Presidential Findings are used to authorize the CIA to undertake covert operations and must be approved by the President. Contrary to what some people might believe, the CIA does not undertake such missions without proper authorization. Under the law, the CIA must have an official presidential finding to carry out covert actions. The CIA may mount covert "collection" operations without a presidential finding.
Such "Presidential Findings" are kept secret but reported to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and other key congressional leaders. The Intelligence Authorization Act of 1991, requires that Presidential Findings be reported to the intelligence committees as soon as possible after being approved and before the initiation of the covert action authorized by the finding.
In May of 2007 President George W. Bush issued a Presidential Finding authorizing covert "black" operations aimed at destabilizing the Iranian government. The sources (current and former officials in the intelligence community) say that the CIA developed the covert plan over the previous year and received approval from White House officials and other officials in the intelligence community.
Also briefed on the CIA proposal, according to intelligence sources, were National Security Advisor Steve Hadley and Deputy National Security Advisor Elliott Abrams.
"The entire plan has been blessed by Abrams, in particular," said one intelligence source familiar with the plan. "And Hadley had to put his chop on it."
Abrams' last involvement with attempting to destabilize a foreign government led to criminal charges.
ABC News
Representative James McDermott (D WA-7) spoke out against this authorization on the floor of the House of Representatives on 23 May 2007. In his remarks he made references to the article from ABC News.
... the United States has supported and encouraged an Iranian militant group, Jundullah, that has conducted deadly raids inside Iran from bases on the rugged Iran-Pakistan-Afghanistan "tri-border region."
U.S. officials deny any "direct funding" of Jundullah groups but say the leader of Jundullah was in regular contact with U.S. officials.
Direct funding was not used in support of the jihadists in Afghanistan as they the fought the Soviet Army, but rather US taxpayer monies were funneled to them from the CIA through the Pakistani intelligence service, the ISI.
American intelligence sources say Jundullah has received money and weapons through the Afghanistan and Pakistan military and Pakistan's intelligence service. Pakistan has officially denied any connection.
A report broadcast on Iranian TV last Sunday said Iranian authorities had captured 10 men crossing the border with $500,000 in cash along with "maps of sensitive areas" and "modem spy equipment." A senior Pakistani official told ABCNews.com the 10 men were members of Jundullah.
The leader of the Jundullah group, according to the Pakistani official, has been recruiting and training "hundreds of men" for "unspecified missions" across the border in Iran.
Rawstory.com has more here.
The above portion of this diary reports on events from 2007.
Now let us return to the present.
For those who might still be unaware, on the morning of 18 October a suicide attack against Iran's Revolutionary Guards killed 42 people, including six senior commanders. Responsibility was quickly claimed by dissident Baluchi group, Jundullah.
Juan Cole on his post of 18 October has more:
Baluchis are Sunnis and speak another Iranian language, Baluch, and there are substantial discontents in that province with the rule of the Persian Shiites. The province is vast geographically, but small with regard to population-- a little over 2 million. It is among the poorest provinces in Iran and the most neglected by Iran's authorities. It has been harmed by the spill-over of ethnic violence from Pakistan and Afghanistan, by the drug trade, and by religious radicalization. The mastermind of 9/11, Khalid Shaikh Muhammad, is a Baluch from Pakistan brought up in Kuwait, and he is alleged to have had ties to radical Sunni Baluch groups, some of which later congealed into Jundullah.
The Iranian state is aware of the unhappiness of the Baluch and was attempting to stage a reconciliation meeting with tribal leaders, perhaps influenced by the way the US military dealt with Dulaim tribal chieftains in al-Anbar, Iraq. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards, having come out on top in the recent political turmoil in Iran, spear-headed the reconciliation drive, and thus were targeted by Jundullah, who do not want reconciliation. Presumably they were tipped off by tribal allies in Sarbaz.
Jundollah accuses Iran's Shiite led government of discrimination against Sunnis in the remote southeast desert region, and this group has been blamed for several similar incidents over the last few years.
Iranian officials accused the United States and Britain of involvement in this recent incident, and Pakistan of cooperating with them. Washington denies the charge and condemned the attack.
In the past Iran has accused the US of supporting Jundollah in order to stir up trouble in the border area and has also linked them to the Sunni Islamist al-Qaeda network.
It will be interesting to see what becomes of the Iranian investigation into this incident.
Readers' thoughts and comments are welcome.