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US concern at 'Iran Afghan arms'

US concern at 'Iran Afghan arms'

Gates said Iranian arms were headed for the Taleban
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said "substantial" quantities of Iranian weapons are finding their way into Afghanistan.
Speaking on a visit to Germany, Mr Gates said it was difficult to believe the Iranian government was unaware, given the scale of arms involved.

Washington has recently expressed growing concern about Iran's involvement with its eastern neighbour.

Iran has denied accusations it is helping arm Taleban insurgents.

Mr Gates' comments follow those of Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, who told reporters that the weapons were coming from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Tehran 'must know'

Mr Gates said he had seen recent intelligence which made it "pretty clear there's a fairly substantial flow of weapons" into Afghanistan.

"Given the quantities that we're seeing, it is difficult to believe that it's associated with smuggling or the drug business or that it's taking place without the knowledge of the Iranian government," he said.

It's coming from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard corps command, which is a basic unit of the Iranian government

Nicholas Burns,
US undersecretary of state

Mr Gates said this was ironic, because Iran had good relations with the Afghan leadership, adding that it was anybody's guess what Iran's motives might be beyond causing trouble for the United States.

He said he believed the weapons were intended for the Taleban.

Earlier, Mr Burns was more direct, telling CNN there was "irrefutable evidence" that Iran was supplying the Taleban with arms.

"It's certainly coming from the government of Iran," he said.

"It's coming from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard corps command, which is a basic unit of the Iranian government."

In April, US Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen Peter Pace said US troops had intercepted Iranian-made arms intended for use by the Taleban.

It was not clear if the Iranian government was directly to blame, Gen Pace said.

Iran, a Shia Islamic state, supported the Northern Alliance against the Sunni Taleban in a decade of conflict which ended with the Taleban's overthrow in December 2001.

Tehran initially co-operated with US forces fighting insurgents in Afghanistan, and as late as February this year the US military said there was no evidence Iran had sent any weapons to the Taleban.

Iran sanctions offer mixed impact

Iran sanctions offer mixed impact
By Jon Leyne
BBC Tehran correspondent

The move could strengthen hardliners close to the president
The sanctions announced by the United States could have a major impact on the already shaky Iranian economy, but the political effect is likely to be more mixed.

The Revolutionary Guard Corps is thought to control up to one-third of the economy through a series of subsidiaries and trusts.

For example, it is believed to have the contract to run Tehran's new Imam Khomeini airport.

Already American unilateral sanctions on just two banks have helped to isolate the whole Iranian financial system.

The reason for that is that the sanctions spread like a virus.

International companies are afraid of dealing with any of the sanctioned entities or anyone who might have had dealings with them, for fear of economic retaliation from the US.

But the political impact could be counter-productive, certainly in the short term.

It is likely to strengthen the hand of hardliners around President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and provoke more expressions of defiance, especially coming just days after the chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, was replaced by Saeed Jalili, a close ally of the president.

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US concern at 'Iran Afghan arms'

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