US Middle East commander quits

[Elspeth]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/11/usa.israelandthepalestinians

US Middle East commander quits



The top US military commander in the Middle East is stepping down days after a magazine profile reported he was trying to block US military action against Iran.

Admiral William Fallon, the head of US Central Command, was described in an Esquire article published last week as a lone voice within the administration arguing for restraint.

The article's author, Thomas Barnett, had predicted that if Admiral Fallon was pushed out of his job "it may well mean that the president and vice-president intend to take military action against Iran before the end of this year and don't want a commander standing in their way".

The article and resignation together put US military action against Iran back on the agenda at a time when it had been generally assumed around the world that is was no longer a serious option before the end of George Bush's presidency next January.

The defence secretary, Robert Gates, denied Fallon's departure signaled an attack on Iran, dismissing the suggestion as "ridiculous".

Fallon also denounced the article, describing it as "poison pen stuff ... disrespectful and ugly."

But the surprise resignation reignited speculation in Washington and the Middle East that military action, prompted by Iran's nuclear programme or its alleged involvement in the Iraqi insurgency, was under consideration in the White House and Pentagon....