Is U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates completely out of his mind?
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he thought more visits to Iran by private American citizens might help bridge differences between the two countries.
But Gates, who in 2004 advocated greater diplomatic engagement with Iran, said Wednesday he believed it would not be useful now to negotiate with the government headed by President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad."We need to figure out a way to develop some leverage with the Iranians and then sit down and talk with them," he said in a talk at the American Academy of Diplomacy, referring to general US relations with Tehran.
"If there is going to be a discussion then they need something, too," he said. "We can't go to a discussion and be completely the 'demandeur' with them not feeling they do not need anything from us."
But he said the United States should look for ways outside of government "to open up the channels and get more of a flow of people back and forth."
"There are actually a fair number of Iranians that come to the United States to visit," he said.
"We ought to increase the flow going the other way, not of Iranians but of Americans, and that may be one way of creating some space perhaps over some period of time."
US tensions with Iran have risen sharply in recent weeks amid accusations by Washington that Tehran is funding, training and arming Shiite groups to attack US and coalition forces in Iraq.
I know it's been 27 years or so since Iran last took Americans hostage, but the same hostile, anti-American, radical Islamic regime is still in charge, and that regime's animosity toward the United States has not lessened over time. On the right is a picture of Iran's parliament chanting "Death to America" on the day Iran voted to resume uranium enrichment. Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has openly wished for a world without America or Israel. Iran is currently engaged in a proxy war with the United States in Iraq. And the British sailor hostage crisis was just last year. Has Gates forgotten already?
Is Gates unaware of what the news media and U.S. State Department have reported about Iran's recent interference with return to the U.S. by Iranian Americans who have visited Iran?
Recently, Iranian authorities have prevented a number of Iranian-American citizen academics, journalists, and others who traveled to Iran for personal reasons from leaving, and in some cases have detained and imprisoned them on various charges, including espionage and being a threat to the regime. Americans of Iranian origin should consider the risk of being targeted by authorities before planning travel to Iran. Iranian authorities may deny dual nationals’ access to the United States Interests Section in Tehran, because they are considered to be solely Iranian citizens.
The State Department website adds:
SAFETY AND SECURITY: U.S. citizens who travel to Iran despite the Travel Warning should exercise caution throughout the country, but especially in the southeastern region where Westerners have been victims of criminal gangs often involved in the smuggling of drugs and other contraband. For example, two Germans and one Irish were kidnapped and released in Sistan va Baluchestan in December 2003. American citizens should avoid travel to areas within 100 kilometers of the border with Afghanistan, within 10 kilometers of the border with Iraq, and generally anywhere east of the line from Bam and Bandar Abbas toward the Pakistan border.
. . . . U.S. citizens are advised to avoid demonstrations and large public gatherings. Increased tension between Iran and the West over the past several years is a cause of concern for American travelers.
Iranian security personnel may at times place foreign visitors under surveillance. Hotel rooms, telephones and fax machines may be monitored, and personal possessions in hotel rooms may be searched. Photography near military and other government installations is strictly prohibited. You may be detained and face serious criminal charges, including espionage, which carries the death penalty.
Gates believes that having Americans visiting Iran will help "develop some leverage with the Iranians." Sure. The only "leverage" will be Iran's -- if we send enough Americans to Iran, we can leverage ourselves right into a hostage situation in which we can bargain with Iran about how much we'll have to give up to get our own citizens back. It took 444 days and a change in presidents to get 53 diplomats back last time. Is that the sort of leverage Gates is looking for?
Gates assumes that, because Iranians can safely visit the United States, Americans can safely visit Iran too. Sorry, but the two are completely different. While Iranian tourists are welcome in the United States, Americans are a target of contempt and scorn in Iran among those sypmathetic to the Islamic regime. Chanting "Death to America" is routine at public rallies in Iran. In addition, numerous activities that are completely permissible in America are criminal offenses in Iran -- from using high-speed internet or satellite dishes, to walking a dog, to having contact with an unrelated member of the opposite sex -- the list goes on and on.
Let's face it. If you're looking for a relaxing, stress-free vacation, Iran is not your destination of choice. I understand the overarching goal of trying to build bridges with Iran, but urging individual Americans to visit Iran as tourists in the currrent climate does not exactly demonstrate much concern for their personal safety and well being. Besides, sending a few tourists -- or even a mass of them -- is not going to stop Iran from finishing its acquisition of full nuclear weapons capability that is already in progress. You think Iran will trade away the power to wipe out its adversaries in exchange for a few tourist dollars? Please! As far as Iran is concerned, nuclear weapons are all the "leverage" it needs to achieve its ends.
I'm not sure quite where Gates got his kumbayah ideas about how swell it would be for Americans to visit Iran, but let's hope the idea dies a quick death. I never, never, want to see this again:
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