The AP continues it's probe of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of exports to Iran under the Bush administration including weapons, electronic, tobacco and military parts in the face of on going and increasing rhetoric and hostility towards Iran.
Despite decades of sanctions in some cases a ten fold increase in exports to the "axis of evil" nation have flourished under the Bush White House.
Sanctions are intended in part to frustrate Iran's efforts to build its military, but the U.S. government's own figures showed at least $148,000 worth of unspecified weapons and other military gear were exported from the United States to Iran during Bush's time in office. That included $106,635 in military rifles and $8,760 in rifle parts and accessories shipped in 2004.
The Bush administration looked into those shipments after AP questioned whether the U.S. really approved the export of military rifles to Iran. A review found the rifles and parts actually went to Iraq; the wrong country was entered on the shipping record, Treasury Department spokesman John Rankin said. The government will correct the data, he said.
OOPS
"I understand that these exports have increased," Gonzalo Gallegos, a
State Department spokesman, said Tuesday when asked by reporters about
AP's findings. "However, we believe that they are increasing to a
segment of the population that we want to reach out to, we want to know
and understand that the U.S. government, the U.S. people want to be
friends with them, want to work with them to integrate them into the
world economy and become partners in the future."
In other words he's not really sure what's going on, does this guy work at the FDA on weekends?
Despite decades of sanctions in some cases a ten fold increase in exports to the "axis of evil" nation have flourished under the Bush White House.
Sanctions are intended in part to frustrate Iran's efforts to build its military, but the U.S. government's own figures showed at least $148,000 worth of unspecified weapons and other military gear were exported from the United States to Iran during Bush's time in office. That included $106,635 in military rifles and $8,760 in rifle parts and accessories shipped in 2004.
The Bush administration looked into those shipments after AP questioned whether the U.S. really approved the export of military rifles to Iran. A review found the rifles and parts actually went to Iraq; the wrong country was entered on the shipping record, Treasury Department spokesman John Rankin said. The government will correct the data, he said.
OOPS
"I understand that these exports have increased," Gonzalo Gallegos, a
State Department spokesman, said Tuesday when asked by reporters about
AP's findings. "However, we believe that they are increasing to a
segment of the population that we want to reach out to, we want to know
and understand that the U.S. government, the U.S. people want to be
friends with them, want to work with them to integrate them into the
world economy and become partners in the future."
In other words he's not really sure what's going on, does this guy work at the FDA on weekends?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment