So we're allowed to kidnap people but Iran isn't...

Donkey® · 04-13-2007, 11:37 PM

U.S. Decides Against Freeing 5 Iranian Agents - washingtonpost.com

Originally Posted by article

U.S. Decides Against Freeing 5 Iranian Agents
Administration Resists Tehran's Pressure, State Department Recommendation

By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2007; Page A12

After intense internal debate, the Bush administration has decided to hold on to five Iranian Revolutionary Guard intelligence agents captured in Iraq, overruling a State Department recommendation to release them, according to U.S. officials.

At a meeting of the president's foreign policy team Tuesday, the administration decided the five Iranians will remain in custody and go through a periodic six-month review used for the 250 other foreign detainees held in Iraq, U.S. officials said. The next review is not expected until July, officials say.

The five, seized in a Jan. 11 raid by U.S. forces in the Kurdish city of Irbil, are at the center of increasing tensions between Washington and Tehran. The decision is certain to further irritate Tehran, which has ratcheted up pressure on the United States and on its allies and even its friends in the Iraqi government to win freedom for the Irbil five.

The decision came as Iraq's government spokesman, on a White House visit Friday, urged better ties. "We feel that the improvement and the better relations between the United States and Iran could minimize -- could make the [Iranian] interference less," Ali Dabbagh said in a news briefing with White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.

Differences over the five Iranians reflect an emerging divide on how to deal with Iran. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice went into the meeting Tuesday advising that the men be freed because they are no longer useful, but after a review of options she went along with the consensus, U.S. officials say. Vice President Cheney's office made the firmest case for keeping them. Their capture signals that Iran's actions are monitored and that Iranian operatives face seizure.

The administration has expressed concern about Tehran's role in Iraq. Iran has long aided Shiite militias but more recently has also armed some Sunni militias, officials say. Officials also allege that Iran has provided roadside explosives that have killed U.S. troops. But Washington needs Iran's cooperation to stabilize Iraq.

Since the capture, Iran has threatened not to attend a key meeting in Egypt next month of Iraq's neighbors -- as well as the United States and international groups involved in Iraq -- that Washington hopes will foster cooperation on Iraq. Without Iran, which exerts great influence in Iraq, the meeting could have only a marginal impact, according to Iraqi officials and Middle East experts.

When the Iraqi government did not obtain release of the five detainees, Iran refused to allow a plane carrying Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to fly over Iran en route to Japan last week. Iran has also been pressing the detainees' case at the United Nations.

Some U.S. officials now say the seizure of 15 British sailors last month by the Revolutionary Guard may have been part of an effort to pressure Washington through Britain, its close ally and the second-largest troop contributor in Iraq. One reason Washington does not want to free the Iranians is to avoid the appearance of a deal to win the 15 Britons freedom last week, U.S. officials acknowledged.

The January raid on Iran's liaison office in Irbil was the second by U.S. troops. In December, U.S. troops in Baghdad nabbed Brig. Gen. Mohsen Chirazi, the No. 3 official in the Revolutionary Guard's elite Quds Force, and Col. Abu Amad Davari. They were soon released under Iraqi government pressure.

In January, the United States again targeted two high-ranking Iranians, including Gen. Minojahar Frouzanda, the Revolutionary Guard intelligence chief, and Mohammed Jafari, deputy head of Iran's National Security Council, U.S. officials say. They eluded capture.

The United States is invoking Iraqi law as well as U.N. Security Council resolutions 1546, 1637 and 1723 authorizing the U.S.-led coalition operating in Iraq as grounds to detain the Iranians. The U.N. resolutions allow the multinational force to take steps to protect itself.

The Irbil five are members of the elite Quds Force, an arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps charged with Iran's clandestine foreign operations. The Quds Force has ties to the Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant groups as well as to Iraqi political movements that the United States has supported.

The administration's decision comes at an awkward time. Washington is about to send a fourth message to Iran asking for information on the whereabouts of former FBI agent Robert A. Levinson, who has been missing since he flew to Iran's Kish Island five weeks ago. The Financial Times and Reuters reported Friday that Levinson may have met on Kish Island with Daoud Salahuddin, a convert to Islam once known as David Belfield who is still wanted by the FBI for the 1980 murder in Bethesda of Iranian dissident Ali Tabatabai.

So the Iraqi government allows the Iranians to have an official government mission in Iraq and invites various Iranian dignitaries, officials, politicans to help build a relationship with it's neighbor...and we decide it is a good idea to continually raid this place and kidnap the people there? Then, people here and in our government have the fucking nerve to pitch a fit when the Iranians strike back against the British soldiers who could have easily violated Iranian waters to begin with? I wish some of you guys could really understand how pathetic this is.

JaJae · 04-14-2007, 12:26 AM

How can you compare capturing Iranian militants who were clearly on Iraqi soil to the kidnapping of British sailors? The US has UN Resolutions which allow it to detain these Iranian soldiers. Iran had no right to swoop down in Iraqi waters and kidnap their sailors.

Donkey® · 04-14-2007, 07:45 AM

Originally Posted by JaJae

How can you compare capturing Iranian militants who were clearly on Iraqi soil to the kidnapping of British sailors? The US has UN Resolutions which allow it to detain these Iranian soldiers. Iran had no right to swoop down in Iraqi waters and kidnap their sailors.

1: Iraq INVITED the Iranians to THEIR country.
2: Iran stated that the British entered their waters at some point.

Let's try to keep the facts straight.

7960 · 04-14-2007, 04:08 PM

Originally Posted by Donkey®

2: Iran stated that the British entered their waters at some point.

Let's try to keep the facts straight.

Actually at first iran stated that they entered iraqi waters to capture the uk soldiers...if you want to keep facts straight, please get them right.

RMNIXON · 04-14-2007, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by JaJae

How can you compare capturing Iranian militants who were clearly on Iraqi soil to the kidnapping of British sailors? The US has UN Resolutions which allow it to detain these Iranian soldiers. Iran had no right to swoop down in Iraqi waters and kidnap their sailors.

Iran was just looking out for "Peace" in Iraq....

JaJae · 04-14-2007, 04:24 PM

Weren't those 5 Iranian guys involved in selling and training insurgents on how to use explosives in Iraq? I'm pretty sure they were and that's why they were detained. Unlike the British sailors who were just doing routine inspections in Iraqi water.

ballz2wallz · 04-14-2007, 06:58 PM

Is this a joke?

Donkey® · 04-14-2007, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by JaJae

Weren't those 5 Iranian guys involved in selling and training insurgents on how to use explosives in Iraq? I'm pretty sure they were and that's why they were detained. Unlike the British sailors who were just doing routine inspections in Iraqi water.

Oh they were? Proof of your accusations?

Donkey® · 04-14-2007, 07:00 PM

Originally Posted by 7960

Actually at first iran stated that they entered iraqi waters to capture the uk soldiers...if you want to keep facts straight, please get them right.

AT FIRST and they edited their statements. Next?

ballz2wallz · 04-14-2007, 07:00 PM

The fact that you're comparing Iranians fighting against us in Iraq against a couple Brits floating in dinghies in the ocean is laughable.

Donkey® · 04-14-2007, 07:04 PM

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

The fact that you're comparing Iranians fighting against us in Iraq against a couple Brits floating in dinghies in the ocean is laughable.

Proof the Iranians detained were "fighting against us?"

ballz2wallz · 04-14-2007, 07:06 PM

Originally Posted by Donkey®

Proof the Iranians detained were "fighting against us?"

Proof they weren't?

Two can play this idiotic game.

Donkey® · 04-14-2007, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

Proof they weren't?

Two can play this idiotic game.

It isn't up to me to prove a negative and you know this. If the US detained someone it is up to them to PROVE these people actually did something.

ballz2wallz · 04-14-2007, 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by Donkey®

It isn't up to me to prove a negative and you know this. If the US detained someone it is up to them to PROVE these people actually did something.

Shoot em an email and ask them politely.

You know full well that you can't ask people like us to prove shit like this. Don't be silly.

Donkey® · 04-14-2007, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

Shoot em an email and ask them politely.

You know full well that you can't ask people like us to prove shit like this. Don't be silly.

You're just making wild speculation then...and it's funny how "people like you" can say "they were helping Iraqis fight against us." I love how that works. You do know they were INVITED BY THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT...and were in a political mission when kidnapped? The Iraqi government wasn't fighting us last time I checked.

ballz2wallz · 04-14-2007, 07:16 PM

Originally Posted by Donkey®

You're just making wild speculation then...and it's funny how "people like you" can say "they were helping Iraqis fight against us." I love how that works. You do know they were INVITED BY THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT...and were in a political mission when kidnapped? The Iraqi government wasn't fighting us last time I checked.

Wow, sounds like you know tons then. Why couldn't you prove me wrong? You seem to know so much about it.

How are you privy to all sorts of information we aren't?

Besides, this alone is a good reason to hold them:'

Originally Posted by article

The Irbil five are members of the elite Quds Force, an arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps charged with Iran's clandestine foreign operations. The Quds Force has ties to the Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant groups as well as to Iraqi political movements that the United States has supported.

These guys are more involved in terrorist operations than those Brits for sure

Why do you try so hard to defend Iran and attack the US?

Donkey® · 04-14-2007, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

Wow, sounds like you know tons then. Why couldn't you prove me wrong? You seem to know so much about it.

How are you privy to all sorts of information we aren't?

It's widely available on the web. Feel free to peruse at your own leisure.

ballz2wallz · 04-14-2007, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by Donkey®

It's widely available on the web. Feel free to peruse at your own leisure.

That's not my job, is it? You made the claim, you post it.

Donkey® · 04-14-2007, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

That's not my job, is it? You made the claim, you post it.

Read the story above? IF that's too hard...

Originally Posted by article

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi officials said Thursday that the U.S.-led multinational forces detained five Iranians in an overnight raid on Tehran’s diplomatic mission in the northern city of Irbil.

The forces stormed the building at about 3 a.m., detaining the five staffers and confiscating computers and documents, two senior local Kurdish officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

Irbil is a city in the Kurdish-controlled north, 220 miles from Baghdad.