America is taking a hard look at its prewar intelligence regarding Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. In a February 18 report, Stratfor raised an important fact to consider.
Much of the intelligence came from the Iraqi National Council, a group opposed to Saddam Hussein and led by Ahmad Chalabi, who has since served as a linchpin in the Iraqi Governing Council. What is interesting is how chummy this Iraqi Shiite is with Iran.
Stratfor made the following connections: “First, Chalabi was extremely close to the Iranians prior to the war. Second, he provided much of Washington’s prewar intelligence on Iraq. Third, no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq. Fourth, the Iranians, along with the Iraqi Shia, are the main beneficiaries of the U.S. invasion. In that case, who Chalabi was and whose interests he actually was serving become the central questions.”
It appears the U.S. would have invaded Iraq regardless of wmd. But if the intelligence was faulty (which still has yet to be proven), how much did Iran influence this critical step in the buildup to the war?