Friday, January 19, 2007
Iranians are 'overplaying their hand', says Gates http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\01\19\story_19-1-2007_pg7_52
MANAMA: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday he told Saudi and Gulf rulers that the Iranians were "overplaying their hand" and were raising "real concern" about their intentions.
He told reporters here that he believed the US needed to gain more leverage before it engaged Iran diplomatically.
Gates met Saudi King Abdullah on Wednesday night and with the ameer of Qatar on Thursday during a swing through the Gulf aimed in part at rallying Arab allies against Iran.
Gates, describing his message in those meetings, said the Iranians were being "very aggressive and believe they have the US at some disadvantage because of the situation in Iraq".
"In fact, to be precise, I told them both the Iranians were overplaying their hand, and one of the consequences of that was that they raise real concern in the region and beyond about their intentions," said Gates.
He said the Iranians had grown bolder since 2004 "when I think they were very concerned about having us on both their eastern and western borders and weren't sure what might come next".
Gates acknowledged that US difficulties in Iraq since then had given the Iranians "a tactical opportunity, but the US is a very powerful country".
Asked whether Washington should try to engage Iran diplomatically, Gates said the US should not open a dialogue with Tehran without first strengthening its position.
"Frankly, right now there is nothing the Iranians need from us," he said. "So in any negotiation right now, we would be the supplicant: 'We want you to stop doing x,y and z'."
However, Gates said the US did not want a conflict with Iran, and there were many other courses of action it could take short of force. "There is no need for that," he said.
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