Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07LONDON3522
2007-09-13 16:39:00
SECRET
Embassy London
Cable title:  

IRANIAN ARMS FLOWS TO AFGHANISTAN: HOW THE UK

Tags:  PREL KNNP MNUC PINS AF IR UK 
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S E C R E T LONDON 003522 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/13/2017
TAGS: PREL KNNP MNUC PINS AF IR UK
SUBJECT: IRANIAN ARMS FLOWS TO AFGHANISTAN: HOW THE UK
PLANS TO USE ITS NEWEST EVIDENCE

REF: EMB LONDON E-MAIL SEPTEMBER 13 TO NEA/IR

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Maura Connelly

S E C R E T LONDON 003522

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/13/2017
TAGS: PREL KNNP MNUC PINS AF IR UK
SUBJECT: IRANIAN ARMS FLOWS TO AFGHANISTAN: HOW THE UK
PLANS TO USE ITS NEWEST EVIDENCE

REF: EMB LONDON E-MAIL SEPTEMBER 13 TO NEA/IR

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Maura Connelly


1. (S) Summary: To most effectively pressure Iran, and
discourage the flow of lethal aid from Iran to insurgents in
Afghanistan, the UK plans to pass its newest evidence of such
flows to the Karzai governments and to Tehran before such
evidence becomes public, according to the FCO. There is HMG
concern that some reference to this new information might be
included, against HMG wishes, in a POTUS speech scheduled for
September 13, but that this concern is being raised
separately by UK authorities in Washington. End Summary.


2. (S) Per ref e-mail, the FCO's Iran Coordination Group
Bilateral Team Leader Margaret Tongue on September 13 told
London Iran Watcher (Poloff) that on September 5 UK forces in
Farah Province, Afghanistan intercepted an arms convoy they
had been tracking from inside Iran. According to Tongue, the
convoy included EFP,s (explosively formed projectiles) of
Iranian origin and constituted in UK view the best evidence
yet of Iranian support to anti-Coalition forces in
Afghanistan.

UK's plans for this new information
--------------


3. (S) Tongue said UK past approaches to the IRI on the
issue of arms flows to Afghanistan had been hindered by
reports of then-current evidence of flows having already
appeared in media, making useful discussion of the issue with
the IRI extremely difficult. She said the UK therefore wants
to raise this new information with the IRI before any public
announcement or leaks; the UK also believes the new evidence
would be most credible, and create the most leverage against
the IRI, if it first comes into public view via the Afghan
media.


4. (S) The UK therefore plans, according to Tongue, to share
this information first in Kabul with the Karzai Government,
which would presumably feed it to the Afghan media. UK
Ambassador in Tehran would at the same time demarche the IRI,
with the same information package copied simultaneously to
Washington. Tongue said HMG, with the above sequence in
mind, is packaging the evidence, including photos, into
deliverable form, hopefully "within several days."


5. (S) Tongue said that there is some HMG concern some
reference to this new information might be included, against
HMG wishes, in a POTUS speech scheduled for September 13, but
that this concern is being raised separately by UK
representatives in Washington.

Earlier Intel on Arms: First Use the Sep 5 Evidence
-------------- --------------


6. (S) Following up on previous U.S.-UK discussions on
developing releasable versions of earlier intelligence on
arms flows to Afghanistan, Poloff asked for the status of
HMG's internal vetting. Tongue said that HMG's vetting is
almost complete, but that any UK-U.S. release of such earlier
evidence should follow, and be subsumed by, the UK,s
delivery in Kabul and Tehran, as described above, of
information on the September 5 convoy.

Visit London's Classified Website:
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