Category Archives: Saudi Arabia

Finance, Iran, nuclear Iran, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism

Cole on the Wackiest Master Terrorist, about that Money Transfer……………

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Juan Cole’s excellent summary analysis of the Iranian-Texan-Mexican Arbabsiar Bond:

“Here are the top 10 reasons that he cannot be Iran’s answer to 007:
10. Arbabsiar was known in Corpus Christi, Texas, “for being almost comically absent-minded”
9. Possibly as a result of a knife attack in 1982, he suffered from bad short-term memory
8. He was always losing his cell phone
7. He was always misplacing his keys
6. He was always forgetting his briefcase and documents in stores
5. He “was just not organized,” a former business partner remarked
4. As part owner of a used car dealership, he was always losing title deeds to the vehicles
3. Arbabsiar, far from a fundamentalist Shiite Muslim, may have been an alcoholic; his nickname is “Jack” because of his fondness for Jack Daniels whiskey
2. Arbabsiar used to not only drink to excess, but also used pot and went with prostitutes. He once talked loudly in a restaurant about going back to Iran, where he could have an Iranian girl for only $50. He was rude and was thrown out of some establishments.
1. All of his businesses failed one after another
I hypothesized yesterday that Arbabsiar and his cousin Gholam Shakuri might have been part of an Iranian drug gang. But after these details have emerged about the former, I don’t think he could even have done that. Indeed, I have now come to view the entire story as a fantasy…………..”

Then there is the money. Where did the money come from? Where was it wired from and from what account? How can the US authorities not know the source of a US$ 1.5 million into a US bank? In this day and age of the ‘war on terror’.
Cheers
mhg


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GCC, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism, US Foreign Policy

Reactions: Middle East Region, Saudi Region, Georgetown Think-Tank Region, Cafe Milano Region………….

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“Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, said on Tuesday that such ‘ludicrous’ claims hinged on the hostile joint stances adopted by the US and Israel against the country. “These threadbare attitudes, which are based on the age-old and hostile American-Zionist policies, are a ridiculous show in line with certain [instances of] scenario fabrication of divisive ends on the part of the enemies of Islam and the region,” Mehmanparast said. He also condemned all acts of terrorism, adding that Washington was employing the legerdemain to divert attention from the growing domestic protests it was facing. The Iranian official asserted, “Plotters of such manufactured scenarios seek to sow division and help the Zionist regime [of Israel] out of its current isolation.” He emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran was an establishment founded on Islamic ethics and values and that the country had always warned that the enemies of the region were plotting against it……….”

He gave the usual boring expected Iranian litany of explanation. But his claim that it is a fabrication is a point to consider: it will resonate strongly in most of the Arab world, except for the Saudi part on the Gulf. I expect that most Arabs tend to think it is either a fabrication produced in Washington (and/or Riyadh) or grossly exaggerated. Contrary to what we see on CNN from Middle East “experts” opining that it will help discredit the Iranian regime in the region. They must mean the “Georgetown think-tank region”.
At least he did not blame Israel directly: that is so old and uncool these days. He did however say that it was aimed to help Israel. It no doubt does, but only in Saudi Arabia and the “Saudi part” of the Gulf GCC. A Saudi man-about-town related to the royal family (Turki al-Sudairy) wrote a column yesterday saying that Iran was enemy number one and Israel enemy number two. He did got some strong critical reaction from Saudi dissidents on the Internet. He also mentioned some nonsense about the Iranian “prime minister”. Iran has no prime minister, but our Gulf palace faux-liberals don’t read enough to know that.
Cheers
mhg


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Algeria civil war, Iran, Middle East Nuclear, nuclear Iran, Sanctions, Saudi Arabia, U.S. Politics, US Foreign Policy

Quoting Frank Sinatra: Was the Iranian ‘Plotter’ Entrapped?………….

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“And all at once it seems so nice
The folks are throwing shoes and rice
You hurry to a spot that’s just a dot on the map
And then you wonder how it all came about
It’s too late now there’s no gettin’ out
You fell in love, and love is the tender trap…………..” Frank Sinatra (The Tender Trap)

“The question now is: Can the claim possibly be true? Before addressing the question, let me first emphasize that there is almost nothing that the Tehran hardliners might do that could surprise me………… Having said that, however, I must state that at this point, I am highly skeptical about the entire episode. In fact, the more I learn about the claim and the indictment, the more I think this may be a classic case of entrapment on the part of the FBI/DEA agents, of the kind that has happened too many times in the past in the United States to be ignored. But let us analyze the claim carefully to see whether it is plausible at all. Hence, for the sake of argument, let us assume that the claim is true. The question is, What would the hardliners have gained, had they succeeded? As I see it, nothing but more trouble and intense international pressure, not to mention the further wrath of the United States and Saudi Arabia………One may argue that the targets of the operation were Saudi Arabia and Israel. But this seems even more absurd. If the IRI really intends to harm Saudi Arabia, due to the increasing tension with the Riyadh government, why should it try to do it here in the United States and in Washington?……….. As for attacking the Israeli Embassy in Washington, that appears even more absurd…………Thus, at this point, I find the claim that the IRI was involved in the plot highly unlikely. The more information that becomes available, the more it appears like a frame-up of Manssor Arbabsiar, a classic case of entrapment………….”
Cheers
mhg


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Iran, nuclear Iran, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism, US Foreign Policy

The Bombed B-Movie Actor and B-Movie Actress of Georgetown and Tehran and New York …….

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“Just 24 hours after American officials announced that they had disrupted an Iranian plot that sounded like a rejected Quentin Tarantino script — centering on an Iranian-American used-car salesman’s failed attempt to hire a Mexican drug cartel to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador in Washington — a number of prominent American experts on Iran have suggested that Iran’s government might not have been behind the scheme at all. Even before the experts spoke up, it was hard to escape suggestions that the plot was too good, or too bad, to be true. In a radio interview on Wednesday morning, my colleague David Sanger observed that the alleged plot “sounds a little bit B-movie clumsy.”…….”

In that case, if this is like a B-movie, who is the B-movie actor? Or is it a B-movie actress? Are they in Tehran or in Washington or maybe somewhere in the great State of New York?
Cheers
mhg


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Culture, Iran, Mujahideen Khalq, Saudi Arabia, U.S. Politics

No Eliot Ness: Mr. Freeh, Prince Bandar, Iranian Mullahs, Cult Money, Hoover and MacArthur…………

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Louis Freeh, former chief of the FBI, currently reportedly sort of lobbyist for Saudi Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, advocate for Iranian exile cult Mujahideen Khalq (MEK, MKO), opining on the organization and its ruling dynasty of several decades, Masoud and Maryam Rajavi. In the New York Times.
Hoping to replace the repressive theocratic mullahs with a shadowy dictatorial cult based on a husband-wife dynasty, with deep pockets.

Here is what Harper’s Magazine said about Mr. Freeh:
“Louis Freeh: What some people will do for money. Former FBI Director Louis J. Freeh says $2 billion that flowed from a British arms manufacturer to U.S. bank accounts controlled by Prince Bandar bin Sultan, then Saudi ambassador to the U.S., was not a bribe, but was instead part of a complex barter involving the exchange of Saudi oil for British fighter jets………… Richard Clarke, a top counter-terrorism advisor to Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush, and others said they have concerns about Freeh’s defense of Bandar. “Someone who characterizes himself as a U.S. patriot and national security advocate ought not to be on the side of someone blackmailing………”

Tsk, tsk. J Edgar Hoover, for all his alleged oddities, would never do that, become an agent for some absolute medieval potentate. Nor would Eliot Ness. But the princes have deep pockets. The Mujahideen Khalq, whose leadership lives in luxury in Paris, coincidentally also seem to have deep pockets. Deep enough to pay fat speaker fees to the likes of: Rudy Giuliani, Gen. Hugh Shelton, Bill Richardson, Howard Dean, Gen. Wesley Clark, Ed Randell, et al.
(Can you imagine Generals MacArthur and Eisenhower and Bradley doing this lobbying shit for potentates and shadowy cults? Hell, even Scarlett O’Hara wouldn’t do that).
Cheers
mhg


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Death Penalty, Human Right, Saudi Arabia

Head-Chopping Absolute Reformers of the Arabian Peninsula……….

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“The king of Saudi Arabia is once again making headlines for overturning a court ruling that sentenced a woman to ten lashes for driving a car. For many, this is further proof that King Abdullah is a force for moderation and reform. Fareed Zakaria, for example, has called the Saudi dictator a “man of wisdom and moderation.” Then again, the king could also have considered stopping the recent beheading of Abdul Hamid Al Fakki for the crime of “sorcery.” Instead, he chose to do nothing. While the residents of Salem in 1692 would be proud, modern pundits would do well to hold their praise for the monarch. Al Fakki was arrested in 2005 after he supposedly agreed to put a spell on a man to leave his second wife. In fact, Al Fakki was entrapped by a member of the Saudi religious police and reportedly beaten and coerced into a confession. The one-minute video of his beheading is surely one of the most horrific scenes I have ever witnessed………..”

The writer adds this link to the video of the beheading of the foreign “sorcerer”. Don’t watch it before dinner.
Cheers
mhg


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Culture, Iran, nuclear Iran, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism, US Foreign Policy

Celebrities: Was Café Milano Behind the Assassination Plot?………….

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“I mention this because the Saudi ambassador’s purported fondness for the place is merely the latest instance confirming that Cafe Milano has become the most fashionable restaurant in Washington, DC., without ever entering the usual intermediate stage of becoming one of the best. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with it or anything. Zagat says a bit snottily that it’s got “chow that’s ‘better than you’d expect,'” but shouldn’t the chow be fabulous at such a place? (Zagat also says that “unless ‘your name regularly appears on the Washington Post’s front page,’ prepare for ‘long waits’ and ‘smug’ treatment.”) I can name half a dozen Italian restaurants in DC that offer better food, usually at lower prices. And I don’t get out all that much. Yet celebrities, especially Hollywood celebrities, adore the place. I’m no reverse snob. ………..”

They say Italian food goes best with a good bottle of compatible vino. Of course that is what they say. I wonder if the Ambassador/minion/now celebrity fully enjoyed the fare. And no, I am not hinting that Café Milano, mediocre food and all, was behind the ‘Keystone Cops plot’. Not some kind of twisted publicity stunt, maybe some other kind of stunt.
Cheers
mhg


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Iran, Middle East Nuclear, nuclear Iran, Saudi Arabia, U.S. Congress, US Foreign Policy

The Iranian DC Bombing Plot: was it Too Fast and Furious? WTF Analysis………..

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“Iran’s supreme leader and the shadowy Quds Force covert operations unit were likely aware of an alleged plot to kill Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, but hard evidence of that is scant, U.S. officials said on Wednesday. The United States does not have solid information about “exactly how high it goes,” one official said…………… The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said their confidence that at least some Iranian leaders were aware of the alleged plot was based largely on analyses and their understanding of how the Quds Force operates. They said it was “more than likely” that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Quds Force commander Qasem Suleimani had prior knowledge………….”

Not only does the story of the plot look like a Hollywood B-movie (Reagan peaked too early as an actor). The aftermath is even worse. Now we hear that they think it “likely” but “without hard evidence”, that it was based largely on “analyses and understanding how…”. WTF kind of case is this exactly? Normally any court of law outside the Middle East would blow this case out to the middle of the (Pacific) ocean. Next we’ll hear Tony Blair blowing the trumpet of another Gulf war based on this. This whole thing is moving too fast and furious for total credulity.
Cheers
mhg


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Iran, nuclear Iran, Saudi Arabia, U.S. Congress, US Foreign Policy

The Iran Embassy Plot and My old American History Professor, about the Maine……….

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“Iran has never conducted — or apparently even attempted — an assassination or a bombing inside the US. And it is difficult to believe that they would rely on a non-Islamic criminal gang to carry out this most sensitive of all possible missions. In this instance, they allegedly relied on at least one amateur and a Mexican criminal drug gang that is known to be riddled with both Mexican and US intelligence agents……..”

My ‘educated impression’ is that most people in the ‘wider’ Arab world have strong doubts about all this. By that I mean people from Iraq through Lebanon to Egypt and North Africa. That is among those who care at all: most are too involved in their own struggle against their rulers. Most Saudis tend to believe the story because of the tensions between their country and Iran and also because their major media, like Iranian media, is government-controlled or owned by princes (Alarabiya, Asharq Alawsat, etc, etc). Most people in the Gulf GCC states, with the likely exception of Bahrain, also tend to believe this story. But that is the Gulf: most Sunnis believe anything that is publicized against Iran and most Shi’as suspect anything that is publicized against Iran.
As for myself: some aspects of the story just sound too silly, as if written by someone to raise public anger, especially the quote about “who cares if 100 or 150 innocent people die in the restaurant, f–k them!” I just can’t help thinking of the USS Maine and Havana harbor. (I had a very skeptical American history professor as an undergraduate. He was especially hard on the USS Maine incident and Mr. Hearst and his ‘special little Cuban friend’. He just ‘knew’ how the Spanish-American War started. Fortunately, most history professors in the United States tend to be skeptics as well, a very healthy thing).
(Clearly his ‘true’ history about Havana harbor made a strong impression on me. I won’t tell you what he called President Polk about the Mexican war).
Cheers
mhg


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Iran, nuclear Iran, Saudi Arabia, US Foreign Policy

Cause or Effect? Bombing an Ambassador, Bombing Nuclear Talks, Remembering Havana Harbor…………

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“However, to extend those operations to US territory would represent a significant leap in scope and ambitions. The way the plot was conducted would also suggest that the ruthlessly efficiently QF had lost its touch, being clumsy enough to transfer money from accounts under its control directly to US bank accounts. Robert Baer, a former CIA agent with long experience of observing the QF, said: “This stinks to holy hell. The Quds Force are very good. They don’t sit down with people they don’t know and make a plot. They use proxies and they are professional about it. If Kassim Suleimani was coming after you or me, we would be dead. This is totally uncharacteristic of them.”……… Any remote hope of resumed nuclear talks is dead for now. More sanctions and UN Security Council resolutions will be on the table instead…….…”

Okay, an Iranian plot uncovered. Ergo: “More sanctions and UN Security Council resolutions will be on the table”. It is a matter of “cause and effect”, cause and effect. Or is it “effect and cause”? Quite confusing. Reminds me of the USS Maine at Havana Harbor.

Cheers
mhg


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