WASHINGTON/TEHRAN, 26 May 2003 — Iran’s UN ambassador yesterday repeated his nation’s insistence it is cooperating in the war on terrorism amid discussion of possible US moves against the government in Tehran.
Iranian UN Ambassador Javad Zarif pointed to detentions of several Al-Qaeda members as proof Tehran is not sheltering members of the militant group as Washington claims.
“We have had a number of Al-Qaeda people in custody, and we continue to keep them in detention, and we continue to interrogate them, and once we have any information from them, we will pass them to friendly governments,” Zarif told ABC News in an interview from Tehran.
Zarif said Iran wants to reduce tensions with the United States. “If the United States is interested in the reduction of tensions then Iran is prepared to do the same,” he said. “At the same time if the United States only wants to speak through the language of pressure then Iran will resist.”
His comments came as US officials discussed whether to act against Iran’s regime, decribed by President George W. Bush last year as part of an “axis of evil” with North Korea’s communist rulers and the recently ousted Baath party regime in Iraq.
The Washington Post reported that top administration officials are to meet Tuesday to discuss strategy toward Iran amid allegations it is harboring Al-Qaeda members and US concerns about its nuclear program.
Pentagon officials are advocating trying to foment a popular uprising to topple Iran’s government, and the State Department may accept that approach if Iran does not take steps to crack down on Al-Qaeda by Tuesday, the Post said.
The United States and Iran had recently conducted discreet contacts after decades of estrangement, but those talks were broken off by Washington amid reports Al-Qaeda operatives hiding in Iran were involved in planning the May 12 bombings in Saudi Arabia, the daily said.
Lawmakers making the rounds of Sunday talk shows welcomed US action against Iran, but would not give details of any plans.
“I think it would be in the interest of the world, and most particularly of the Iranian people, to have a regime change in Iran,” Sen. Joseph Lieberman told the “Fox News Sunday” program.
The Connecticut Democrat, who plans to challenge Bush for the presidency next year, said the United States should seek to engage and support Iranian dissidents in their efforts to oust the religious regime.
He and other lawmakers, however, ruled out US military action similar to the massive armed assault on Iraq which overthrew Saddam Hussein last month, saying it was not necessary.
“There are a lot of people in Iran who truly like us,” Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana told CBS.
The Post cited an unnamed administration official as saying fewer than a dozen Al-Qaeda operatives are hiding in an isolated part of northeastern Iran where the government has little control.
“I don’t think the elected government knows much about it,” the official told the Post.
Zarif insisted Iran has been one of the leading countries fighting terrorism. “We have probably captured more al-Qaeda people in the past 14 months than any other country,” he said.
Zarif said some are in custody, but did not say how many.
“We are continuing our efforts to first of all establish their identities,” he said, adding that Tehran will “try to see whether we can in interrogation get information from them which may be helpful to friendly governments.”
