Who sows the wind...

Winner

Diverse in Unity
Joined
Sep 24, 2004
Messages
27,947
Location
Brno -> Czech rep. >>European Union
...

Is Iran becoming more unstable (after the post-election turmoil), or is this just "business as usual"?

Iranian commanders assassinated

Several top commanders in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have been killed in a suicide bombing in the volatile south-east of the country.

Iranian interior ministry said 29 people died in the attack, in the Pishin region of Sistan-Baluchistan, and at least 28 were injured.

Shia and Sunni tribal leaders, who gathered for a meeting with the guards, were among the dead.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said "US action" contributed to the attack.

Iran has previously accused a Sunni resistance group, Jundallah, of terrorist activities in the province.

Sistan-Baluchistan is mainly made up of the Baluchi ethnic group, who belong to the Sunni Muslim minority of Shia-ruled Iran.

"Very soon we will catch the perpetrators of this terrorist action and punish them," a statement on the interior ministry's website said, according to AFP news agency.

One report said there were two bombs - one inside the meeting and one aimed at a convoy of guards just arriving.


'Terrorist' attack

The deputy commander of the Guards' ground force, General Noor Ali Shooshtari, and the Guards' chief provincial commander, Rajab Ali Mohammadzadeh, were among at least six officers killed, state news agency reported.

Mr Larijani, speaking at an open session of parliament which was broadcast live on state radio, said: "We express our condolences for their martyrdom.

"The intention of the terrorists was definitely to disrupt security in Sistan-Baluchistan Province."

"We consider the recent terrorist attack to be the result of US action. This is a sign of America's animosity against our country," Mr Larijani said, quoted by AFP.

"Mr Obama has said he will extend his hand towards Iran, but with this terrorist action he has burned his hand," he said, referring to US President Barack Obama.

Earlier reports on Iranian TV quoted what it called "informed sources" as saying that Britain was directly involved.

The Iranian government has previously accused both countries of supporting the militants.

Sistan-Baluchistan province, which borders both Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been affected by smuggling, drug trafficking, banditry and kidnapping.

Jundallah, also known as the Popular Resistance Movement of Iran, says it is fighting against the political and religious oppression of the country's Sunni minority.

In May, three men were executed for their role in a bombing of a mosque during evening prayers which killed at least 19 people in the south-east city of Zahedan in Sistan-Baluchistan.

The hangings came two days after the attack and the men were in custody on other charges at the time of the bombing.

Revolutionary Guards were among 11 people killed in an attack in 2007 in Zahedan.

Funny how they blame the West - sending suicide bombers, that's what Americans do :lol:
 
I hope nobody here really believes the West had anything to do with it, because that would be just sad... :)

Well, the argument could be made that western involvement in Afghanistan has destabilized that part of Iran.
 
Nnnnnnoooooo... ...just because the West wouldn't do something so useless in such an un-Western way. But the most important reason is that the Iranian regime is obviously just desperately trying to blame the West because it knows it had nothing to do with it. It's most likely some local ethnic/religious issue.

The point here is that the Iranians don't seem to be very amused when it's them who have become the victims of terrorism. Well, perhaps if you didn't support it abroad, y'know...
 
bomb bomb bombombbombbombbomb IRAN

See what I mean?

Nnnnnnoooooo... ...just because the West wouldn't do something so useless in such an un-Western way. But the most important reason is that the Iranian regime is obviously just desperately trying to blame the West because it knows it had nothing to do with it. It's most likely some local ethnic/religious issue.

The point here is that the Iranians don't seem to be very amused when it's them who have become the victims of terrorism. Well, perhaps if you didn't support it abroad, y'know...

The vicious nature of war, indeed.
 
I wouldn't believe the Iranian propaganda, but there is actually strong precedent for accusing the US of meddling in Iran.
 
Hopefully Iran will invade itself in the end.

The west won't have to lift a finger.
 
While accusing the US for the attack may be out of bounds due to lack of evidence, America does keep meddling with Iran. Again. And Again. And Again.
 
"Mr Obama has said he will extend his hand towards Iran, but with this terrorist action he has burned his hand,"

That's such a Middle Eastern-sounding thing to say. :lol:
 
The way I understand it is that the Baluchis perspective is that they will recognise the right of Pakistan and Iran to state that they are part of Pakistan or Iran and represent them internationally, but not to rule over them domestically.

Problem is that every now and then some Pakistani or Iranian generals forgot that they are there with the consent of the Baluchis and actually try to impose central decisions (such as national customs or drug controls).

Everytime this happens, a few get murdered.

It is much the same as in Afghanistan whereby the outlying regions do not really recognise the moral right of the politicians in Kabul to rule them.

What really amazes me is that three great Empires (British, Soviet and American) have simply failed to understand the latter.

The fact is that neither Afghanistan, Iran or Pakistan are unitary or federal states in the way that others more familiar to most of us, France, Germany or Poland, USA are.
 
Nnnnnnoooooo... ...just because the West wouldn't do something so useless in such an un-Western way. But the most important reason is that the Iranian regime is obviously just desperately trying to blame the West because it knows it had nothing to do with it. It's most likely some local ethnic/religious issue.

The point here is that the Iranians don't seem to be very amused when it's them who have become the victims of terrorism. Well, perhaps if you didn't support it abroad, y'know...



What exactly is un-western aboput this? I have no idea if they were involved, but it wouldnt surprise me.
 
What really amazes me is that three great Empires (British, Soviet and American) have simply failed to understand the latter.

The fact is that neither Afghanistan, Iran or Pakistan are unitary or federal states in the way that others more familiar to most of us, France, Germany or Poland, USA are.

I'm pretty sure that is completely understood. I've seen countless articles about it and rebuilding plans take it into account explicitedly.
 
I'm pretty sure that is completely understood. I've seen countless articles about it and rebuilding plans take it into account explicitedly.


Oh yes. I am sure that the people who have been out there, met the people,
studied it and are doing the detailed planning fully understand all that; but the
top level political leadership of those empires certainly acts as if they do not.
 
Everything, and it's obvious. It's amazing how far are some people prepared to go in their trendy antiwesternism.

No, be specific. What exactly is anti-western about this? Is this a specifically Asian assassination or something?
 
Everything, and it's obvious. It's amazing how far are some people prepared to go in their trendy antiwesternism.
When the CIA led the coup against Mossadegh, the first thing they did was hire armed mobs to shout "Long live Mossadegh and Communism!" while attack people on the streets. That's pretty unwestern, but it still happened. Then, when top commanders wouldn't cooperate with the coup, they were removed from power too (through secret executions or simple "disappearance").

I mean, I'm not saying that ZOMG, IT'S THE FAULT OF THE US!! I HATE AMERICA but, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if the US had something to do with it. After all, I don't think the US wants a stable Iran capable of producing WMDs . . . or an Iran with a leader that hates the US, anyway.
 
Back
Top Bottom