2008 Woodie Awards
Iranian MP labels U.S. as terrorists
Sean Urquhart
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: World
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On Sept. 29 the Iranian parliament voted to label the U.S. Army and the CIA as terrorist organizations. This is considered by many to be simply a reactionary move against the U.S. Senate for labeling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group in mid-August.
Paul Gimigliano, a CIA spokesman, said to CNN News, "There are some things that don't even deserve comment; This is one."
The Iranian Parliament cited a laundry list of grievances as the justifying factors in their case against the United States: the war in Iraq; U.S. invasions of Vietnam, Korea and the Balkan Islands; U.S. support of Israel, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay prisons; and the use of nuclear weapons on Japan during World War II.
The Iranian parliament followed the current, accepted U.N. definition of terrorism, written by terrorism expert Alex P. Schmid. It states: "Terrorism is an anxiety-inspiring method of repeated violent action, employed by (semi-) clandestine individual, group or state actors, for idiosyncratic, criminal or political reasons, whereby - in contrast to assassination - the direct targets of violence are not the main targets. The immediate human victims of violence are generally chosen randomly (targets of opportunity) or selectively (representative or symbolic targets) from a target population, and serve as message generators."
The United States "trained terrorists, supported terrorism, and they themselves are terrorists," the parliament said, according to the IRNA, Iran's state-run news agency.
"If you look at the United States' track record in Central America, the Middle East and around the globe, they have caused their share of terror in other countries through military actions" said senior and political science major Adam Pearman. "From overthrowing regimes to supporting rebel groups, we've done it all."
Others feel that there is less validity to Iran's statement and that it is in reaction to the United States' recent diplomatic aggression towards Iran.
Paul Gimigliano, a CIA spokesman, said to CNN News, "There are some things that don't even deserve comment; This is one."
The Iranian Parliament cited a laundry list of grievances as the justifying factors in their case against the United States: the war in Iraq; U.S. invasions of Vietnam, Korea and the Balkan Islands; U.S. support of Israel, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay prisons; and the use of nuclear weapons on Japan during World War II.
The Iranian parliament followed the current, accepted U.N. definition of terrorism, written by terrorism expert Alex P. Schmid. It states: "Terrorism is an anxiety-inspiring method of repeated violent action, employed by (semi-) clandestine individual, group or state actors, for idiosyncratic, criminal or political reasons, whereby - in contrast to assassination - the direct targets of violence are not the main targets. The immediate human victims of violence are generally chosen randomly (targets of opportunity) or selectively (representative or symbolic targets) from a target population, and serve as message generators."
The United States "trained terrorists, supported terrorism, and they themselves are terrorists," the parliament said, according to the IRNA, Iran's state-run news agency.
"If you look at the United States' track record in Central America, the Middle East and around the globe, they have caused their share of terror in other countries through military actions" said senior and political science major Adam Pearman. "From overthrowing regimes to supporting rebel groups, we've done it all."
Others feel that there is less validity to Iran's statement and that it is in reaction to the United States' recent diplomatic aggression towards Iran.
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