(S) ARMENIAN ARMS TRANSFERS TO IRAN LINKED TO

S E C R E T STATE 070157 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/07/2019 TAGS: MTCRE PARM PREL MNUC ETTC KSCA IR AM SUBJECT: (S) ARMENIAN ARMS TRANSFERS TO IRAN LINKED TO MORE INJURIES OF US SOLDIERS IN IRAQ Classified By: EUR/PRA DIRECTOR ANITA FRIEDT, REASON: 1.4 (C) ¶1. (U) This is an action request. Embassy Yerevan, please see paragraph 3. ¶2. (S) Background: In 2003, the Armenian Ministry of Defense facilitated an Iranian purchase of 1,000 Bulgarian-made RPG-22 anti-tank rockets and machine guns. Some of these RPG-22s were used in at least two 2008 attacks on U.S. forces that killed one U.S. soldier and wounded six others in Iraq. These incidents were the first time we have directly traced an illicit weapons transfer to Iran of weapons used in attacks against U.S. forces. RPG-22s from this transfer are being used in Iraq by insurgents now. On March 27, 2009, then-EUR A/S Fried and Armenian Ambassador Markarian signed the "Joint Action Plan between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Armenia on Preventing Transfers of Concern of Conventional Arms and Dual Use Items" (the Plan). The Plan outlines the policies, laws, and regulations the Government of Armenia will take to strengthen its export control system to ensure that transfers similar to the 2003 transfer of weapons do not result in the death of U.S. or allied soldiers again. In early June 2009 there was another attack on U.S. soldiers in Iraq using the RPG-22s that were part of the illicit shipment to Iran facilitated by the Ministry of Defense. This attack injured four soldiers. While such incidents involving weapons transferred in 2003 will not be stopped by our current export control efforts, they do reinforce the vital importance of Armenian cooperation under the Plan to ensure no such transfers happen in the future. ¶3. (S): Action Request: Request Embassy Yerevan approach appropriate host government officials to deliver talking points in paragraph 4 below and report response. ¶4. (S) Talking Points: (SECRET//REL YEREVAN) --We would like to follow-up with you on the 2003 transfer to Iran of RPG-22s and machine guns that were subsequently sent to Iraq. -- As you will recall, we informed you in January 2009 that RPG-22s associated with this transfer had been used by Iraqi insurgents against U.S. soldiers in Iraq, resulting in the death of one and injury to six others. --We appreciate the signing of the Joint Action Plan to strengthen your export control system to ensure that such a transfer cannot happen again. --To highlight the importance of swift and effective implementing of the commitments in the Joint Action Plan we would like to inform you that four more US soldiers were injured on June 10, 2009, when they were attacked by Iraqi insurgents using an RPG-22. --The RPG-22 used by the Iraqi insurgents in this attack was part of the illicit arms shipment your officials facilitated in 2003. --We strongly encourage your government to continue pursuing effective implementation of the Joint Action Plan, so as to ensure the safety of remaining American personnel in Iraq and the Iraqis themselves, as well as all those in the region. --To that end, the U.S. looks forward to consulting on the draft munitions export control decrees currently being drafted. We understand that the Government of Armenia hopes to be able to share these decrees with us around July 15. The U.S. is prepared to send a team to Yerevan to assist in the process of finalizing these decrees. End talking points. ¶5. (U) Washington POC is EUR/PRA Matt Hardiman and ISN/CATR Margaret Mitchell. Please slug any reporting on this issue for EUR/CARC, EUR/PRA, and ISN/CATR. CLINTON