Iran looking to buy US weapons and parts

Washington Post:

The Iranian government has intensified efforts to illegally obtain weapons technology from the United States, contracting with dealers across the country for spare parts to maintain its aging American-made air force planes, its missile forces and its alleged nuclear weapons program, according to federal law enforcement authorities.

Over the past two years, arms dealers have exported or attempted to export to Iran experimental aircraft; machines used for measuring the strength of steel, which is critical in the development of nuclear weapons; assembly kits for F-14 Tomcat fighter jets; and a range of components used in missile systems and fighter-jet engines.

"Iran's weapons acquisition program is becoming more organized," said Stephen Bogni, acting chief of the Arms and Strategic Technology Investigations Unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). "They are looking for more varied and sophisticated technology. Night-vision equipment, unmanned aircraft, missile technology" and weapons of mass destruction.

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There is much more. There is probably an opportunity here to screw them up by allowing deliberately defective parts to get through. Even the thought should screw with their minds.

Speaking of screwing with their minds, Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, says the Sy Hersh article was part of a psyops campaign against his country. He shows how ignorant he is of Hersh's attitude. If anything, Hersh meant the article as a psyops campaign against the US to stir up opposition to taking effective action against Iran. I think Ahmadinejad just has that term on his brain because that was the intent of the Peace Be Upon Him Holy Prophet Wargames conducted recently. William Arkin thinks we should be more clear about war plans for Iran. His article has caused something of a stir in the foreign media including this piece in the Arab News.

While I am on the subject of psyops, one of the all time classics was run by Edward Lansdale when he was working for the CIA in the fight against the communist insurgency in the Philippines. Lansdale spread the rumor in rural villages that men with "evil in their hearts" would be food for the local vampire. A dead Huk (communist soldier) was then drained of his blood and holes were punched in his neck. He was then left in the middile of a busy road. It did not take long for word to spread that the Huk were vampire chow. The story is related in Tom Clancy's nonfiction Shadow Warriors, about special forces troops.

There is also the psyops operation mentioned near the end of this post.