The Smoking Gun in Iran ...

Here's two links to the story.
First of all the Daily Telegraph, one of the larger Austrian newspapers, reports that Austrian weapons - in this case the Steyr-Männlicher HS .50 sniper rifle - that were sold to Iran - despite protests of the US and the UK - have surfaced in Iraq. Not one, not two, but over 100 have been seized in raids over the last 24 hours.

Second, who in Austria gave the OK to export these weapons to Iran?

Ernst Strasser, Ursula Plassnik and Wolfgang Schüssel: the former Interior Minister, Foreign Minister and Chancellor of Austria. They gave their approval for the deal despite the protests of the US and the UK. The deal was approved on 12 Nov 2004. The US ambassador to Austria then, Lyons Brown, requested in January 2005 that the sale not go through. But who actually arranged the deal?

Gert Rene Polli, the head of the Austrian BVT (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz und Terrorismusbekämpfung, Agency for Protection of the Constitution and Fighting Terrorism) arranged the deal.

So we're not looking at some behind-the-scenes back-room briefcase-of-cash kind of deal, but an official transaction between the government of Austria and the government of Iran.


Thanks, guys.

We're not talking about a sporting rifle, or some standard-issue buy-it-on-the-market deal. It fires a 12.7mm x 99mm round, i.e. .50 cal. It's considered to be a high-precision weapon, fired single-round from am manually-operated rotating bolt with a massive muzzle brake that reduces recoil significantly. It's considered to be one of the better sniper rifles out there.

The weapons in question, according to the Daily Telegraph article, cost Iran 10'000 pounds sterling as part of the deal: that's €15'000 Euros or closer to $20'000 plus per rifle. Per rifle.

Oddly enough, according to the Daily Telegraph. the advertised price in €5'019.

Within 45 days of the sale, the first American in Iraq was shot with such a weapon.

Gee, Austrian government, thanks for that help. We know you didn't want to really get involved, but do you really have to sell the Iranians the weapons that they now are using either directly or indirectly to kill Americans?

This is, literally, the smoking gun. Literally.

What else do people want to know? Here we have Iran, giving weapons it bought from Austria for internal purposes, arming the Iraqis or, alternatively, operating itself directly in Iraq, and there is no doubt, so need to persuade: this is the smoking gun.


So now what happens? Will the Europeans finally realize that dealing with Iran is not in their best interests? That Iran is doing nothing more than lying to them in their face?


Or maybe this will finally make an impact?

According to this report:

"In practice . . . the Iranians have pursued their programme at their own pace, the limiting factor being technical difficulties rather than resolutions by the UN or the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"The problems with Iran will not be resolved through economic sanctions alone."

Duh.

/rant mode ON

Sorry for the vernacular, but what a bunch of fucking goddamn idiots. How fucking naive do you have to be?

Iran has been playing everyone for a fool. Well, now is the time to for the goddamned Europeans to fucking get off their sorry, tired asses and get their fucking shit together.


The Smoking Gun is out there, everyone: what you you now going to fucking do about it?????

Do nothing, and you categorically, permanently lose the damn right to bitch about whatever the US and Israel does.

Oh, the historians are gonna love this. You can win a fucking Pulitzer by documenting what a bunch of fucking dickheads you had running Europe when Iran got the bomb and millions died. Make a film about it: win the goddamn Oscar for documentaries.

/rant mode OFF

Sorry for the language. I'm not sorry for the sentiments expressed therein.