

Currently released so far... 6230 / 251,287
Articles
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Amsterdam
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Browse by tag
ASEC
AF
AE
AR
AORC
AJ
AU
AM
ABLD
AL
AMGT
ASUP
AFIN
APER
ABUD
AVERY
APCS
AEMR
ADCO
APECO
ASIG
AG
AA
AS
AFFAIRS
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AMED
AO
ACOA
AX
AROC
ATFN
ASEAN
AFGHANISTAN
AFU
AER
ALOW
AODE
ATRN
AID
AC
AGMT
CH
CO
CS
CE
CU
CLINTON
CG
CVIS
CMGT
CI
CJAN
CF
COM
CASC
CA
CBW
CM
CDG
CR
COUNTER
CD
CWC
CKGR
CN
CPAS
CJUS
CV
CONS
CT
CY
COUNTERTERRORISM
CIA
CACM
CDB
CAN
COE
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CACS
CONDOLEEZZA
CARSON
CL
CIS
CODEL
CTM
CB
ECON
EFIN
EAIR
EUN
EINV
ENRG
EG
ETRD
EPET
ETTC
ELAB
EU
ER
ET
EAGR
ECPS
ECIN
ELTN
EAID
EMIN
EWWT
EFIS
EIND
EC
ES
EN
EI
ENVR
ENGR
ENIV
EUNCH
ENVI
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ELN
EZ
EXTERNAL
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EINT
EUR
ECINECONCS
ENNP
EFINECONCS
EK
ELECTIONS
ECUN
EINVEFIN
ECIP
EINDETRD
EUC
EREL
ECA
ENERG
ENGY
ETRO
EFTA
ECONCS
ECONOMICS
ECONEFIN
EINVETC
EINN
ESA
ETC
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ESENV
ETRDECONWTOCS
IN
IC
IR
IZ
IS
IAEA
IT
ICTY
IO
IA
IWC
ID
ICRC
ILC
INTELSAT
IMO
ISRAELI
IACI
ILO
ITRA
IBRD
IMF
ICJ
ICAO
ITALY
ITALIAN
IRAQI
INTERPOL
IV
IQ
IPR
INRB
ITPHUM
IIP
IL
INR
ITPGOV
IZPREL
IRC
INRA
INRO
IRAJ
IEFIN
IF
KDEM
KCRM
KJUS
KTIA
KWBG
KPAL
KIPR
KTIP
KE
KNNP
KGHG
KICC
KV
KTFN
KU
KCFE
KDRG
KWMN
KSCA
KGIC
KCOR
KFRD
KPKO
KSUM
KPRP
KPAO
KBCT
KIRF
KCFC
KISL
KREC
KSPR
KHIV
KBIO
KMCA
KMPI
KFLU
KSTH
KBTR
KS
KOMC
KOMS
KSEP
KPRV
KFLO
KHLS
KN
KWWMN
KUNR
KLIG
KSTC
KZ
KG
KRAD
KOLY
KTBT
KTDB
KOCI
KAWK
KCIP
KNPP
KWAC
KMDR
KAWC
KIDE
KSAF
KX
KWMNCS
KNEI
KCRS
KVPR
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KACT
KO
KFSC
KR
KPWR
KMIG
KSEC
KIFR
KDEMAF
KFIN
KGCC
KPIN
KPLS
KIRC
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KGIT
KBTS
KERG
KWMM
KRVC
KNSD
KVIR
KNUP
KTER
KDDG
KHSA
KMRS
KHDP
KTLA
KPAK
KNAR
KREL
KPAI
KTEX
KCOM
KNNPMNUC
KPOA
KRFD
KHUM
KDEV
KNUC
MOPS
MARR
MASS
MNUC
MO
MX
MCAP
ML
MTCRE
MR
MP
MY
MU
MIL
MAR
MC
MRCRE
MTRE
MA
MEPI
MV
MPOS
MD
MZ
MEPP
MOPPS
MAPP
MASC
MT
MERCOSUR
MK
MDC
MI
MAPS
MCC
MASSMNUC
MQADHAFI
MUCN
MTCR
MG
OREP
OVIP
OFDP
ODIP
OPDC
OAS
OTRA
OSCE
OECD
OIIP
OEXC
OPCW
OPIC
OPRC
OVP
OSCI
OTR
OSAC
OIC
OFFICIALS
OIE
PHUM
PREL
PGOV
PREF
PTER
PARM
PBTS
PINR
PINS
PHSA
PK
POL
PM
PINT
PE
PINF
PEL
PA
PARMS
PO
PLN
PROP
PALESTINIAN
PAO
PL
POV
PG
POLITICS
PEPR
PSI
PSOE
PU
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PBIO
PECON
PAK
POGOV
PINL
PKFK
PMIL
PY
PFOR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PRAM
PMAR
PGOVLO
PUNE
PORG
PHUMPREL
PF
POLINT
PHUS
PGOC
PNR
PGGV
PNAT
PGOVE
PRGOV
PRL
PROV
PTERE
PGOF
PHUMBA
SENV
SY
SZ
SOCI
SO
SR
SNAR
SA
SP
SW
SMIG
SU
SCUL
SC
SAN
SN
SL
SG
SYR
SEVN
SF
SI
STEINBERG
SIPRS
SH
SNARCS
SOFA
SANC
SHUM
SK
ST
TRGY
TU
TBIO
TH
TS
TSPL
TT
TPHY
TSPA
TI
TK
TIP
TERRORISM
TZ
TX
TW
TD
TP
TC
TO
TNGD
TINT
TRSY
TR
TFIN
TURKEY
UK
UNGA
UN
UNHRC
UNMIK
UNO
UZ
UNSC
UP
UG
UNHCR
UNDC
US
UNAUS
USTR
UV
UNEP
UY
UNESCO
USUN
UAE
USEU
UNDP
UNCHS
UNVIE
UNCHC
UE
UNDESCO
USAID
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 09BAGHDAD1103, IRAN IN IRAQ: STRATEGY FOR PRESSURING IRGC-QF
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #09BAGHDAD1103.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
09BAGHDAD1103 | 2009-04-24 16:04 | 2010-12-05 12:12 | SECRET//NOFORN | Embassy Baghdad |
VZCZCXRO8610
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDIR RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #1103/01 1141618
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 241618Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2829
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 001103
NOFORN
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/I AND NEA/IR
NSC STAFF FOR OLLIVANT AND MAGSAMEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/23/2029
TAGS: PREL PTER PINR MOPS ECON ETRD IR IZ
SUBJECT: IRAN IN IRAQ: STRATEGY FOR PRESSURING IRGC-QF
REF: A. 07 BAGHDAD 150
¶B. 07 BAGHDAD 488
¶C. BAGHDAD 289
Classified By: Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Patricia A. Butenis for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
¶1. (S/NF) Summary: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Quds
Force (IRGC-QF) officers are active in Iraq, conducting
traditional espionage and supporting violent extremists as
well as supporting both legitimate and malign Iranian
economic and cultural outreach. Iraqis and their government
have demonstrated increasing willingness to push back against
malign Iranian influence in the last year. Working with the
Iraqis, we have succeeded in stopping some IRGC-QF activity
through military operations and diplomatic engagement, while
we prevented some IRGC-QF officers from entering Iraq through
explicit warnings that we would target them unilaterally.
However, under the Security Agreement effective January 1,
all operations in Iraq must be conducted in conjunction with
Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and our previous unilateral
warnings carry less weight. As Coalition Forces continue the
period of responsible drawdown, we will rely increasingly on
the GOI to keep the pressure on the IRGC-QF. We intend to
support the GOI in these efforts through continued diplomatic
engagement, intelligence sharing, and our security
partnership of Coalition Forces working by, with, and through
the ISF. End summary.
-----------
Background:
-----------
¶2. (S/NF) IRGC-QF leadership took advantage of the vacuum
which surrounded the fall of Saddam Hussein and the entry of
Coalition Forces into Iraq in 2003, using the opportunity to
send operatives to Iraq when little attention was focused on
Iran. In January 2007, Coalition Forces raided an unofficial
Iranian consulate in Erbil, detaining five Iranians who
claimed to be diplomats but in reality held no diplomatic
status. They were suspected of operations aimed at killing
Coalition and Iraqi security forces (refs A and B). The
original targets of the raid, IRGC-QF officers Abbas Hoseyni
(of the Erbil office) and Hormat Faruqi (of the Sulaimaniyah
office), escaped and fled to Iran. The Iranian government
immediately pulled back most IRGC-QF officers from Iraq and
shuttered its "consulates" in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah until
mid-2007; consulates in Basrah and Karbala remained open.
Since 2007, Iran has submitted diplomatic visa applications
for Hoseini and Faruqi to return to Iraq. In 2008 the
Embassy and MNF-I convinced the GOI not to approve these
applications, making it clear if they returned to Iraq, they
would be targeted by Coalition Forces.
¶3. (S/NF) Since 2008, the MFA has passed names of Iranians
applying for diplomatic visas to the US Embassy for vetting.
Background checks have revealed that about 20 percent have
possible ties to the IRGC or Iran's Ministry of Intelligence
and Security (MOIS) (ref C). The MFA has informed us that it
denies visas to all new suspected intelligence officers, but
we have not been able to verify such claims. In January
2009, the MFA passed a list of 35 names to the USG of Iranian
diplomats already in country before the vetting process
began. Of those, eight had ties to IRGC or MOIS.
--------
Strategy
--------
¶4. (S/NF) As U.S. forces continue a period of responsible
draw down, we will seek to ensure that the GOI understands
that IRGC-QF activity harms Iraq -- which should be
self-evident if the IRGC-QF continues to conduct malign
activity that targets Iraqi citizens and infrastructure.
Qactivity that targets Iraqi citizens and infrastructure.
Engagements with political and security leadership at the
national and provincial level, intelligence sharing, and
security cooperation will be key to explaining the dangers of
IRGC-QF activity and providing Iraqis the information they
need to defend their own interests. The following are
diplomatic, political, military, intelligence, and public
information options which either the GOI can pursue
unilaterally, or in concert with the USG, to target IRGC-QF
activity in Iraq.
---------
Diplomacy
---------
BAGHDAD 00001103 002 OF 003
¶5. (S/NF) We intend to continue working closely with the MFA
to deny visas to Iranian intelligence officers. We may also
consider suggesting that the MFA use another diplomatic tool,
albeit one with more consequences -- the "persona non grata"
designation. The MFA may be reluctant to take this step
because Iraqi diplomats in Iran would face retaliation and
the dispute would inevitably become public. Since the fall
of Saddam, the GOI has avoided most public disagreements with
Iran.
--------------------
Security Partnership
--------------------
¶6. (S/NF) The role of the ISF in countering IRGC-QF in Iraq
is critical, yet complex. We can encourage the Iraqi Army to
take the lead on kinetic action against IRGC-QF agents, with
Iraqi police monitoring and reacting to suspicious activity
at the local level. We intend to continue to strengthen our
partnership with the ISF to counter pro-Iranian elements who
have infiltrated the security forces such as Kata'ib
Hizbollah and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq. While the US combat mission
will end by August 31, 2009, we will continue to assist the
Ministry of Defense (MOD) with training, equipment, mentoring
and other bilateral military-to-military programs and
engagements. Military sales, such as the recent Iraqi
interest in purchasing F-16s and plans to transition from
AK-47 to M-4 rifles, will increase US influence through
training and support in Iraq for years to come, although the
MOD will continue to consider weapons purchases from other
sources as well.
---------------
Border Controls
---------------
¶7. (S) The Department of Border Enforcement (DBE) can help
limit IRGC-QF activity by combating smuggling and
scrutinizing people and cargo crossing legitimate routes from
Iran into Iraq. XXXXXXXXXXXX corruption
at the ports of entry (POEs), unwillingness of inspectors to
do their jobs, and poor leadership and professionalism at the
supervisory level keep the DBE from being fully effective.
The USG can assist, however. Personal Identification Secure
Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES), which checks
travelers' biographic data, is already in use at many land
and air POEs around Iraq. Additional training at sea ports,
airports, and land borders could help Iraqi officials detect
smugglers of cash, weapons, weapons components and other
contraband. An Iranian IRGC-QF officer was briefly detained
at Baghdad International Airport in November 2008 when his
name was flagged in PISCES. In January 2009, KRG's Minister
of the Interior Karim Sinjari praised PISCES and asked for
the system at two more land border entry points the KRG
shares with Iran, Khalil Ibrahim and Hadjer Meran.
¶8. (S) As of April 2009, there were 200 PISCES units in
operation at 15 different POEs in Iraq. Current guidance
states that every traveler entering or exiting Iraq is
processed through PISCES. On occasion however, travelers
will pay a small "fee" to enter or exit without going through
PISCES. If a potential match is found to someone on the
"stop list," the screen freezes, and only INIS can unlock the
screen and conduct a secondary inspection. INIS notifies the
GOI or USG when the identity of a wanted person is confirmed.
PISCES is operated by Immigration officers assigned to the
Department of Travel and Nationality, and the GOI will
continue to use PISCES after the military drawdown.
Collection and storage of biometric data is another tool the
QCollection and storage of biometric data is another tool the
GOI is already using at POEs, although Biometric Automated
Toolset (BAT) system is run by U.S. forces and will not stay
in Iraq after their departure.
¶9. (S/NF) A timely example of cooperation with DBE in
countering Iranian lethal aid smuggling occurred April 14. A
DBE brigade in Maysan Province, partnered with Multi-National
Division-South (MND-S) forces, captured an unmanned boat
carrying explosive devices floating in the Huwayza Marsh.
The patrol found three explosively formed projectiles (EFPs)
and other military equipment. MND-S said it was the first
time the DBE had reported success against this type of
smuggling.
--------------------
Intelligence Sharing
--------------------
BAGHDAD 00001103 003 OF 003
¶10. (S/NF) Coordinating with GOI intelligence agencies to
stop IRGC-QF activity is complicated by the fact that the
Iraqi intelligence establishment is extremely fragmented.
Intelligence offices affiliated with the Ministry of the
Interior (MOI), DBE, and the Ministry of State for National
Security Affairs (MSNSA) do not trust each other and often
work in opposition. The USG could further assist Iraqi
intelligence by negotiating and approving a bilateral
US-Iraqi intelligence sharing agreements and further
providing the GOI with intelligence that demonstrates the
involvement of IRGC-QF officers in lethal assistance to
extremists. US Forces in Iraq have established positive
relationships with their ISF counterparts and are developing
appropriate intelligence-sharing mechanisms. The USG can also
assist the GOI to further develop its intelligence
infrastructure to monitor malign Iranian influence and
counter the IRGC-QF. INIS currently interacts closely with
the Office of Regional Affairs (ORA). The establishment of a
Defense Attach's Office at the Embassy will also help
facilitate intelligence sharing and is under consideration by
Chief of Mission.
-------------------
Public Information
-------------------
¶11. (S/NF) Highlighting nefarious Iranian activity to GOI
leadership and the Iraqi public has had a significant impact
on increasing GOI willingness to confront Iran, as well as
public rejection of Iranian attempts to dominate Iraq's
political and economic sectors. Provincial elections
demonstrated that perceived fealty to Iran is a political
liability for Iraqi politicians, and they are increasingly
sensitive to it. Continued USG assistance in uncovering and
publicizing Iranian attempts to influence events in Iraq will
make the country a much more inhospitable environment for
IRGC-QF operatives.
-------
Comment
-------
¶12. (S/NF) The Iranian government may sense that the drawdown
of U.S. military forces in Iraq presents an opportunity to
expand IRGC-QF activity, although the broader regional
dynamic will undoubtedly also influence Iranian decision
making. Without the ability to conduct unilateral military
action against IRGC-QF operatives in Iraq, we will leverage
our evolving diplomatic, intelligence, security, and military
partnerships with Iraq to maintain pressure. Many USG
agencies will be involved in assisting the Iraqis in this
critical area, and must actively engage in order to counter
IRGC-QF officers and their lethal aid.
BUTENIS