CIA RECEIVED SECRET PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL TO MOUNT COVERT "BLACK" OPERATION TO DESTABILIZE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT
PanARMENIAN.Net
23.05.2007 14:18 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The CIA has received secret presidential approval to
mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government,
ABCNews.com reports with a reference to current and former officials
in the intelligence community.
The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the
sensitive nature of the subject, say President George W. Bush has
signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA
plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda,
misinformation and manipulation of Iran’s currency and international
financial transactions.
"I can’t confirm or deny whether such a program exists or whether
the president signed it, but it would be consistent with an overall
American approach trying to find ways to put pressure on the regime,"
said Bruce Riedel, a recently retired CIA senior official who dealt
with Iran and other countries in the region.
A National Security Council spokesperson, Gordon Johndroe, said,
"The White House does not comment on intelligence matters." A CIA
spokesperson said, "As a matter of course, we do not comment on
allegations of covert activity."
The sources say the CIA developed the covert plan over the last year
and received approval from White House officials and other officials
in the intelligence community.
Officials say the covert plan is designed to pressure Iran to stop
its nuclear enrichment program and end aid to insurgents in Iraq.
"There are some channels where the United States government may
want to do things without its hand showing, and legally, therefore,
the administration would, if it’s doing that, need an intelligence
finding and would need to tell the Congress," said ABC News consultant
Richard Clarke, a former White House counterterrorism official.
Current and former intelligence officials say the approval of the
covert action means the Bush administration, for the time being,
has decided not to pursue a military option against Iran.
"Vice President Cheney helped to lead the side favoring a military
strike," said former CIA official Riedel, "but I think they have
come to the conclusion that a military strike has more downsides
than upsides."
The covert action plan comes as U.S. officials have confirmed Iran
had dramatically increased its ability to produce nuclear weapons
material, at a pace that experts said would give them the ability to
build a nuclear bomb in two years.
Riedel says economic pressure on Iran may be the most effective tool
available to the CIA, particularly in going after secret accounts
used to fund the nuclear program.
"The kind of dealings that the Iranian Revolution Guards are going to
do, in terms of purchasing nuclear and missile components, are likely
to be extremely secret, and you’re going to have to work very, very
hard to find them, and that’s exactly the kind of thing the CIA’s
nonproliferation center and others would be expert at trying to look
into," Riedel said.
Under the law, the CIA needs an official presidential finding to
carry out such covert actions. The CIA is permitted to mount covert
"collection" operations without a presidential finding.
"Presidential findings" are kept secret but reported to the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Permanent Select Committee
on Intelligence and other key congressional leaders.
The "nonlethal" aspect of the presidential finding means CIA officers
may not use deadly force in carrying out the secret operations
against Iran.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
