saber rattling

As Bush builds up for an invasion of Iran (Ominous Note: The US has just moved another aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf...for the first time since the Iraq invasion), we are also trying to track down illegal sales of weapons to Iran. Interestingly, we seem to be one such source.

In the tangled web of arms sales that the United States chooses to participate in, you never know where your auctioned off weapons might go. From the Fresno Bee:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Fighter jet parts and other sensitive U.S. military gear seized from front companies for Iran and brokers for China have been traced in criminal cases to a surprising source: the Pentagon.

In one case, federal investigators said, contraband purchased in Defense Department surplus auctions was delivered to Iran...

In that instance, a Pakistani arms broker convicted of exporting U.S. missile parts to Iran resumed business after his release from prison. He purchased Chinook helicopter engine parts for Iran from a U.S. company that had bought them in a Pentagon surplus sale. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents say those parts did make it to Iran.

Sensitive military surplus items are supposed to be demilitarized or "de-milled" - rendered useless for military purposes - or, if auctioned, sold only to buyers who promise to obey U.S. arms embargoes, export controls and other laws.