Expert: Lane - 7/4/2008

Question
I am confused about why Iran is considered as America's main enemy right now.  From what I heard, Iran is and always has been the Al-Qaeda's arch-enemy, while Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were the Talibans' best friends throughout the 1990s.  So why is Iran an enemy yet Saudi Arabia and Pakistan valuable friends of the US?

Also, I heard reports from BBC (from about a year ago) that the United States may be helping this Islamist group called Jundallah, which has ties to Al-Qaeda and wants to overthrow the Iranian government.  Is there any truth to this?  If there is, what would be the reasoning behind such an irrational act?

Answer
Chris,

Sorry for the delayed response, I was without a conputer all day yesterday for Independence Day celebrations. You say that Iran is considered America's worst enemy but, to be frank, that is simply a matter of opinion. Until the Government actually says that, we can only have our own opinions. I am sure that many do feel that way, in fact, things have been said about Iran being "A large threat" and "A terror state."

The reasoning behind this is simple. The Iranian government hates the United States for various reasons and began developing nuclear weapons, threatening to launch them at America. Further, Iran has been producing weapons that they are giving to terrorist groups inside of Iraq to kill American soldiers with. It is true that the Taliban has ties with the other countries you mentioned and it is true that Osama Bin Laden is probably hiding in Pakistan, but these countries are our allies and, according to some, we cannot simply go in without their permission - something we surely will not get.

As far as the BBC's apparent claim that this country was helping the Jundullah militant group, I personally cannot confirm nor deny that. I can say, however, that the chances of the US Government working with a terrorist group to take down another government would be highly unlikely, in my opinion. That being said, it is certainly a possibility as there are some corrupt politicians who would do things like this. Where the reasoning is concerned, if it were true, I would assume it would be because Iran was seen as a major threat and the US wanted a way to bring them down without starting another war. This would be a good way to do that.

I hope I was able to answer your question, if not, please ask a follow-up. Thank you and have a nice day!