Congratulations on your elevation to the think-tank.
Thank you!
"In your view though, do you think the US is funding and arming groups such as Rigi's or the Mujahideen-e-Khalq, to conduct attacks inside Iran?"
I understand that his operations have been largely identified as eminating from Pakistan. Is this so? If there's any truth, you've a number of think-tank peers with a professional military background
He has certainly been in Pakistan and now a fake ID card with a false identity has also been uncovered. The 9/11 hijackers were also in the US on valid H1-B long-term visas, so I am not sure what one can conclude from the above. However, what is fact is that the Pakistan government was responsible for apprehending and handing over his brother to Iran not too long ago. There is also news that Pakistan played a role in Rigi's own arrest. Further, you may note in this confession statement that Rigi says he met with an American official in Quetta; it is reports like these that result in Pakistani intelligence tailing American diplomats or delaying visas. Just recently, some employees of the US embassy were stopped on their way to Baluchistan and questioned.
I think the above suggests that the Pakistanis suspect that a) Americans misuse their diplomatic presence in Pakistan to harm Iran and b) that the Pakistani government has done quite a bit to help Iran eliminate Rigi and his terrorist gang.
Another part of the macro-story not to be ignored is Pakistan's decision to pursue the Iran-Pakistan-(China?) pipeline despite America's, shall we say, unhappiness, over this issue.
alludes to a possible base in Afghanistan. Worrisome. More allusions exist, though, of present bases in Pakistan. Do you note the difference?
Actually, Rigi confesses to having been approached by the CIA and then provided American support for the purposes of establishing a base in Afghanistan. He also acknowledges the use of the American base in Kyrgyzstan. This would be unfortunate, if true. But perhaps even more unfortunate would be the corollary; that Afghan territory is being treated truly as occupied territory and the "government" there has no control on what the Americans do there. While this is no epiphany, it does call into question the whole "legitimate government of Afghanistan" schtick.
For myself, I'm doubtful only because I've read plenty which suggests that while there are significant political challenges to the present Iranian regime, none are positioned to sweep the current government from power.
Secondly, there's adequate evidence of broad consensus in Iran regardless of which side of the political fence when it comes to discussing rights of nuclear enrichment.
In short, the aspirations of the Green movement, while heartening on a broad scale, offer America and others no near-term answer to the Iranian nuclear enrichment issue. So too, then, other nationalist-based movements.
The last point is an excellent one. But by means of qualification, I will add that the broad consensus is limited to mainstream groups - which I consider the Green movement to be a part of. Fringe organizations such as Khalq or Jundallah are certainly not part of mainstream politics, nor part of any broad consensus. That said, nuclear enrichment - though unrelated to this Rigi issue - and the subsequent development of weapons, is a national desire in Iran, not a partisan objective.
hahahaha flying right over iran lol
