Iranians Fear U.S. is Preparing to Attack

Interview with David Barsamian, author and radio producer, conducted by Scott Harris

Just days after anonymous U.S. military officials in Baghdad briefed reporters on what they asserted was evidence of sophisticated roadside bombs and other weapons provided by Iran to Shiite militias inside Iraq who are attacking U.S. soldiers, the government of Iran has made a counter claim. Officials in Tehran charged that two bombings carried out by Sunni insurgents inside Iran, which killed 11 people and wounded 30, were provoked by the United States and Britain. An Iranian news agency quoted what it said were informed sources as declaring that the explosives used in the bombings were made in the U.S.

Tensions between Washington and Iran have risen in recent weeks over a Feb. 21 U.N. Security Council deadline for Tehran to suspend its enrichment of uranium. This comes as the Bush administration has dispatched two aircraft carrier groups off the coast of Iran and arrested dozens of Iranians, including diplomats, inside Iraq. Iran has reacted to White House saber-rattling with three days of war games staged by the nation's elite Revolutionary Guards, simulating resistance to an enemy air strike.

David Barsamian, an author and radio producer, recently returned from a 10-day trip to Iran. Without restriction or government chaperones, he spoke informally with hundreds of Iranians. Many told him that President Bush's actions have only weakened moderates inside Iran. Between The Lines Scott Harris spoke with Barsamian about how the threat of a U.S. attack is perceived among the Iranians he met and how he believes activists in the U.S. can be most effective in preventing war.

Visit David Barsamian's website at www.alternative.org His forthcoming book is "Targeting Iran."

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