Colin Powell, dies of Covid complications at 84

[nahtanbob]

These two were not exactly Iran's nemesis. The zio-American empire was, is and will remain Iran's actual and primary existential foe. From Iran's perspective, with the US invasion of Iraq, a, ex-threat was replaced by a much bigger one.

They didn't really know (as in know for sure) that Saddam's toppling would lead to Iran-friendly elements gaining in influence in Iraq because nobody can predict these sorts of developments with certainty. In reality, it stemmed from Iran's own efforts and in particular from the application of Qasem Soleimani's guideline: "to turn threats into opportunities". The US occupation Iraq was potentially as much a threat to Iran as it was an opportunity: all depended on how each party would play its cards, and Iran just played them better than America.

Another point is that Shia are not automatically pro-Iranian. The US attempted to favor dissident ex-Ba'thist Shia like Iyad Alawi who were very hostile to Iran, and to cultivate a pro-western, liberal but religious Shia current in Iraq recruited from former opponents to Saddam (such as the London-based ayatollah Khoei), who would be equally opposed to Iran. It failed on both counts.

The US was planning to attack Iran as per its post-911 plans for the a "new Middle East", and the regime in Washington was enjoying the support of a unanimous domestic public and political class than were thirsting for revenge. In fact, it'd have been stupid for Iran to enter the 2003 war in any shape or form. In that sense, the phrase "looked the other way" is an inadequate one here, since it suggests that it was somehow incumbent upon Iran to enter the fray militarily, which is not the case.

To effectively confront the threat of massive US military presence to its west, Iran could have entered the war in a conventional manner against the US - which would have failed since Iran is no match for the US in a head to head conventional war; proposed to send over 3 million Basijis plus tens of thousands of IRGC forces - which Baghdad would certainly not have accepted; or proceed to support Iraqi Resistance factions against US occupation forces after the invasion - the most rational option, and the one Iran went for.

Iran was glad to see the Taliban and Saddam gone. They did not throw any roadblocks in the path of US military action. They did not even try to bargain. Nothing in your response disproves it.

Sure Iran has different ideas on who replaces the Taliban and Saddam. Any Shia regime is preferable to Saddam's for Iran.

 

[Azadkashmir]

in the end shaitan fucked him off by saying hey i promised you but guess wat heres corona.

 

[SalarHaqq]

Iran was glad to see the Taliban and Saddam gone.

Much more than being glad to see the Taleban and Saddam gone, Iran was wary to see the US occupation forces replace them, and rightly so. Seeing how one of the main objectives Washington was pursuing with these military occupations was to encircle Iran, which was next in line for "regime change".

They did not throw any roadblocks in the path of US military action.

No rational, cost effective roadblock was available to Iran to throw in the path of US military action. Doesn't mean Iran didn't consider said military action as an existential threat. Hence Iran's support for Iraqi Resistance forces fighting US occupation, the only sound and feasible strategy to adopt in the face of this threat.

They did not even try to bargain. Nothing in your response disproves it.

Nothing in what you say suggests that Iran was not considering the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan as an overwhelming security threat, and that Iran was not in Washington's crosshairs for subsequent military aggression with said neighbors set to be used as launch pads. I amply substantiated this already.

Any Shia regime is preferable to Saddam's for Iran.

No. There are Shia elements working hand in hand with the US which are just as hostile to the Islamic Republic as Saddam used to be (Iyad Allawi, MKO, etc). Iraq is not an exclusively Shia state by the way, insofar as members of all communities participate in the Iraqi government.

Spin it like you want but the fact remains that after 1991, Saddam posed zero threat to Iran given how Iraq had been completely battered to dust in response to its invasion of Kuwait.

And even prior to this event, Iran was fully aware that the only reason Saddam was able to endanger its security was because major extra-regional powers were backing him. Once this backing stopped, Saddam became nothing more than a joke.

Throughout the years, the Islamic Republic's officials have made it abundantly clear how aware they are that their overarching, primary enemies happen to be the major imperial powers (USA / NATO, zionist regime and USSR before its collapse), not some second rate regional vassals, client states and useful idiots that these imperial powers prop up in order to throw them at Iran.

 

[Globenim]

Another U.S. terrorist with blood on his hands that escaped justice.

Powell gets too much flak for the Iraq fiasco when Cheney is the true mastermind behind it.

Powell gets too little flak and Cheney far too little. Whether they willingly participated or directed this blatantly obvious farce, which the countries participating in this U.S. crusade never cared about nor believed and would later only scoff at or roll they eyes over, they knew and were prepared to massmurder and terrorize thousands tenthousand and hunderdthousands of people, real people, over blatant U.S. propaganda lies.

 

[Goritoes]

"Calculated", "rational", and "reasonable"? Clearly you have a high opinion of your own opinions.

If you can think so highly of you, so I can as well as for the men he is dead, no one can do about it whether he will end up in Heaven or hell we'll know someday when we all stand before the creator, but for now as per Islamic believe his lies/deception is enough for him to be called a bad person.