"We know that the explosively formed projectiles are manufactured in Iran," Gen Pace said while visiting Australia.

"But I would not say by what I know that the Iranian government clearly knows or is complicit."

The White House is trying to make it seem as if the military and politicians are on the same page. Bush again:

What we don't know is whether or not the head leaders of Iran ordered the Quds force to do what they did.

Hmmm, didn't we just learn that civilian leaders in the Pentagon promoted Iraqi threats than were not consistent with the consensus of the intelligence community?


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