In a speech by President Bush on August 28, 2007, the president clues us in on his plans to invade Iran:
We meet today at a critical time for our country. America is engaged in a great
ideological struggle — fighting Islamic extremists across the globe. Today I
want to talk to you and to the American people about a key aspect of the
struggle: the fight for the future of the Middle East. I’m going to explain why
defeating the extremists in this troubled region is essential to our nation’s
security….
The other strain of radicalism in the Middle East is Shia extremism, supported and embodied by the regime that sits in Tehran. Iran has long been a source of trouble in the region. It is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Iran backs Hezbollah who are trying to undermine the democratic government of Lebanon. Iran funds terrorist groups like Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which murder the innocent, and target Israel, and destabilize the Palestinian territories.
Iran is sending arms to the Taliban in Afghanistan, which could be used to attack American and NATO troops. Iran has arrested visiting American scholars who have committed no crimes and pose no threat to their regime. And Iran’s active pursuit of technology that could lead to nuclear weapons threatens to put a region already known for instability and violence under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust.
Iran’s actions threaten the security of nations everywhere. And that is why the United States is rallying friends and allies around the world to isolate the regime, to impose economic sanctions. We will confront this danger before it is too late.
Shia extremists, backed by Iran, are training Iraqis to carry out attacks on our
forces and the Iraqi people. Members of the Qods Force of Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps are supplying extremist groups with funding and
weapons, including sophisticated IEDs. And with the assistance of Hezbollah,
they’ve provided training for these violent forces inside of Iraq. Recently,
coalition forces seized 240-millimeter rockets that had been manufactured in
Iran this year and that had been provided to Iraqi extremist groups by Iranian
agents. The attacks on our bases and our troops by Iranian-supplied munitions
have increased in the last few months — despite pledges by Iran to help
stabilize the security situation in Iraq.
Some say Iran’s leaders are not aware of what members of their own regime are doing. Others say Iran’s leaders are actively seeking to provoke the West. Either way, they cannot escape responsibility for aiding attacks against coalition forces and the murder of innocent Iraqis. The Iranian regime must halt these actions. And until it does, I will take actions necessary to protect our troops. I have authorized our military commanders in Iraq to confront Tehran’s murderous activities.
