Thu, February 15, 2007
Iran arms source: Bush
UPDATED: 2007-02-15 02:13:27 MST
By AP
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President George W. Bush said yesterday there is no doubt the Iranian government is providing armour-piercing weapons to kill American soldiers in Iraq -- but he backed away from claims the top echelon of Iran's government was responsible.
Iran was a dominant theme at Bush's news conference yesterday because of conflicting statements about U.S. intelligence in Iran and speculation that Bush is looking for an excuse to attack the Islamic republic, which is believed to be seeking nuclear weapons.
Defending U.S. intelligence that has pinpointed Iran as a hostile arms supplier in Iraq, Bush said, "Does this mean you're trying to have a pretext for war? No. It means I'm trying to protect our troops."
MIXED SIGNALS
There have been mixed signals in the Bush administration about Iran's involvement in supplying Shiite groups in Iraq with a particularly lethal type of roadside bombs known as explosively formed penetrators (EFPs).
Three U.S. military officials said at a weekend briefing in Baghdad that the highest levels of the Iranian government had ordered the weapons smuggled into Iraq. They based their claim on the belief the weapons are moving into Iraq through Iran's Revolutionary Guards elite Quds Force.
TOP LEADERS
Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said later he was not ready to conclude that Iran's top leaders were behind the attacks. Some lawmakers also have questioned the statements.
Bush said yesterday the Quds Force was instrumental in supplying the weapons -- "we know that" -- and that the Quds Force was part of the Iranian government.
"Whether (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad ordered the Quds Force to do this, I don't think we know," Bush said. "But we do know that they're there and I intend to do something about it. And I've asked our commanders to do something about it. And we're going to protect our troops."
Waffles anyone?
Iran arms source: Bush
UPDATED: 2007-02-15 02:13:27 MST
By AP
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President George W. Bush said yesterday there is no doubt the Iranian government is providing armour-piercing weapons to kill American soldiers in Iraq -- but he backed away from claims the top echelon of Iran's government was responsible.
Iran was a dominant theme at Bush's news conference yesterday because of conflicting statements about U.S. intelligence in Iran and speculation that Bush is looking for an excuse to attack the Islamic republic, which is believed to be seeking nuclear weapons.
Defending U.S. intelligence that has pinpointed Iran as a hostile arms supplier in Iraq, Bush said, "Does this mean you're trying to have a pretext for war? No. It means I'm trying to protect our troops."
MIXED SIGNALS
There have been mixed signals in the Bush administration about Iran's involvement in supplying Shiite groups in Iraq with a particularly lethal type of roadside bombs known as explosively formed penetrators (EFPs).
Three U.S. military officials said at a weekend briefing in Baghdad that the highest levels of the Iranian government had ordered the weapons smuggled into Iraq. They based their claim on the belief the weapons are moving into Iraq through Iran's Revolutionary Guards elite Quds Force.
TOP LEADERS
Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said later he was not ready to conclude that Iran's top leaders were behind the attacks. Some lawmakers also have questioned the statements.
Bush said yesterday the Quds Force was instrumental in supplying the weapons -- "we know that" -- and that the Quds Force was part of the Iranian government.
"Whether (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad ordered the Quds Force to do this, I don't think we know," Bush said. "But we do know that they're there and I intend to do something about it. And I've asked our commanders to do something about it. And we're going to protect our troops."
Waffles anyone?