Is President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran a U.S. Spy?
by Mysterious Q
Not long ago I was watching 'Homeland' on a cable network. This series is compelling with lots of plot twists and turns. The main premise is that a U.S. Soldier serving in the Middle East is captured, eventually turned and released. He returns home a hero, but that is really just a smokescreen. Terrorists purposely released him to perform the will of his former captors and to be part of a plot to kill American Leaders. The story reminded me of a theory I have had for some time and now am ready to share.
I propose a simple question to you: "Is President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran a spy or secret operative for the United States? The question seems almost too ridiculous to answer, but before you nominate me for the most idiotic conspiracy theory of the year award, consider some of the facts that I have examined to come up with this outlandish idea.
Ahmadinejad was born in Iran in October of 1956 near Garmsar in the village of Aradan. His father was kind of a jack of all trades and sometimes merchant. His mother was a Seyyede, someone considered to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. After they moved to Tehran, Mahmoud's father changed the family's last name which had a negative connotation in city life which linked the family to a not well thought of rural lifestyle. The name Ahmadinejad was chosen because it had a meaning which highlighted the family's kinship to Muhammad.
Today, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is portrayed by his countrymen as a modest man and devote Muslim with little ambition for self glorification or enrichment. Anyone that has met him will admit that, despite the ever-present propaganda which flows freely from his lips, Ahmadinejad comes across as an intelligent and articulate politician who gives very careful thought to everything he says or does before he says or does it.
In 1976 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began the process which eventually lead to his enrollment as a student at the Iran University of Science and Technology as an undergraduate student of civil engineering. If we judge intelligence by college entrance exams, it is noteworthy that he scored in the top 200 of over 400,000 Iranians that applied. Ahmadinejad eventually earned a PhD in transportation engineering in 1997 while he was Mayor of a province in Northwest Iran.
It was during what we call the Iranian-American Diplomatic Crisis or Embassy Hostage Crisis which began in November of 1979 that facts about the life and activities of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad become very unclear. File footage and photos from those days when fifty-two Americans were taken hostage by 'Iranian Students' seems to clearly show that Ahmadinejad was one of those 'students.' However, not all the former hostages agree with that conclusion.
It is more than interesting that almost all the higher ranking members of the military that were taken hostage by the Iranians claim that they did not recognize Ahmadinejad as one of their captors. Others including embassy staff and low ranking members of the military are certain that Ahmadinejad was involved. This should still be a huge controversy because it leaves an important matter with great legal consequences unresolved.
My eyes may be deceiving me, but looking at those old films and still photos from the taking of the U.S. Embassy in Iran seems to clearly show a young, but easily recognizable Ahmadinejad leading several of the blindfolded American captors into one of the embassy building doors. Despite the photographic evidence and statements from the majority of the former embassy hostages, the C.I.A. and representatives of the Iranian government say it was not him. Both entities allege that they did their own investigations into the matter and cleared Ahmadinejad.
If Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was, in fact, one of the 'students' that stormed the walls and took hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Iran in 1979, he is a Terrorist that should be arrested the moment he sets foot in the USA for the next meeting of the United Nations. It is silly to believe that he has not been arrested because of diplomatic considerations. If that were true, Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Manuel Noriega of Panama would still be in power. Some other consideration is at work here that the C.I.A. and unnamed members of our government clearly support.
It did not take Ahmadinejad long to become an important part of the new government after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Unlike others who supported the revolution or took part in the embassy hostage affair only to find themselves eventually dead or disgraced because they butted heads with various influential Muslim clerics, Mahmoud has managed to speak his mind and remain intact. It was almost as if some unseen force (and it probably was not Allah) was protecting him, covering all his tracks and making others believe he was essential to their cause.
Since becoming President of Iran, Ahmadinejad has spoken his mind many times and not always agreed with the most influential of Muslim Clerics in his nation. He has taken these actions without any obvious fear of retribution that can be easily noticed. He has also done some other things that seem a bit strange for a man whom the western powers paint as a maniacal religious and political Ideolog.
While taking a more extreme religious stand on things like men and women using separate elevators in government buildings in Tehran as Mayor of that city, he advocated free and unrestricted travel from province to province (for both men and women) without the need for government issued documents or permissions after he became the nation's president. If people could travel without being tracked by the possession and use of permits, passes or visas, that could certainly benefit those who might want to do so secretly or without being detected.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad immediately went against the grain of most hard line clerics after being elected President in 2005 by suggesting a list of people to fill cabinet minister posts that were likely to support decisions to keep Iranian Oil flowing to the west regardless of the political or religious consequences. All the names on his list were summarily rejected by the Iranian Islamic Consultant Assembly (Parliament). He did the same thing after the 2009 election, again suggesting appointments that were rejected.
Ahmadinejad enjoys the public support of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who said that he should remain president for at least another five years just before the 2009 national election. Although he does not always agree with the clerics, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is good at maintaining the bottom line in Iran. Despite sanctions and economic downturns, he has managed to keep the economy on a steady path by reducing inflation and unemployment. However, it is generally agreed that his policies have benefitted the more affluent members of Iranian Society and hurt the poor. Is this on purpose?
Iranians with substantial assets probably have some influence with their government and are unlikely to agree with anything that threatens their wealth. That includes any calls to take the kind of provocative actions that might cause other nations to buy less Iranian Oil or isolate Iran as a rogue nation by passing economic sanctions against it. Although it always seems that Iran is trying to appear to be the bastion of Islamic jihad or extremism, not everyone in that nation wants such a reputation for their country and I believe that Ahmadinejad is one of those who does not despite his rhetoric.
If we carefully examine what Iran is evolving into as an Islamic Nation, we can see that the same two sides are at odds in that nation that have always been involved in a struggle for power. On one side there are those more affluent citizens (or those that want to be) who wish to enjoy their wealth unfettered by the unreasonable mandates of Islamic Clerics. On the other side there are the poor and somewhat economically stable in terms of low paying jobs that feel they have nothing to loose and heaven to gain by following and obeying the clerics.
Under the Iranian political system, the President of Iran does not possess the ability to act at will or make decisions that others will not support. He has to perform a delicate balancing act by saying one thing, doing another and keeping all sides reasonably satisfied. Is it unreasonable to believe that Ahmadinejad is doing just that and more by keeping extremist, devote and moderate elements of his nation feuding in a way that benefits the United States? While doing this, he has been working to greatly reduce poverty and, therefore, reduce the numbers of those who might tend to naturally support extremism or obey the clerics without objection.
Ahmadinejad is clearly interested in building up the middle class of his nation. He has called for the use of a special fund that comes from a portion of oil revenues to help young men get started in life with education, employment opportunities, the ability to purchase a home, business or property, and to be able to afford to get married and start a family. These are the basic elements needed to build a strong middle class that would be unlikely to support actions that might threaten their family or lifestyle.
Despite the appearance that he is not concerned with the rights or advancement of women in Iran due to his Islamic views, Ahmadinejad stated that he expects fifty percent of Iranian Men and Women to enroll in Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and other professional programs at various Universities throughout the nation as soon as they become old enough to do so. To help this along, he recently told a number of older teachers and professors at Iranian Universities that they would eventually have to retire or quit to make room for younger ones that would soon be ready to take their places. Once again we see a program aimed at creating a larger and more stable middle class.
The Ahmadinejad Government is often criticized for being corrupt and showing favoritism to political cronies. Some of Ahmadinejad's appointees have been discovered as frauds with fake university degrees. Why would he risk his position and reputation as a devote Muslim just to appoint people without the proper credentials? He probably would not unless someone told him to do this for reasons as yet unknown or unclear.
Despite his possible involvement with the 1979 embassy hostage crisis, rhetoric and the extreme positions he has taken against Christianity, Judaism and the ways of western civilization, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seems completely at ease when he visits the USA. He doesn't worry about being arrested, attacked or killed and appears more at ease then the reporters who cover his visits. Why? Considering his comments about Israel, I would think that someone in the Israeli Government would try to assassinate him when he travels abroad to protect the safety and interests of that nation...unless they were asked or told not to!
If we amputate many of the things that people have been lead to believe occur at his behest, Ahmadinejad's actions do not match up with his words. Remember, he is not the only one in charge and there are lots of factions that have access to arms and explosives made in Iran that could be exporting these things for use in terrorist acts. It is sad to believe that if he were a U.S. operative of some kind , all the munitions that flow out of Iran and cause harm to U.S. Soldiers might be considered to be a kind of 'collateral damage' worth the effort of keeping him in place. But let's face it, we have never been a nation that stands fully behind the members of our military or minds watching our best and brightest die just so that a particular foreign policy can be enforced.
Watching 'Homeland' answers the question of how someone that you believe could never be turned might respond to a particular argument, point of view or incident and move away from his or her core beliefs and national allegiances. Because we know so little about Ahmadinejad, it's entirely possible that the U.S. Government was able to exert influence or pressure on him in a manner that we cannot understand for lack of information.
I believe that if you take some time to consider the things I have pointed out, you will discovery that things just do not add up when it comes to our dealings with Iran and Ahmadinejad. From his obvious involvement in the 1979 hostage crisis and high level U.S. government and military denials of the same, to his actions which often run afoul of high level clerics despite his image as a devote Muslim and Islamic purist, none of it makes any sense unless Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is on the U.S, payroll in one way or another.
Return to Q's Commentaries.
View Q's Article Archive for all of his articles and commentaries (including older ones).
