Iran Ignores Shi'ia-Sunni Rift, Aids Taliban

Long dead is the old thinking by diplomats and strategists that Shi'ia Iran would not aid Sunni terrorists like al Qaeda and the Taliban -- even more dead today, as this news breaks:

NATO officials say they have caught Iran red-handed, shipping heavy arms, C4 explosives and advanced roadside bombs to the Taliban for use against NATO forces, in what the officials say is a dramatic escalation of Iran's proxy war against the United States and Great Britain.

"It is inconceivable that it is anyone other than the Iranian government that's doing it," said former White House counterterrorism official Richard Clarke, an ABC News consultant. ...

"This is part of a considered policy," says the analysis, "rather than the result of low-level corruption and weapons smuggling." ...

The coalition analysis says munitions recovered in two Iranian convoys, on April 11 and May 3, had "clear indications that they originated in Iran. Some were identical to Iranian supplied goods previously discovered in Iraq."

The April convoy was tracked from Iran into Helmand province and led a fierce firefight that destroyed one vehicle, according to the official analysis. A second vehicle was reportedly found to contain small arms ammunition, mortar rounds and more than 650 pounds of C4 demolition charges.

A second convoy of two vehicles was spotted on May 3 and led to the capture of five occupants and the seizure of RPG-7mm rockets and more than 1,000 pounds of C4, the analysis says.

Also among the munitions are components for the lethal EFPs, or explosive formed projectiles, the roadside bombs that U.S. officials say Iran has provided to Iraqi insurgents with deadly results.

"These clearly have the hallmarks of the Iranian Revolution Guards' Quds force," said Jones. (ABC News)

Yeah, yeah, I know I advocate talking to the Iranians, but I'm no softy. It bothers me no end when I hear some Dem candidate or other point out that we talked to the Russians throughout the cold war, so we should talk to the Iranians.

It's not parallel. In the cold war, we had overt threats (mutually assured destruction) and proxy wars (Vietnam, Afghanistan), but the Russians weren't supporting terrorist actions. The Iranians are, making them a more evil enemy than even the athiest Soviet rulers.

Still, I feel more can be gained by forcing them to look us in the eye from time to time -- especially right after we catch them red-handed working to kill our boys.