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American Morning
Who U.S. Is Counting on For Support in Event of War
Aired December 18, 2002 - 08:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: As in politics, war can make for some very strange bedfellows. And as the Bush administration is now learning, a possible war with Iraq is no exception. All this week in our series Friend Or Foe, we're looking at just who the U.S. is counting on for support in the event of a war.
Today, our focus is on Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN (voice-over): When Americans think of this country's relationship with Iran, the first image that comes to mind is this -- 52 Americans taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. U.S. policy toward Iran has been antagonistic since that day.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror.
ZAHN: As recently as last January in his State of the Union speech, President Bush singled out Iran, along with North Korea and Iraq, as sponsors of terrorism.
BUSH: States like these and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.
ZAHN: Iran sends arms shipments to terrorist groups and has purchased ballistic missile technology from Korea that could deliver weapons of mass destruction.
Earlier this year, Israel intercepted a 50 ton arms shipment bound for the Palestinians that Israel said came from Iran.
WALTER RUSSELL MEAD, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: And it is a country which is both trying to develop nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and which has ongoing ties with terrorist organizations. That is unacceptable behavior in the world and, you know, it creates just too great a danger to the American people.
ZAHN: So why would the United States expect cooperation from Iran in a war against Iraq? Because despite their animosity, the United States and Iran do have a common goal -- getting rid of Saddam Hussein.
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST, FORMER NATO SUPREME COMMANDER: Iran fought a war in the 1980s that cost a million lives with Saddam Hussein. He actually invaded Iran and Iran had to put together a military and fight for its own survival. So there's a lingering restatement and fear of Saddam Hussein. It's very much in Iran's interests if we depose Saddam Hussein.
ZAHN: But the relationship between Iran and the United States is complicated.
LAWRENCE KORB, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: If it looks like the United States establishes a permanent military presence on their border and talks about them as the axis of evil and talks about threatening that Iran, there are elements in Iran who will use that as a pretext to cause problems for the United States.
ZAHN: At the same time, factions within Iran want to reestablish ties with the Western world.
KORB: The government doesn't support the United States. We do not have good relations with them. But the people are very much desirous of having good relations with the United States, having access to Western technology and Western culture.
ZAHN: The Iranians did cooperate in removing the Taliban in Afghanistan and helped with the establishment of a temporary coalition government in Kabul.
KORB: The fact of the matter is that nations don't have permanent friends or enemies. They have permanent interests. And we need to recognize that.
ZAHN: In a confrontation with Iraq, how could Iran help the United States?
CLARK: Non-interference is what we're seeking from the Iranians. We don't want them to come into southern Iraq and foment a rebellion against the Americans or even against Saudi Arabia and/or the Iraqis down there. What we want is Iranians to stay home and stay unengaged.
ZAHN: So, is Iran a long time adversary, a friend or foe?
KORB: Iran is neither. It's probably more of a friend than a foe, but you can't count it as an ally, for example, like Britain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 18, 2002 - 08:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: As in politics, war can make for some very strange bedfellows. And as the Bush administration is now learning, a possible war with Iraq is no exception. All this week in our series Friend Or Foe, we're looking at just who the U.S. is counting on for support in the event of a war.
Today, our focus is on Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN (voice-over): When Americans think of this country's relationship with Iran, the first image that comes to mind is this -- 52 Americans taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. U.S. policy toward Iran has been antagonistic since that day.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror.
ZAHN: As recently as last January in his State of the Union speech, President Bush singled out Iran, along with North Korea and Iraq, as sponsors of terrorism.
BUSH: States like these and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.
ZAHN: Iran sends arms shipments to terrorist groups and has purchased ballistic missile technology from Korea that could deliver weapons of mass destruction.
Earlier this year, Israel intercepted a 50 ton arms shipment bound for the Palestinians that Israel said came from Iran.
WALTER RUSSELL MEAD, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: And it is a country which is both trying to develop nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and which has ongoing ties with terrorist organizations. That is unacceptable behavior in the world and, you know, it creates just too great a danger to the American people.
ZAHN: So why would the United States expect cooperation from Iran in a war against Iraq? Because despite their animosity, the United States and Iran do have a common goal -- getting rid of Saddam Hussein.
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST, FORMER NATO SUPREME COMMANDER: Iran fought a war in the 1980s that cost a million lives with Saddam Hussein. He actually invaded Iran and Iran had to put together a military and fight for its own survival. So there's a lingering restatement and fear of Saddam Hussein. It's very much in Iran's interests if we depose Saddam Hussein.
ZAHN: But the relationship between Iran and the United States is complicated.
LAWRENCE KORB, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: If it looks like the United States establishes a permanent military presence on their border and talks about them as the axis of evil and talks about threatening that Iran, there are elements in Iran who will use that as a pretext to cause problems for the United States.
ZAHN: At the same time, factions within Iran want to reestablish ties with the Western world.
KORB: The government doesn't support the United States. We do not have good relations with them. But the people are very much desirous of having good relations with the United States, having access to Western technology and Western culture.
ZAHN: The Iranians did cooperate in removing the Taliban in Afghanistan and helped with the establishment of a temporary coalition government in Kabul.
KORB: The fact of the matter is that nations don't have permanent friends or enemies. They have permanent interests. And we need to recognize that.
ZAHN: In a confrontation with Iraq, how could Iran help the United States?
CLARK: Non-interference is what we're seeking from the Iranians. We don't want them to come into southern Iraq and foment a rebellion against the Americans or even against Saudi Arabia and/or the Iraqis down there. What we want is Iranians to stay home and stay unengaged.
ZAHN: So, is Iran a long time adversary, a friend or foe?
KORB: Iran is neither. It's probably more of a friend than a foe, but you can't count it as an ally, for example, like Britain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
