Clinton: Iran becoming military dictatorship

jamadari · 2010-02-16T00:02:37+00:00

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday Iran is sliding into a military dictatorship, a new assessment suggesting a rockier road ahead for U.S.-led efforts to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. As the first high-level Obama administration official to make such an accusation, Clinton was reflecting an ever-dimming outlook for persuading Iran to negotiate limits on its nuclear program, which it has insisted is intended only for peaceful purposes. The U.S. and others - including the two Gulf countries Clinton visited Sunday and Monday - believe Iran is headed for a nuclear bomb capability. Clinton also was revealing the logic of the administration's plan to target the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with a new round of international sanctions intended to compel Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions before it increases the likelihood of a military clash. Aftetr lunch with the King Clinton flew to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, and then was driven in King Abdullah's private bus about 65 miles northeast to Rawdat Khurayim, a secluded royal hunting retreat where the vacationing king hosted her for lunch - and where a large-screen TV was on. Afterward they met privately in his elaborately appointed tent, which includes five crystal chandeliers in the reception room. Clinton also met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal in Riyadh and later was flying to Jeddah on the Red Sea coast. Earlier in the day, in Doha, Qatar, Clinton spoke bluntly about Iranian behavior and what she called the Obama administration's view of Iran as increasingly dominated by the Revolutionary Guard Corps. Last week the U.S. Treasury Department announced that it was freezing the assets in U.S. jurisdictions of a Revolutionary Guard general and four subsidiaries of a previously penalized construction company he runs because of their alleged involvement in producing and spreading weapons of mass destruction. The Revolutionary Guard has long been a pillar of Iran's regime as a force separate from the ordinary armed forces. The Guard now has a hand in every critical area, including missile development, oil resources, dam building, road construction, telecommunications and nuclear technology. It also has absorbed the paramilitary Basij as a full-fledged part of its command structure - giving the militia greater funding and a stronger presence in Iran's internal politics. The evidence we've seen of this increasing decision-making (by the Revolutionary Guard) cuts across all areas of Iranian security policy, and certainly nuclear policy is at the core of it," Clinton told reporters flying with her from Doha to Saudi Arabia. Asked if the U.S. was planning a military attack on Iran, Clinton said. Seeking support for sanctions The United States is focused on gaining international support for sanctions that will be particularly aimed at those enterprises controlled by the Revolutionary Guard, which we believe is in effect supplanting the government of Iran she said. Meanwhile, a semi-official news agency quoted the head of Iran's nuclear program as saying the country received a new proposal last week from the United States, Russia and France, three of the countries trying to rein in Tehran's uranium enrichment program. Iran said that it was studying the joint proposal purportedly made after the country announced last week it had begun enriching uranium to a higher level than previously acknowledged. The ILNA news agency quoted Ali Akbar Salehi as saying various countries have also offered Iran proposals on a nuclear fuel swap, adding that Iran is reviewing all the proposals. He did not provide any more details. Private U.S. experts on the Iranian regime said they agreed with Clinton's assessment of Iran's drift toward military dominance. Iran is now 'nuclear state' Iran marks revolution with protest crackdown ;When you rely on the power of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to remain in power it is only a matter of time before the regime becomes a paramilitary dictatorship - and it is about time we realize this," Iranian-born Fariborz Ghadar, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in an e-mail to The AP. He said the current regime is beholden to the Revolutionary Guard for its survival. Ray Takeyh, a former administration adviser on Iran who now follows Iranian developments from the private Council on Foreign Relations, said by e-mail.The Revolutionary Guards are increasingly represented in all aspects of governance. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35402650/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

Thread starter jamadari
Start date Feb 16, 2010

jamadari

JF-Expert Member

Feb 16, 2010

Yusomwasha

JamiiForums uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.

Accept Learn more…

Back

Top Bottom

Forums

New posts

Clinton: Iran becoming military dictatorship

jamadari

JF-Expert Member

Yusomwasha

JF-Expert Member

Our Community

Regional Communities

Clinton: Iran becoming military dictatorship