# U.S. troops authorized to kill or capture Iranian agents in Iraq **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 26, 2007, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599 "2007-01-26T18:34:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/1 "2007-01-26T18:34:32Z")
Stories [here](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012502199.html) and [here.](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/26/world/main2400710.shtml) As opposed the “catch and release” policy the troops have been following up to now to avoid antagonizing Iran. Will this help any? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/2 "2007-01-26T19:00:06Z")
What, we didn’t want to antagonize Iran? Coulda fooled me. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/3 "2007-01-26T19:01:09Z")
I’m all for it, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/4 "2007-01-26T19:02:20Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Stories [here](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012502199.html) and [here.](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/26/world/main2400710.shtml) As opposed the “catch and release” policy the troops have been following up to now to avoid antagonizing Iran. Will this help any? [/QUOTE] “Catch and release”? What, were these dolphins? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/5 "2007-01-26T19:40:44Z")
Iranians in Iraq are not entitled to any special status. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/6 "2007-01-26T19:43:09Z")
Oh, I dunno. “Dead” is not a special status? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/7 "2007-01-26T19:44:49Z")
They sound like the classic definition of enemy combatants, myself. If Iran doesn’t want to be antagonized, they know what they ought to do. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/8 "2007-01-26T20:04:10Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] They sound like the classic definition of enemy combatants, myself. [/QUOTE] That depends on what they’re doing. I expect that someone’ll end up bombing an Iranian boyscout troop that’s come to Tikrit to organize crossborder rugby matches; despite the safeguards Condi’s insisted upon. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/9 "2007-01-26T20:12:32Z")
Well, safeguards ought to be on the other side too. Why aren’t Iranian “den mothers” keeping their young charges out of a dangerous country? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/10 "2007-01-26T20:33:30Z")
We’re, as usual, playing right into their hands. Increasing hostility and threat levels creates the same “rally round the flag” impulse in a Persian as it does in an American. If we specificly wanted nothing more than to strenthen the position of the mullahs in Iran, this is the way to go about it. I would have thought that obvious. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/11 "2007-01-26T20:44:18Z")
Maybe they are playing right into OUR hands, ehe? 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/12 "2007-01-26T21:22:40Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Iranians in Iraq are not entitled to any special status. [/QUOTE] The question is, what are our goals vis-a-vis both Iran and Iraq, and will this further those goals? If we want to raise tensions with Iran, or if we don’t, but are willing to accept that as a consequence of whatever difference this will make in taming Iraq, then it makes sense. Otherwise, it doesn’t. There are clearly people in our Administration who want to pick a fight with Iran. I think they’re crazy. I also don’t see that whether or not we kill a few of these operatives will make more than the most trivial difference in the state of play in Iraq. So IMHO, this is stupid because it harms _us_. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/13 "2007-01-26T21:24:30Z")
[QUOTE=RTFirefly] I also don’t see that whether or not we kill a few of these operatives will make more than the most trivial difference in the state of play in Iraq. [/QUOTE] What if they’re funnelling weapons to the insurgents? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/14 "2007-01-26T21:33:03Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] What if they’re funnelling weapons to the insurgents? [/QUOTE] [Scant evidence found of Iran-Iraq arms link](http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraniraq23jan23,0,4316481.story?coll=la-home-headlines). Keep in mind a basic rule; when America says something, it’s probably lying. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/15 "2007-01-26T21:45:04Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] What if they’re funnelling weapons to the insurgents? [/QUOTE] They’d have to be some damned impressive weapons. Remember the huge munitions dump at al-Qaqaa that was a big story about a week before the 2004 election? [Apparently it was just a small fraction of the munitions floating around Iraq.](http://www.slate.com/id/2108888/). ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-troops-authorized-to-kill-or-capture-iranian-agents-in-iraq/389599/16 "2007-01-27T01:33:36Z")
> [@](#): > > **Mr. Moto** : They sound like the classic definition of enemy combatants, myself. How so? Please be specific. What _is_ an enemy combatant and how do these people fit the definition? > [@](#): > > If Iran doesn’t want to be antagonized, they know what they ought to do. The same thing that Americans ought to do if they don’t want to be antagonized, right?