Part of the reason, part of the problem

July 14, 2008

Part of the reason, part of the problem

America's top intelligence official has made some interesting comments about the US-Iranian stand-off that should be heard by every American particularly that they come amid signs of US/Israeli preparations for military action against Iran.
The comments by Thomas Fingar, director of the National Intelligence Council and deputy director for analysis at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, clearly indicate that the US intelligence community does not believe there is a case for war against Iran. Beyond that, however, is a clear understanding of Iran's motivations in pursuing a hard line and why the US should take into consideration Tehran's genuine security concerns. He argued for US dialogue with Iran and engaging Tehran through multilateral institutions.
Fingar, who oversaw the production of the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate that concluded that Iran had likely halted the development of nuclear weapons in 2003, said that Iran had reasons to feel insecure because of the US military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Recognising that Iran has real security needs is a good starting point" for US policy, he said. "We are part of the reason why Iran feels insecure."