Thursday, August 2, 2012

Will Growing Ties Between Iran And The Taliban Result In The Taliban Receiving Anti-Aircraft Missiles From Iran?

Taliban Opens Office In Iran -- The Telegraph

Iran has increased its support for the Taliban by allowing the militants to open an office in the country while considering the supply of surface-to-air missiles, according to Afghan and Western officials.

By helping the Taliban, Iran aims to derail a decade-long "strategic partnership" signed between Afghanistan and America in April. Tehran would also have the option of stirring violence in Afghanistan in retaliation for any US strike on its nuclear facilities.

A member of the Taliban's "Shura", or ruling council, was allowed to set up an office in May in the eastern Iranian city of Zahedan. Two months later, intercepted communications showed members of the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps discussing plans to send surface-to-air missiles to Afghanistan, although there was no evidence of the weapons actually being dispatched.

Read more ....

Update: Tehran-Taliban Cooperation: Will Iran Send SAM Missiles if the US Strikes? -- Robert Dreyfus, The Nation

My Comment
: If Iran starts arming the Taliban with anti-aircraft missiles .... the Afghan conflict changes. It will also precipitate an American response against Iran that will be severe. I am sure that "worse case scenarios" now being played in the White house.

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