Hague fury as 'Iranian arms' bound for Taliban seized

The foreign secretary has condemned Tehran's "completely unacceptable" behaviour after British Special Forces seized a shipment of suspected Iranian arms intended for the Taliban.

The 48 rockets are understood to have been intercepted in Nimruz Province, in southern Afghanistan, on 5 February.

UK officials say technical analysis showed they had come from Iran.

William Hague said Iran's actions were at odds with its claim to "support stability and security in Afghanistan".BBC News

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While it's fairly obvious here in the UK that Hague is seeking every bit of publicity by special forces to bolster his weakening position as foreign secretary - this is good news (the capture of the weapons) and bad news (iran is stepping up the potency of weapons donated) for our troops there.

I don't advocate (yet) any open military conflict with Iran- I hope we have some major smack to bring down on the Iranian and Afghan suppliers bringing these weapons across the border.

Infinite Chaos said:

While it's fairly obvious here in the UK that Hague is seeking every bit of publicity by special forces to bolster his weakening position as foreign secretary - this is good news (the capture of the weapons) and bad news (iran is stepping up the potency of weapons donated) for our troops there.

I don't advocate (yet) any open military conflict with Iran- I hope we have some major smack to bring down on the Iranian and Afghan suppliers bringing these weapons across the border.

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Iran is a shrewd practioner of realpolitik. It is engaged widely on the diplomatic front to avoid becoming ensnared in truly crippling sanctions. To date, those efforts have succeeded, as only modest sanctions are in place. It strategically reopens negotiations but offers little in the way of substance aimed at addressing international concerns. Buying time, not agreement, is Iran's aim in the international talks. It is working with its proxies in the Middle East to shift the balance of power in its favor. It also understands correctly that if it can tie down U.S./NATO forces elsewhere e.g., in Afghanistan, the risk of a military operation against Iran's nuclear facilities is reduced. In the meantime, it is moving closer toward its strategic goal of regional dominance and its nuclear activities are likely a central component of that pursuit. Even its express support for popular uprisings in Egypt and Libya need to be viewed through the context of its strategic quest to become the region's foremost power. Unrest in those states can, from its vantage point, perhaps lead to friendlier governments (Iran's best case). At the least it can divert international attention from Iran's nuclear activities, maybe even tie up some military assets of the U.S./NATO for a period of time, again undermining the prospects for crippling sanctions and reducing the risk of military operations against its nuclear facilities.

One has to be open to the possibility of black market arms being exported out of Iran into Afghanistan without the governments approval or knowledge. Iran does have a fairly large black market with the export/import of gasoline, oil, heroin (it has a significant number of people addicted to it)

Eventually Iran will collapse either from within or from outside intervention. If anyone is expecting that out side intervention from the U.S you had better get a grip on reality because Obama has shown his willingness to kiss ass rather than be forceful and do what is right and needed to get things done.