The U.S. and Iran talking...

For the first time in 27 years, ambassadors of Iran and the U.S. sat opposite each other and talked. And guess what the Americans asked: that Iran stops arming militants in Iraq, a neighboring country with which it fought a devastating 8-year war. Of course, the U.S. will continue to arm its occupation army – thousands of kilometers away from its shores.

The Americans are daydreaming – why would Iran stop arming the resistance, while the U.S. continues to arm the occupiers? After all, under international law, the resistance has the right to fight the occupiers. Where does the U.S. get the “right” to meddle in Irak – not only to meddle, but to actually occupy the country – while denying Iran that same “right”. Furthermore, compare the weaponry being transferred: from the U.S. side the most lethal weapons money can buy – fighter jets, attack helicopters, cluster bombs, mothers of all kinds of bombs, tanks, humvees, ... anything, save perhaps nuclear weapons. Perhaps...

Now turn to Iran: some rifles and improvised explosive devices? To its Shia brethren? Yes, no doubt. But the U.S. is also saying Iran is arming al-Qaeda, which is completely preposterous and another attempt to misuse Osama the Bogeyman. The Ayatollah's Iran and Saddam's Iraq were mortal enemies and the U.S. is accusing both of supporting al-Qaeda, which neither actually did. Even the CIA analysts know this, but that will not stop the Bush administration to spew another fountain of lies. Even the Times is printing this nonsense (Forked Tongues).

The hypocrisy of U.S. imperialism is boundless. It accuses Iran of “funding the enemies of stability”. Who but the U.S. destabilized Iraq? Saddam's Iraq was not the best of worlds, but there were no “terrorists” and no al-Qaida, no suicide attacks and, no matter how murderous the regime, a lot less innocent victims than in Bush's Iraq.

The Iranians clearly identified the core issue: “the U.S. should not be in Iraq at all.” (The Independent: Iraq is the only topic of conversation as the US and Iran finally meet)

War criminals come in different categories. Saddam was a small war criminal and he was hanged for one of his lesser crimes. Bush is a Big War Criminal and he continues to occupy the Oval Office.

As an afterthought, just in case you didn't know: more innocent people – especially children – are dying from bombs dropped from U.S. planes than from suicide attacks or roadside bombs. Who is using the most lethal weapons in Iraq? (Tomgram: Nick Turse, The Air War in Iraq Uncovered)