Judging Iran

Is this just another one of those hollow lawsuits finding a state sponsor of terrorism that will fly away with the dust, like one just a few weeks ago where a judge found Iran complicit in the African Embassy bombings? Or is it something more?

Janice Kephart, who authored a separate monograph on the terrorists’ travel for the Commission, told the court that travel facilitation was not just a coincidence. It was “like a military operation” and was “crucial military support” for the 9/11 plot, she said. Fleming and Mellon explained that Iran sent its top terrorist operative, Imad Fayez Mugniyeh, to Saudi Arabia and Lebanon on several trips to accompany eight to ten of the “muscle” hijackers back to Iran. This was critical, they said, because the hijackers needed to reach al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan for briefings on the 9/11 operation. But because they were traveling on new Saudi passports and either already had or intended to get U.S. visas, the U.S. might refuse them entry if they had Iranian or Afghan entry stamps. So without Iran’s decision to allow the future hijackers invisible passage to and from Afghanistan — without stamping their passports — the 9/11 attacks might never have occurred.

So it appears this judge will rule against the Iranians.  It's part of the same lawsuit posted about here, wherein the lawyers for a widow of one of the pilots of United 175 claimed that on the morning of 9/11 Atta's cellphone was dialed by an Iranian-born flight instructor who worked in Florida.

One has to wonder about the timing of this suit what with all the hoopla over Iran of late, including weird explosions and rumors of war and such, although it's doubtful the courts were trying to help or hurt Obama.  The government has been priming the pump since summer, after all.  Presumably the verdict was reached based on secret evidence the public won't be hearing, which seems to give it more credibility, although most of it seems to hinge on three defectors. And we've been there before with Iraq.   Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how 1) the elite press reacts, and if so, whether they'll pepper Jay Carney for a White House response, and 2) how Iran will react.

As to complicity, if true it would throw the entire Sunni vs Shia paradigm on its ear and also perhaps bring in other state-sponsor players, going back to the ra-ra cheerleading of Muslim leaders like Hassan Turabi of Sudan back in the 90s, who tried to bring everyone together in the fight against the west.  Who knows, maybe it worked.  After Khobar Towers--and perhaps TWA 800--it's possible the terrorists thought Iran was untouchable.  If it did, perhaps Bush's actions make more sense in trying to surround the Mullahs.  But if it did, the bigger question is what Obama is going to do about it.