A Kuwaiti expert discusses the roiled Iranian attack in Washington and says: "Even if the operation seems amateurish, it IS linked to Iran" http://bit.ly/ot9Aqa
Dr. Alfaraj is sharp.. this article is very informative. Expert: 'Iran carries the war from America's backyard to its front door' Even if the operation is amateurish, it is linked to Iran Iran can only extend its influence using nonconventional means: subversion and terrorism Criminal operation lines in Latin America are used by the Iranians for their terrorist activities The Iranian regime is fighting for its survival by stirring instability in other countries; The regime is aware of its own instability Last week, the United States accused Iran's elite Quds Force of plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington with help from members of a Mexican drug cartel. Dr. Sami Alfaraj, the President of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies, discussed this and other developments in a conference call for journalists hosted by Realite EU. The following are selected edited excerpts from the call: Iran's strategy Dr. Alfaraj: The attempted assassination of the Saudi ambassador in Washington, D.C. is part of a strategy. The strategy is to carry Irans war from the backyard to the front door. If you apply this metaphor to the United States, the backyard would be Latin America and Washington, D.C is the front door. The model of operation is very clear. It is always somebody doing something on foreign territory, and the Iranian government disclaims the whole thing, charging that its adversaries are designing a certain operation in order to justify a certain act military or diplomatic against it. Many analysts doubt the operation itself, as it was quite amateurish. But what I would like to stress that even if the operation is amateurish, it is linked to Iran. We dont know who authorized it yet, but this will become clearer during investigation. It is already linked to logistics provided by Iran. We know that there are logistics for Iran stationed in the Gulf. We know that there are logistics bases for actual terrorism stationed in Europe. And we know for sure that there are assets of Iran, and logistics stations, in the tri-border area between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. So logistics belonging to Iran must have been used. Iran's subversion and terrorism Dr. Alfaraj: Iran cannot extend its influence using conventional military means. So the only asset available to it is nonconventional means, and that is subversion and terrorism, such as the sleeping cells that we have all over the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) area and the Middle East area. And we have seen them in action all over the place. Weve seen them in Lebanon. Weve seen them perpetrating actions against Israel and actions against Saudi Arabia, and actions against Kuwait and Bahrain, and so on and so forth. Iran in Latin America Dr. Alfaraj: The strategy of being in the backyard of the United States is always in the mind of Iranian strategists. Iran has built its capabilities there depending on the large Middle Eastern community residing in the tri-border area, between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Here, the majority of this Middle Eastern community comes from Lebanese origin. And because of the economic conditions inside of Lebanon, the majority of them belong to Hezbollah, or their allegiance is to Hezbollah. Some of these were involved and are involved in criminal activities. And they are very efficient, to the level that they can run a whole operation from South America to the Middle East, carrying narcotics and contraband both ways. Money laundering has been, also, one action conducted by Iran through these elements. The same criminal operation lines are used by the Iranians for their terrorism operations. And there are other lines. There is the air route between Tehran, going through Damascus, to Caracas. Here, this is for a different type of operation, and that is to carry things that have been sanctioned, or disapproved by the United Nations Security Council. The money that comes from narcotics or money laundering goes back to Lebanon and finances threats perpetuated by Hezbollah and Hamas against Israel now and perhaps against others in the future. In its operations in South America, Iran relies on its alliance with Venezuela under Mr. Chavez, as well as Bolivia and Ecuador. And there are also other major powers in South America where Iran has a sizeable presence major nations like Argentina, Brazil, Mexico. Here you have the elements on the ground, you have the financial network, you have the political presence. The crisis in Syria and Iran's internal instability Dr. Alfaraj: Iran is fighting for the survival of its own regime by stirring instability in areas quite distant from its own national borders. Iran is aware of its instability because of actions happening inside its borders, by its own people, against the regime. Lets not forget that recently, the Revolutionary Guard of Iran conducted a maneuver that was not targeted against the outside, which is the norm. This time it was targeted against the inside. And the title of the maneuver was how to control street demonstrations in the big Iranian cities. So the Iranian regime is fully aware of what is happening around it, and it has a fear that it is going to be subject to changed conditions, like in Syria. The more we see the situation in Syria intensifies and it becomes clearer that Assads grip on power is getting shakier, the more we will see operations like that (in Washington) spreading around the world, targeting elements that have already been put on a target list, with the objective to really carry the battle of Iran from its own borders to the outside. The Saudi perspective Dr. Alfaraj: The Saudis look at the foiled plot in Washington as an act against them, first and foremost. This ambassador happens to have been the adviser to the king before his posting to Washington and he is the eyes and ears of the Saudi monarch in the United States. This is kind of an attempt to point to him, that 'we (Iran) can reach you anywhere'. The most important statement that came from the Saudis, which shows that they consider the whole operation as against them, is the statement that says 'we shall not be cowed by Iran and by such actions. We shall respond and defend ourselves'. * Dr. Sami Alfaraj is the head of the Kuwait Centre for Strategic Studies, which he established in 1997 as the first private consulting center on strategic issues in the Gulf region. He serves as an advisor to the GCC and is a consultant to the Kuwaiti government and to parliamentary organizations, private corporations, and government agencies throughout the Gulf region. Contact: +965 99742002 kuwaitcss@yahoo.com kuwaitcss@gmail.com
IDK about that. I'd be careful listening to a Kuwati about Iran as just as much as i would with a Saudi. I beleive the opinions from these people point to alot of holes.
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