Writing for Asia Times Online, Nelson Rand reports that the United States has been waging covert ground war inside Iran for the past few weeks.
According to Rand, U.S. Special Forces are actively engaged in assisting anti-Tehran guerrillas of the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) in the area of Iran bordering Kurdistan in northern Iraq.
More after the jump
Rand writes that
Iran accuses Washington of backing the group, and while the US denies this, local and foreign intelligence sources say the accusation is most likely true. According to a former US Special Forces (SF) commando currently based in Iraq who spoke on condition of anonymity, Special Forces troops are currently operating inside Iran, working with insurgent forces like the PJAK. "That's what the SF does," he said. "They train and build up indigenous anti-government forces."
SNIP
Operatives of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have also been spotted in Iraqi Kurdistan recently, according to sources familiar with the agency, including the former SF commando. These sources explained that the agency's Special Activities Division (SAD) would be conducting the main component of the agency's operations in the area. SAD, whose existence became known in the autumn of 2001, is responsible for covert paramilitary operations - those with which the US government does not want to be overtly associated.
This is exactly the same "preparatory" activity that took place just before the invasion of Iraq five and a half years ago.
Laura Rozen reported in Mother Jones last week that the neo-cons have gathered together a bunch of millionaires to fund the establishment and operations of a new group called Freedom's Watch, which is now actively promoting the idea of a war with Iran.
Rosen also reports that there have been marketing focus groups which are very unusual, according to Rosen. One recent participant in such a focus group told her: "The whole basis of the whole thing was, 'we're going to go into Iran and what do we have to do to get you guys to along with it?" It is not yet known what organization was behind the focus groups.