American Jewish Committee Report Says Iran Pushing Middle East Into War

American Jewish Committee
Thursday, 14 March 2002

An American Jewish Committee report examining Iranian-Palestinian relations warns that the Islamic Republic "is unapologetically committed to terrorism" and that the alliance between Yasser Arafat and the Tehran regime is a "wake up call" of terrorism.

"Many academics, diplomats, and commentators may consider Iran a country on the verge of reform, but the evidence indicates that the Islamic Republic has never before been so active a sponsor of terror, a source of regional instability, and a threat not only to U.S. strategic interests abroad, but also to the United States itself," concludes Michael Rubin, author of the AJC report, "Iran and the Palestinian War Against Israel: Implications of the Karine-A Affair."

The seizure in January of the arms laden Karine-A, carrying 50 tons of sophisticated Iranian weaponry for the Palestinian Authority, "should send shivers down the spines of American policymakers," writes Michael Rubin, a visiting fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The full report is available at www.ajc.org in English and Spanish.

"The Karine-A affair shows incontrovertibly that Arafat and the Islamic Republic have now put aside their differences and are cooperating to advance Iran's vision of the Middle East," writes Mr. Rubin. "The direct sale of such sophisticated weaponry marks a clear strategic escalation in the region."

Iranian-sponsored terrorism has claimed the lives of scores of Americans and is a $75 million line item in the Islamic Republic's budget, according to the report. Criticizing the approach of European nations to maintain ties with Iran in the hope of strengthening "moderate" forces in Iran, Mr. Rubin asserts that "only a fool" would believe that investment in Iran actually goes to help the general populace. "Despite a patina of democracy, Iran remains in effect a dictatorship."

However, that dictatorship may be losing its hold over the militia and elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and may soon need to "foment a military crisis around which nationalistic Iranians can rally," the report states. "Expect the ayatollahs to push the Middle East to the brink of war," in collaboration with Syria, the Palestinian Authority and Hezbollah. Mr. Rubin details in his report Tehran's ties to Syria, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations.

An even greater danger to the West is Iran's nuclear program, writes Mr. Rubin. "Iranian officials have never been able to explain why a country awash in oil, self-sufficient in energy needs and in deep debt would construct a nuclear plant," while several key Iranian political and religious leaders have spoken in favor of using nuclear weapons against Israel.

"Such threats are not mere hyperbole," states the report. "While some analysts rightly point out that most Iranians disapprove of their own government and look for significant reform, such popular disapproval is irrelevant so long as the ayatollahs control the armories, tanks, and troops," writes Mr. Rubin. "The threat posed by the regime cannot be underestimated. Many of the real reformists are now in prison."

While living for 16 months in Iran and Iraq, Mr. Rubin discovered the average citizen was pro-American because the U.S. government was seen as taking a principled stand against terrorism in the region, acting from impulses beyond financial self-interest.

That stand must become even firmer, Mr. Rubin concludes. "If terrorist groups and their sponsoring regimes understood that they would be held accountable for their actions, the United States would be faced with far fewer challenges.

"Where American diplomats may see fair compromise, Iranians (and Iraqis) warn that their leaders see weakness to be exploited. The only difference between compromise and appeasement is historical perspective."

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org