Reason #237 For Bombing Iran: Iranians Pledge $25 Million To Afghan Lawmakers To Sabotage U.S./Afghan Alliance

As if we needed another reason to turn the nation of Iran into a parking lot of glass, the Iranians are now being reported as offering bribes to Afghan parliament members to vote against any future alliance between Afghanistan and America.

I'm still waiting to hear Reason #1 for NOT bombing the mullahs.

The story comes from MEMRI.

Afghan Website: Iran Gives $25 Million To Afghan MPs To Vote Against Afghan-U.S. Strategic Partnership Pact

An Afghan website reports that Iran has earmarked $25 million to be given to Afghan lawmakers in exchange for their vote against the Afghan-U.S. Strategic Partnership Agreement, which was signed by U.S. President Barack Obama and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai recently.

The bilateral agreement is scheduled for a parliamentary vote tomorrow (May 26, 2012). According to a report on the Afghan website pajhwok.com, "a colossal amount of money" has been given by Iran to Hazrat Ali, a member of Afghan parliament, to persuade other lawmakers to vote against the pact, a charge denied by the Iranians.

"Iran has earmarked $25 million for blocking the parliamentary approval of the Afghan-U.S. Strategic Partnership Agreement, a knowledgeable source said on Thursday, [May 24, 2012]. The neighboring country has allegedly paid a colossal amount of money to Wolesi Jirga [parliament] member Hazrat Ali in return for opposing the deal...

"Although the Iranian embassy in Kabul denied the claim as preposterous, the source insisted that Hazrat Ali – a public representative from Nangarhar province – had been tasked with convincing other MPs to reject the agreement. Already endorsed by foreign affairs commissions in both houses [of the Afghan parliament], the accord is expected to be presented for approval before the Wolesi Jirga on Saturday, [May 26, 2012].

"Other countries in the region have not yet overtly opposed the agreement, but the Iranian ambassador to Afghanistan recently met the Senate chairman in Kabul and urged him to block its approval. A knowledgeable source, who did not wish to be named, confided to Pajhwok Afghan News that Hazrat Ali would distribute the cash to other legislators. Ali is believed to have paid between $5,000 to $10,000 each to MPs who are ready to ensure that the pact fails to pass through the assembly.

"The official, refusing to specify the amount [given to] the recipients of the Iranian money, revealed that the spouse of Ali – a former warlord – was an Iranian citizen and that he owned a residence in Mashhad, [Iran]. Despite serious efforts, Pajhwok could not reach Ali for comment. His side of the story, whenever this news agency receives it, will be duly publicized.

"On International Mother's Day, which was celebrated on May 13, Pakistani and Iranian spy services paid $10,000 to each of the six female members of Afghanistan’s lower house [of parliament]. The real objective behind the payments was mobilizing parliamentary opposition to the pact, the source said, adding that the cash recipients included Shah Gul Rezaee (Ghazni) and Farishta Amini (Nimroz)."