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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iranian Moolahs Toss Nuke Keys Over to Army (IRGC) |
| 2005-10-05 |
| Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has placed the military firmly in control of his nation's nuclear program, undercutting his government's claim that the program is intended for civilian use, according to a leading opposition group. Leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the force created specifically to defend the 1979 Islamic revolution, now dominate Iran's Supreme National Security Council, the country's top foreign policy-making body under the constitution. Mr. Ahmadinejad, a little-known former mayor of Tehran before his surprise election in July, is a former IRGC commander, as is new council Secretary-General Ali Larijani, who has taken the lead in negotiations about Iran's nuclear programs. Revolutionary Guard commanders also have taken charge of the council's internal security, strategy and political posts, according to a report issued by the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran. A Revolutionary Guard veteran even serves as the council's press spokesman. "The military under the new president is firmly in control of the nuclear program and the nuclear negotiations with the United Nations and the West," said Mohammad Mohaddessin, chairman of the NCRI's foreign affairs committee, in a telephone interview yesterday. |
| Posted by:Captain America |
| #6 Or by pushing against an ineffectual and squeamish west, the Iranian theocrats will have nuclear warheads and long range missiles, threaten the west with anhilation, dominate the Persian Gulf, control the energy jugular and severely damage the west economically. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-10-05 14:37 |
| #5 This is starting to look like the classical tragedy in which the protagonists destroy themselves through a combinatiion of ignorance and hubris. The best result for the average Iranian would be that in which only the elite is vaporized. The worst would be the country's economy and population returned to 7th century levels to match their society. |
| Posted by: RWV 2005-10-05 14:31 |
| #4 If the Revolutionary Guard is the real power in Iran anyway, maybe this is just a way of making sure the mullahs know their place. |
| Posted by: James 2005-10-05 13:30 |
| #3 Iran is enigmatic. I would not be surprised if the senior eschelons of the military were still heavily influenced by Zoroastrians, who traditionally were the upper classes in Iran. Only a real Iran expert could make heads or tails out of this situation, and what its ramifications are. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-10-05 11:34 |
| #2 It was an Spokeman-General for the Iranian RGC this past September that reportedly argued that America, as sampled by KATRINA-GATE, can be turned from a unified nation into local "war/battle zones", which suits pro-revolution/anarchy Mother "Commie Fascist Amerikans must take back Fascist Amerika by force" Sheehan and the Commie Airborne just dandy. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2005-10-05 04:24 |
| #1 The IRGC pass the looks like a terrorist, walks like a terrorists, quacks like a terrorists identity test so this is bad. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2005-10-05 02:27 |