NguNorman Solomon
Ngemva kwenyanga lowo owayeyisikhulu se-CIA uJeffrey Sterling elahlwe ngamacala ayisishiyagalolunye imethadatha yesimo, ukushushiswa okushisekayo manje sekunemiphumela engase ibe mikhulu - kubeka ukungabaza ukwethembeka kwezimangalo zikahulumeni wase-US zokuthi i-Iran yenze uhlelo lwezikhali zenuzi.
Njengoba izingxoxo phakathi kwe-Iran ne-United States zisesigabeni esibalulekile, ukungqubuzana okuvela ekwambulweni kwecala mayelana ne-Operation Merlin yeCIA kungenzeka kubangele i-International Atomic Energy Agency ukuthi ihlole kabusha izisho ze-US zokuthi i-Iran iphishekela izikhali zenuzi.
Entshisekweni yakhe yokushushisa u-Sterling ngezinsolo zokuvuza imininingwane eyimfihlo mayelana ne-Operation Merlin - eyanikeza i-Iran imininingwane enephutha yokuklama izikhali zenuzi ngo-2000 - uhulumeni wase-US ulimaze ukuma kwakhe ne-IAEA. Icala lenze obala inqolobane yolwazi mayelana nokusebenza kwe-Merlin.
Ngesonto eledlule Bloomberg News kubika kusukela eVienna, lapho ikomkhulu le-IAEA lizinze khona, ukuthi le nhlangano "cishe izobuyekeza ubuhlakani abayithola nge-Iran ngenxa yezambulo," kusho osomaqhinga ababili abajwayelene nefayela le-IAEA le-Iran futhi bacela ukuthi bangadalulwa ngoba imininingwane iyimfihlo.”
Ukuthunyelwa kwe-Bloomberg, okwabiza uMerlin ngokuthi "umsebenzi" onzima, ucaphuna owayeyinxusa laseBrithani ku-IAEA, uPeter Jenkins, ethi: "Le ndaba iphakamisa ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi izikhungo zezobunhloli zinganquma ukutshala ' isibhamu sikagwayi' e-Iran ukuze i-IAEA ithole. Lokho kubukeka kuyinkinga enkulu.”
Emuva kokuhlala ecaleni lezinsuku eziyisikhombisa lika-Sterling, angikhumbuli ukuthi uhulumeni nanoma yimuphi wofakazi bakhe - okuhlanganisa abangu-23 beCIA kanye nowayenguNobhala Wezwe u-Condoleezza Rice - bake babiza i-Operation Merlin ngokuthi "i-sting." Kunalokho, kwakungashintshile ekhonjisiwe njengomzamo wokuthumela i-Iran endleleni engalungile yobuchwepheshe. Eqinisweni, ngokuhamba kweminyaka, i-Operation Merlin kungenzeka ukuthi bekuyizo zombili.
Ngasekupheleni kokuphatha kukaClinton, imibhalo ye-CIA ekhishwe embukisweni wecala, i-Merlin yayiwumzamo onzima wokulimaza uhlelo lwenuzi lwase-Iran. (Abukho ubufakazi bokuthi uhulumeni wase-Iran wathatha isilo.) Kodwa imibhalo iphinde ibonise ukuthi uMerlin waqhubeka iminyaka, i-CIA icabangela izinhlelo zokunweba ukusebenza ngale kwe-Iran.
Eqinisweni, idokhumenti eyodwa ye-CIA ayizange yenziwe kabusha ngokwanele ukuze icashe isithakazelo esisobala ekuzameni iqhinga elifanayo ngokumelene nombuso kaSaddam Hussein e-Iraq. Umlando usitshela ukuthi abaphathi bakaBush-Cheney bazokwazi ukusho ubufakazi obuqanjiwe ukuze bathethelele isenzo sezempi ngokumelene nezwe eliqondiwe.
Intatheli ephenyayo uMarcy Wheeler, engisebenza naye kwa-ExposeFacts, ubhale ukuhlaziya okubanzi kwentuthuko yakamuva. Isihloko esikubhulogi lakhe le-EmptyWheel siphakamisa imibuzo ebalulekile eqala ngesihloko esithi “Yayinzani Ngempela I-CIA ngeMerlin ngo-2003?"
Indida enkulu evelayo United States of America v. Jeffrey Alexander Sterling wukuthi uhulumeni uzilimazile ohlelweni lokudubula ummangalelwa. Nakuba abashushisi basebenzisa ama-innuendos kanye nobufakazi obuncane obuncane ukuze bathole izinqumo ezinecala emacaleni amaningi, icala alizange likhiqize ubufakazi bangempela bokuthi u-Sterling uputshuze ulwazi oluyimfihlo. Kodwa leli cala linikeze ubufakazi obuningi bokuthi izimangalo zikahulumeni wase-US ezihlobene ne-Iran akumele zethenjwa.
Enkantolo, ufakazi oyedwa weCIA ngemva komunye uchaze i-Operation Merlin njengohlelo olubaluleke kakhulu oludinga imfihlo eqinile. Nokho uhulumeni uveze ulwazi oluningi mayelana ne-Operation Merlin ngesikhathi sokuqulwa kwecala - okuhlanganisa nemibhalo ye-CIA ekhombisa uhulumeni wase-US ukuthi uzinikele ekukhohliseni ngohlelo lwenuzi lwase-Iran. Uma, ngenxa yalokho, i-International Atomic Energy Agency iphetha ngokuthi ukugomela kwe-US mayelana nohlelo lwezikhali zenuzi okuthiwa yi-Iranian akunakwethenjwa, izikhulu eziphezulu eWashington zizoba necala.
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UNorman Solomon ungumqondisi ophezulu we-Institute for Public Accuracy kanye nomlobi we "War Made Easy: Indlela AbaMongameli Nama-Pundits Aqhubeka Esiholela Ekufeni." Ungumsunguli weRootsAction.org.
