AL-ZAWAHIRI CONDEMNS IRAN FOR MAKING DEALS WITH AMERICANS

George Bush and Dick Cheney continue their militaristic bluster towards Iran. Notwithstanding the report of the N.I.E. that said that Iran does not have a weapons program, our leaders seem intent on picking a fight before they leave office in January 2008.

Yet what do they think when Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the no. 2 man in Al Qaeda, comes out and criticizes Iran and Iraqi Shiites for dealing with the Americans? How long will it take Bush, Cheney, Bolton and the other conservative Iran haters to cease their war drums and recognize the truth in "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"?

Juan Cole has translated Al-Zawahiri's recent statements on his blog Informed Comment. Here are some excerpts of Al-Zawahiri's disparaging comments about Iran according to Cole:

"Al-Zawahiri also criticizes Iran's recognition of the "agent government in Kabul" immediately after it was established and criticizes it for the help it provided for the Americans during its invasion of Afghanistan. . . .

"Al-Zawahiri says: "With regard to Iraq, Iran achieved an agreement with the Americans before the latter's entry into Iraq. The agreement provided for partitioning Iraq. The Shiite militias trained, funded, and armed by Iran for years advanced violently and quickly into Iraq following the collapse of the Saddam regime. They were merged into the Iraqi Army and other Iraqi security services. They were and remain the Crusader occupier's paws used to strike at Muslims in Iraq.

"Despite the repeat of the slogans death to America, death to Israel by Iran, we have not heard a single fatwa from a single Shiite religious authority inside or outside of Iran urging jihad against the Americans in Iraq or Afghanistan. As a matter of fact, Rafsanjani has made a statement expressing respect for the wishes of the Iraqi agents of Iran regarding the continued presence of US troops in Iraq."

"Then, Rafsanjani is shown making a statement to this effect. He is also shown saying that the Iranians will not take the lead in eliminating Israel.

"Al-Zawahiri adds: "The statement made by Ahmadinezhad regarding the elimination of Israel is indicative of unsubstantiated propaganda. This is because had he been sincere in his desire to eliminate Israel, he would not have shared with it membership of the United Nations, whose Charter provides for respecting the sovereignty of all UN members and their territorial integrity.""