WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in a move to broaden pressure on Tehran's theocratic regime, asked Congress on Wednesday to sharply increase spending to promote democracy in Iran, from $10 million to $85 million this year.
The money would be used to support political opposition and civil society groups in Iran, increase U.S. broadcasting into the country and underwrite more student study in the United States, Rice said.
"No one wants to see a Middle East that is dominated by an Iranian hegemony, particularly one that has access to nuclear technology," Rice said, appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The move reflects the Bush administration's recognition that diplomatic efforts to halt Tehran's nuclear program face long odds and attempts to reform the regime from the inside may offer one of the best chances for keeping it free of nuclear weapons.
But Iranian officials, who are highly sensitive to signs of foreign influence, are likely to point to the effort as another example of U.S. meddling and try to use it to foster anti-Americanism and build support for the regime, analysts said.
The United Nations Security Council is considering a report by the world body's nuclear watchdog agency that Iran is in breach of agreements intended to provide safeguards on the country's nuclear program, which Tehran insists is peaceful but which the U.S. and European nations believe is aimed at developing nuclear weapons.
As outlined by Rice, $50 million of the new outlay would allow the United States to broadcast Farsi-language programs 24 hours a day. Another $15 million would be earmarked for increasing participation in the political process, including measures such as expanded Internet access. The administration hopes to spend $5 million to fund scholarships and fellowships for young Iranians, and the State Department said $5 million "would go to public diplomacy efforts aimed at Iran, including its Persian-language website."
Jon Wolfsthal, a proliferation expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said spending more to transmit broadcasts into Iran would probably have limited impact, considering that many Iranians have satellite dishes and can watch foreign programming. He said that although promoting democracy was worthwhile, "there has to be a recognition that the Iranian regime has a stable hold.... This can't be a substitute for a broader policy" to restrain the country's nuclear ambitions.
