Iran says U.S., Israel ordered September 11 attacks

When Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi is done with Iran, he should consider running for Congress as a Democrat. Seriously, this sort of rhetoric is not too far removed from either Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich or Al Sharpton. There's not much one can say about a story like this other than to remind people that this is what we are up against. We have enemies overseas making vile and ludicrous claims about our government (which couldn't get the Katrina evacuation right, let alone plan 9/11) and enemies within making similar claims (Stanley Hilton for example).

While I'm at it, let me say this about recent events coming out of Iran with respect to their nuclear program; if you don't think the EU and the UN are complicit in allowing Iran to stall long enough to build a bomb, then you are out of your minds. If we decide to invade Iran (which is debatable as a strategy) we will do it practically alone while the rest of the world whines that we didn't give diplomacy enough of a chance. Assuming those of you reading this feel that way, let me ask you this; if we can't sanction Iran for flouting the will of the UN (because of Russia and China) and we shouldn't invade (because war is bad) just how exactly are we supposed to enforce any resolution that comes from the NSC? What good is the UN if it is only a paper tiger? Iran is not just a case where an enemy may be arming itself for an armed conflict, it's a test of wills to see how we as a global community rise to challenges when they come before. From my vantage point, right now we collectively are failing that test across to board as we are undermined by anti-Americanism, short-sighted business endeavors, and general naivete.

The Supreme Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps accused the Bush Administration and the Israeli security service Mossad of ordering the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, DC.

“The events of September 11 were ordered by U.S. [officials] and Mossad so that they could carry out their strategy of pre-emption and warmongering and unipolarisation in order to dominate the Middle East”, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi told military commanders on Tuesday. His comments were reported by the state-run news agency ISNA.

General Safavi said that Iran was the leading force of the “Islamic world”. “The geographic heart of the Islamic world is in Mecca and Medina. But, the political heart of the Islamic world is in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] is the flag-bearer of the front of Islamic awakening and the fronts of the awakening of third world nations”, he said.

He said that Washington had been defeated in its strategy of “attacking Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon” and creating a new order in the Middle East.

“The U.S.’s neo-conservative strategy was to dominate the vast energy resources of the Persian Gulf in order to be able to control Europe, China, and India and drive the world to a unipolar state. Therefore, it planned to change undesirable regimes such as those of Iraq, Sudan, Syria, and Afghanistan”.

The IRGC general said that the Lebanese militia Hezbollah had defeated Israel during their recent war. “After many years, the political and military image and hollow might of the Zionist regime was broken and the real power of Hezbollah fighters was proven. Thus, Hezbollah defeated Israel”.

He described Washington and Tel Aviv as two “inter-continental threats” against Tehran. “The U.S. must be livid at Iran because of its disgraceful defeats in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon. Regarding [Iran’s] nuclear dossier, it might try to create circumstances so that slowly but surely economic and political pressure is applied against Iran by the [United Nations] Security Council”.

He accused Washington of plotting a “cultural” attack on Tehran by setting up new radio and television stations broadcasting into Iran, supporting dissident groups, and stepping up intelligence operations. “Therefore, the armed forces must be completely prepared in order to combat any forms of foreign and domestic threats”, he said.

He charged that Britain and the U.S. were stirring ethnic and religious divisions in Iran, in particular in the provinces close to the country’s frontiers.

The IRGC’s primary task is to export the Islamic revolution to Jerusalem via Baghdad.

Hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is one of many officials who stem from the IRGC.