Clinton: Iran Is Becoming a Military Dictatorship

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today that Iran is becoming a military dictatorship, a new US accusation in the midst of rising tensions with Iran over its nuclear ambitions and crackdown on anti-government protesters. Speaking to Arab students at Carnegie Mellon's Doha campus, Clinton said Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps appears to have gained so much power that it effectively is supplanting the government. "Iran is moving toward a military dictatorship," she said. "That is our view."

Asked if the US is planning a military attack on Iran, Clinton said "no." The US is focused on gaining international support for sanctions "that will be particularly aimed at those enterprises controlled by the Revolutionary Guard," she said. She added: "I'm not predicting what will happen but I think the trend with this greater and greater military lock on leadership decisions should be disturbing to Iranians as well as those of us on the outside." (More Iran stories.)