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U.S. hawks want Iran Govt. ousted

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington MAY 25. The United States is said to have cut off contacts with Iran and hawks in the administration, especially at the Pentagon, are pushing for action that could destabilise the regime in Teheran, The Washington Post is reporting in its Sunday editions.

The decision to cut contacts is a direct fallout of the recent bombings in Saudi Arabia and the belief that Al-Qaeda operatives in Iran played a direct role, according to The Post. Unnamed administration officials have been cited by the paper as saying that the White House "appears ready'' to take on an "aggressive policy of trying to destabilise the Iranian Government''. There has been no formal diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Iran since 1979; and this Republican President, George W. Bush, branded Iran as a part of an "axis of evil'', with Washington consistently making the point that Iran is not only pursuing programmes in weapons of mass destruction but also harbouring terror outfits such as Al-Qaeda. But in spite of all the shrill rhetoric from time to time, this administration has been maintaining contact with Teheran, especially after the fall of the Taliban, on a number of issues.

However, in the wake of the suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia that left at least 34 persons dead in three compounds, Washington has apparently decided to cancel a planned meeting set for next month, the Post says. According to the media report, there had been "very troubling intercepts'' before and after the Saudi Arabia bombings; and this played a major role in the decision of the administration to sever contacts with Teheran. But Teheran is maintaining that the U.S. allegations on Al-Qaeda is based on faulty intelligence; and Iran has vowed to arrest if any members of Osama bin Laden's network surfaced in that country.

Aggressive line

If indeed the hawks in the Pentagon are pushing for an "aggressive'' line against Iran and this position is being gradually accepted by the State Department, that would signal a major victory for the hardliners who have been generally sceptical of the intentions of Teheran. But the larger question is if the Bush administration will be inclined to raise the stakes of confrontation. In fact, critics are already making the point that after having failed to unearth weapons of mass destruction and Al-Qaeda operatives in Iraq, this administration is slowly shifting its sights on Iran.

Pursuing an aggressive policy with a view to destabilising the scheme of things in Iran will merit greater attention on Capitol Hill where lawmakers are uneasy about the directions of American foreign policy.

Democrats who have been quite hesitant to take on this administration in the realm of foreign and national security policies can be expected to make a fuss on the check list of regime changes and of an administration that is willing to keep the focus on foreign policy at the expense of domestic and economic policies.

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