Headquarters for Iran Regime Change To Be Located In Dubai

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U.S. Office of Middle East Imperialism

U.S. to sharpen focus on Iran
Office of Iran Affairs to 'facilitate change in Iranian policies'

CNN Washington Bureau
Thursday, March 2, 2006; Posted: 2:15 p.m. EST (19:15 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. State Department is creating a special office to deal with foreign policy changes related to Iran and to promote a democratic transition in the Islamic republic, State Department officials said Thursday.

"Certainly this signals the fact that we believe that Iran and Iranian behavior is one of the greatest foreign policy priorities we will be dealing with over the next decade," a State Department official said.

The creation of the Iran office comes on the heels of an announcement last month by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of a $75 million State Department initiative to support democracy in Iran through intensified cultural exchanges, increased programs for democratic advocates and expanded broadcasting into the country.

When asked directly whether the office is being created to promote regime change in Iran, the senior official said the office is being created "to facilitate a change in Iranian policies and actions."

Several new positions are being created worldwide for the new Iran office. In addition to beefing up Washington-based staff working on Iran, a regional center will be built in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to focus on neighboring Iran with four new foreign service posts and four local employees to do outreach.

full report: http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/02/us.iran/index.html