Iran is smack dab in the middle of the East v West theater. Quite literally and metaphorically.
On the west is Turkey, Iraq and the persian gulf. Across the Persian gulf, to the SW, is Saudi, UAE. To it's east is Pakistan, Afghanistan,
Turkmenistan. To it's north is the Caspian, Azerjaiban, Armenia. To the north of them is Georgia. Russia lies across the Caspian to Iran.
Russia ships unrefined oil, arms and technology through the Caspian to Iran. Iran ships back refined oil. Iran plans to build another large refinery
within the next 5 years for this purpose.
America was working with Turkmenistan to build a pipeline under the Caspian through azerbaijan, Armenia, and into Turkey. Thus, to America and to
Europe.
Cheney also wanted his
pipeline through Afghanistan. Which would link up to the Arabian,
thus to US.
The caspian is also estimated to be worth $4 trillion in natural resources.
But Caspian oil, landlocked between Russia, Iran and former Soviet republics, presents formidable transport challenges. Afghanistan is strategically
located near the Caspian Sea. In 1994, the U.S. State Department and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency sought to install a stable regime
in Afghanistan to enhance the prospects for Western oil pipelines. They financed, armed and trained the Taliban in its civil war against the Northern
Alliance.
But Afghanistan is not nearly close enough. Iran is the hotseat- well, Georgia failed, anyway. Five bucks we drop Afghanistan if Iran is and goes as
planned. Well, maybe not. We'd be locked in pretty tight if we got that squared off and bought out Turkmenistan. Oh wait, we coudn't let those
poppies go to waste.