Much is being made of the claims by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the US has designs on our nuclear assets. As we examine and investigate these claims, we must beware that Iran has its own security strategy and we have our own security strategy also and we must not allow ourselves to be duped and become a pawn in Iran’s strategy.
According to a news report, Ahmadinejad claims the Iranian intelligence has precise information about a US plot.
Speaking at a media conference in the Iranian capital, Ahmadinejad said, “We have precise information that America wants to sabotage Pakistan’s nuclear facilities in order to control Pakistan and to weaken the government and the people of Pakistan.” The president added, “The United States would then use the UN Security Council and some other international bodies as levers to prepare the ground for a massive presence (in Pakistan) and weaken the national sovereignty of Pakistan.”
As is admitted by the news report, “The Iranian president did not give details nor revealed the source of his information”. Besides having no evidence, this statement by the Iranian president has caused some hairs to stand on end. But let us evaluate this claim with cold reason.
While there have been many concerns stated about American designs on the national assets, the US has not made any attempt to seize or destroy the nation’s defensive arsenal. Even when America’s Enemy #1 and most wanted man Osama bin Laden was discovered hiding in Abbottabad, still the Americans did not make any move against our nuclear sites. Many believed that Abbottabad was a pretext for invoking Chapter 7 of the UN, but over a month has passed and still this has not materialised either.
Let us now examine the other player in this drama which is none other than Iran itself. Iran has long been a troublesome neighbor of Pakistan, playing against Pakistan to serve its own interests. The port of Chabahar is a perfect example being only 100 miles from Gwadar port of Pakistan. Iran has worked to secure the prominence of its own port over Pakistan’s to support its own isolated economy.
It is not only economic battles, though, as it also must be noted that Iran and Pakistan have become deeply suscpicious of each other in the area of security since the post-Cold War fight in Afghanistan during the 1990s. During this time Pakistan supported the Pakhtun Taliban while Iran supported the Tajik Norhter Alliance. This resulted in the rise of a low-intensity ‘proxy war’ between the two nations as Shia Iran became fearful of sectarian fighters in the Taliban. This situation strained to the level near to all out war when the Taliban executed several Iranian diplomats in 1998 and Iran deployed their troops to the Afghan border in response. Iran continues to see Taliban/al Qaeda jihadis as a threat to their own brand of Islamic revolution.
Can it be any coincidence then that after al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is found in Abbottabad and then Taliban/al Qaeda join forces to attack Pakistani security posts in PNS Mehran as well as Peshawar and Kharian and other areas that Iran has renewed interest in Pakistan’s nuclear assets?
As our intelligence agencies investigate the Iranian claims and discuss with Ahmadinejad’s own security agencies they should beware of being played as a pawn by the Iranianians in two ways.
1. Iran could be looking for information on our strategic sites in order to target them in case of threats from Taliban
If Iranian security agencies are concerned about the possibility of infiltrators assisting PNS Mehran attacks, they may be looking for further intelligence about our own strategic resources and security sites in order to target them in case of continued attacks by Taliban forces.
2. Iran could be looking to get transfers of technology in order to build a deterrent against Taliban. Even more troubling is the possibility that the Iranians are attempting to use our natural religious sympathies to put our guard down so that we will give them some strategic technology for their own use. While they would certainly whisper convincing words about uniting against an imperialist threat, the true end game would be to secure their own predominance in the region and to use the technology as a deterrent against Afghanistan or even Pakistan ourselves once the Americans leave the region.
Either of these scenarios are both plausible and possible and must be watched closely. The Foreign Office has responded to the Iranian statement correctly by saying that Pakistan will not be used as a pawn in Iran’s attempts to gain their own nuclear assets. Pakistan’s strategic resources are for the security of Pakistan only. Also, while there has been no attempt to invoke Chapter 7 of the UN til date, transfer of technology to Iran would make such a verifiable certainty as even China would not stand up for us in such an event.
Intelligence agencies should discuss with the Iranians about these claims by Ahmadinejad to determine if there is any proof in the pudding, but they must do so with a clear vision and not allow the Iranians to pull any red, white, and blue wool over our eyes as a ploy to get access to our own defenses.
