September 26, 2001
Iranian Leader Says Country Won't Help U.S. on Afghanistan
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 10:47 a.m. ET


TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's supreme leader ruled out Iranian help for any U.S.-led attack on neighboring Afghanistan, saying Wednesday that the United States was not ``competent'' to lead a global campaign and calling U.S. behavior ``disgusting.''

In a state-run television address to the nation, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the U.S. administration was ``over-expectant'' in wanting the whole world to help it following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

``Iran will not participate in any move under U.S. leadership. Iran will not extend any assistance to the U.S. and its allies in attacking the already suffering Muslim neighboring Afghanistan,'' Khamenei said in an address to families of soldiers killed in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

America's behavior, by expecting help but not earning the respect of other nations, was ``disgusting,'' Khamenei said, adding that Iran did not consider the United States ``competent and sincere (enough) to lead any global campaign against terrorism.'' He did not elaborate.

Khamenei's remarks were the clearest made yet by Iran in response to suggestions that Washington may call on Iran to join a U.S.-led global force to fight terrorism. Iran considers the United States its biggest enemy, but a strong reform movement in the government favors warming ties with the West. Washington has put Iran on a list of nations supporting terrorism.

During the past few days, Iran expressed its opposition to unilateral retaliatory U.S. military strikes against the Taliban, who harbor Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Iran has called for an international anti-terror coalition led by the United Nations -- not Washington.

In his speech, Khamenei, the leader of hard-liners opposed to reforms, also rejected America's declaration to the world that nations had to choose between being ``with us or terrorism.''

``We are not with you,'' he said. ``At the same time, we are not with terrorists. America is not sincere in fighting terrorism. It has other objectives. America's hands are stained with all the crimes committed by the Zionist regime,'' he said.

Iran, which steadfastly opposes Israel in its occupation of Palestinian territories and use of military force against Palestinian protesters, accuses Washington of being biased toward the Jewish state.

The United States wants Mideast support -- from use of military installations or airspace to intelligence -- as it builds forces for an expected assault on bin Laden's operations in Afghanistan.

They don't like us, do they?

Oh well....you can't please every one. Right?

Well, isn't it true? Don't we pamper Israel? Didn't we even endorse its creation? Don't we favor and protect it? Isn't Israel religiously intolerant? Didn't/doesn't it dispossess people who lived there first? We jump on the militant Palestinians, but we only whine about the militant Zionist... so... aren't they right? Why are we surprised?

If Massachusetts went back to Puritans only the constitution would be waved. What can Islam wave but its protests and the frustrated acting outs of the heretics.

Isn't the treatment of the Palestinians/Israelies the same as the Native Americans/settlers?

Does this mean the CIA is coming for me??

For one thing, Israel allows the same freedom of religion that the US does.

Read their history here-
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/history/israel.html

Not nearly as intolerant as their neighboring Islamic countries.

People do not get jailed for having short beards and women don't get stoned for having an ankle show in public.

Christians are not jailed.

As far as the history, Israel was once a country before taken over. They only got back what was once theirs.

So, I guess it would be a better analogy to say the american indians kicked our butts in North Carolina and got the state back. Then, Nato intervenes and protects the newly reformed American Indian nation. (Which I think would be cool if they could pull it off in New Mexico!)