2 indicted after HSI investigation for alleged efforts to supply Iran with US materials for gas centrifuges to enrich uranium

Accused Iranian procurement agent arrested in the Philippines

WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia has returned a superseding indictment charging Parviz Khaki, a citizen of Iran, and Zongcheng Yi, a resident of China, for their alleged efforts to obtain and illegally export to Iran U.S.-origin materials that can be used to construct, operate and maintain gas centrifuges to enrich uranium, including maraging steel, aluminum alloys, mass spectrometers, vacuum pumps and other items. Khaki is also accused of conspiring to procure radioactive source materials from the United States for customers in Iran. The indictment is the result of an extensive investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The superseding indictment, which was returned late yesterday, was announced by ICE Director John Morton; Assistant Attorney General for National Security Lisa Monaco; and U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., District of Columbia.

The superseding indictment charges Khaki, age 43, aka Martin, and Yi, aka Yi Cheng, aka Kohler, aka Kohler Yi, each with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by conspiring with others to cause the export of U.S. goods to Iran without the required U.S. Treasury Department license. Both defendants are also charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States; two counts of smuggling; two counts of illegally exporting U.S. goods to Iran in violation of IEEPA; and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Khaki was arrested May 24, 2012, by authorities in the Philippines in connection with a U.S. provisional arrest request stemming from a March 8, 2012 indictment in the District of Columbia. Yi, who is purported to be the managing director of Monalila Co. LTD, a company in Guangzhou City, China, remains at large.

Both defendants face a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiring to violate IEEPA; five years in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States; ten years in prison for each smuggling count; 20 years in prison for each IEEPA count and 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.

"By dismantling this complex conspiracy to deliver nuclear-related materials from the United States to Iran, we have disrupted a significant threat to national security," said ICE Director Morton. "Homeland Security Investigations will continue to pursue those who exploit U.S. businesses to illegally supply foreign governments with sensitive materials and technology that pose a serious risk to America and its allies."

"Today's indictment sheds light on the reach of Iran's illegal procurement networks and the importance of keeping U.S. nuclear-related materials from being exploited by Iran. Iranian procurement networks continue to target U.S. and Western companies for technology acquisition by using fraud, front companies and middlemen in nations around the globe. I applaud the authorities in the Philippines and the many U.S. agents, analysts and prosecutors who worked on this important case," said Assistant Attorney General Monaco.

"This new indictment shows that we have no tolerance for those who try to traffic in commodities that can be used to support Iran's nuclear program," said U.S. Attorney Machen. "It also underscores our commitment to aggressively enforcing export laws."

According to the indictment, from around October 2008 through January 2011, Khaki, Yi and others conspired to cause the export of goods from the United States to Iran in violation of the embargo. At no time during this period did the defendants have a license or authorization from the Treasury Department to export any U.S. goods to Iran.

In carrying out the conspiracy, the indictment alleges that Khaki directed Yi and others to contact U.S. companies about purchasing U.S.-origin goods. Yi and other conspirators then placed orders and purchased goods from various U.S. companies and had the goods exported from the United States through China and Hong Kong to Khaki and others in Iran. Yi and others allegedly made a variety of false statements to U.S. companies on behalf of Khaki to conceal that Iran was the final destination and end-user of the goods and to convince U.S. companies to export these items to a third country.

Efforts to Export to Iran U.S. Materials for Gas Centrifuges to Enrich Uranium

For example, the indictment alleges that Dec. 6, 2008, Khaki asked an individual in China to obtain 20 tons of C-350 maraging steel from the United States for Khaki's customer in Iran. In the months that followed, Khaki also had communications with Yi about purchasing 20 tons of maraging steel from a U.S. company with which Yi was in contact. Maraging steel is a special class of high-strength steel known for possessing superior strength without losing malleability. The enhanced strength of maraging steel makes it particularly suited for use in gas centrifuges for uranium enrichment.

In March 2009, Khaki allegedly began communicating with an undercover U.S. federal agent posing as an illegal exporter of U.S. goods. The agent told Khaki that the U.S. company (referenced above) could not sell Khaki the maraging steel because doing so was illegal, but that he (the undercover agent) could potentially help export the steel for a fee. Khaki allegedly replied to the agent with questions about price and payment. In the months that followed, Khaki continued to communicate with the agent in an effort to acquire and export the maraging steel to Iran, noting in one instance, "you know and I know this material are [sic] limited material and danger goods..." Khaki also discussed his desire to make money from the transaction.

The indictment also alleges that in late 2008, Khaki reached out to an individual in China about procuring 20 tons of 7075-O aluminum alloy 80mm rods and 20 tons of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy 150 mm rods from the United States or Europe. In one communication, Khaki explained to the individual that the aluminum alloy had to be American made because his Iranian customer had previously found that Chinese aluminum alloy was of poor quality.

Khaki also allegedly sought to obtain mass spectrometers from the United States. In a May 2009 email request to the undercover federal agent, Khaki specified that one magnetic mass spectrometer he sought was for the isotopic analysis of gaseous uranium hexafluoride. Uranium hexafluoride is the chemical compound used in the gas centrifuge process to enrich uranium. Khaki and Yi also conspired to obtain other items from U.S. companies that can be used for gas centrifuges, including measuring instruments, pressure transducers, vacuum pumps and other accessories, according to the charges.

Efforts to Export to Iran Radioactive Materials

The indictment further alleges that Khaki sought to obtain radioactive source materials from the United States. In May 2009, for instance, Khaki sent an email to the undercover agent asking the agent to purchase radioactive sources and test materials from a U.S. company. Attached to the email was a list of products, including barium-133 source and europium-152 source, as well as contact information for the U.S. company.

In January 2011, Khaki contacted the undercover agent again requesting that he purchase various radioactive sources. In one email to the agent, Khaki allegedly sent a product catalogue for radioactive sources, including cobalt-57 source, and in another email he requested the agent purchase cadmium-109 source.

Exports to Iran of Lathes and Nickel Alloy Wire through Hong Kong, China

The indictment alleges the defendants caused the illegal export of lathes and nickel alloy 120 wire from the United States through China to Iran. In February 2009, Khaki asked Yi to contact a U.S. company about procuring two Twister Speed Lathes. Yi allegedly purchased these items and arranged for them to be shipped from the United States to Hong Kong and ultimately to Iran in June 2009.

In another transaction Jan. 26, 2009, Khaki allegedly asked a conspirator to contact a U.S. company about purchasing nickel alloy 120. At Khaki's request, the conspirator sent a U.S. company an order for nickel alloy, falsely stating that a company in China was the purchaser. In June 2009, the U.S. company shipped the nickel alloy to Yi in Hong Kong, who shipped it on to Iran, according to the charges.

This investigation was conducted by HSI special agents. Assistance was provided by authorities in the Philippines. The prosecution is being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Brandon L. Van Grack of the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department's National Security Division. The Office of International Affairs in the Justice Department's Criminal Division also provided assistance.

The magnitude and scope of the threats facing the United States has never been greater than today. This is due in part to individuals exporting military items overseas and sending products to sanctioned or embargoed countries. This jeopardizes the safety of our soldiers, citizens and national interests. HSI aims to prevent terrorist groups and hostile nations from illegally obtaining U.S. military products and sensitive technology, including weapons of mass destruction. The Counter-Proliferation Investigations Unit, part HSI's National Security Investigations Division, oversees a broad range of investigations related to export law violations. It enforces U.S. export laws involving military items and controlled dual-use goods, as well as products going to sanctioned or embargoed countries. Learn more at www.ICE.gov/HSI.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains mere allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Close Coordination Keeps Nuclear Weapons from Terrorists, Official Says

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 17, 2012 – Continued close integration and coordination between federal agencies and their partner organizations is critical to safeguarding nuclear weapons and materials from terrorists, a senior defense official said yesterday.

Speaking to an audience at the Nuclear Deterrence Summit here, Steve Henry, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear matters, described how integration between the Defense Department, National Nuclear Security Administration, laboratories and other federal agencies is key to preventing terrorists from gaining access to nuclear weapons and material.

Henry said his office’s integration with the NNSA expands efforts across issues ranging from nuclear nonproliferation, Navy reactors, emergency operations, nuclear security and counterterrorism.

The interface between agencies is part of what President Barack Obama called “looking at countering the single biggest threat to the United States’ security,” he said.

“In his words, ‘just one nuclear weapon exploded in an American city would devastate our way of life and constitute nothing less than a catastrophe for the world,’” Henry quoted. “For this reason, as the most recent nuclear posture review outlined, the series of policies reflect the gravity of this threat.

“We work closely with NNSA nuclear nonproliferation to align programs, expand efforts to improve global nuclear security and avoid redundant efforts to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons or nuclear materials getting into the hands of terrorist organizations,” he added.

Henry cited periodic meetings that assist in reviewing programs, the status in such areas as international engagement, and with counterterrorism and counter proliferation.

“These meetings have created several standing working groups … including technical expert groups, involving our policy counterparts and program leads,” he said. “We work together to better understand the threat and the appropriate response to a common understanding of the threat.”

Their collaboration has led to the development of a technology display at the Nuclear Security Symposium in Seoul, Korea, he said.

Henry co-chairs the Nuclear Weapons Accident and Incidents Response Steering Group with members from the Joint Staff, each military service, U.S. European Command, U.S. Northern Command, Homeland Security Department, Federal Aviation Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and the Agriculture Department.

“We’re continuing to refine our nuclear weapons incident plans to bring the full strength of the federal resources to bear in the unlikely event that we have a nuclear accident or in the event of a lost or stolen nuclear weapon,” he said.

In 2004, Henry said, the NATO-Russia Council made a multilateral agreement that several nations, including the United States, would host a demonstration of nuclear accident response as “confidence-building measures.”

Russia hosted the first one in 2004 in Romansk, followed by the United Kingdom in 2005 in Edinburgh, he said. The Defense Department and NNSA hosted the demonstration at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in 2006, and the French hosted it in France in 2007.

They also have supported the NATO staff in having follow-on NATO-Russia Council exercises “involving how we would respond to an improvised nuclear device, and that’s happened the last two years,” he added.

Henry said it is imperative to nuclear-related organizations to stay focused on the challenge of nuclear deterrence even when there is sometimes friction between agencies.

“But that’s healthy,” he said. “I don’t think we can succeed without close integration between DOD and NNSA, as well as any of the other departments that take part in this effort.”

Panetta Urges Tougher Sanctions on Iran

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By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today called for tougher economic and diplomatic pressures on Iran in light of a new International Atomic Energy Agency report on Iran’s continued nuclear activities.

The United States is in discussions with its allies about what additional sanctions to impose on Iran following the report released Nov. 8 that indicates a continued nuclear weapons program, Panetta said at a Pentagon news conference.

However, referring to remarks he said Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu made today, Panetta said military action against Iran “ought to be a last resort.”

The United States has made clear that it’s “unacceptable” for Iran to develop a nuclear capability, Panetta said. “We have made that point time and time again, and we have taken steps and implemented sanctions to make that clear to Iran,” he said.

However, the IAEA report reflects what intelligence assessments already have revealed about Iran’s continued activities, he said.

“We have always made the point that they continue to try to develop a threshold capability with regard to their nuclear capacity,” he said. “But at the same time, there continue to be divisions within Iran as to whether or not to build a bomb itself.”

“So, in many ways, the IAEA report pretty much indicates that they continue to work on that capability,” he said.

The fact that this respected international organization has come to this determination “raises serious concerns that Iran continues to flaunt international rules and standards,” Panetta said.

The secretary emphasized Iran’s responsibilities as a signatory to the nonproliferation treaty. “They have to abide by international standards … and international rules,” he said.“And obviously, the report from the IAEA just indicates that that is just not the case.”

The findings make it “very clear that additional sanctions need to be applied,” he said. “It is important that the world come together to apply sanctions against Iran and make very clear to them that they are going to pay a heavy price if they continue along this track.”

Panetta expressed hope that Iran will abandon its efforts. “As to what happens down the road, I think our hope is that we don’t reach that point, and that Iran decides that it should join the international family,” he said.

Report Seems to Affirm Suspicions of Iran's Nuclear Program

By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2011 - A new report by the United Nation's nuclear watchdog group seems to affirm that Iran's nuclear interests are not just for peaceful purposes, a senior Defense Department official said here today.

Pentagon Press Secretary George Little addressed the International Atomic Energy Agency report during a meeting with Pentagon reporters.

"The IAEA report is something people are taking a look at inside the department," Little said. "The sense is that the report affirms what we believed about Iran and the program.

"The bottom line here is, Iran has been non-transparent with the international community about its intentions," he continued. "With respect to its nuclear program, the United States and many other countries have called on Iran to abide by its international obligations."

The IAEA circulated the report yesterday to its board of governors and the U.N. Security Council, but has not released it, according to the agency's website. The agency found that Iran is developing weapons with its nuclear material, according to press reports.

The IAEA board of governors is scheduled to address the report at its Nov. 17 meeting in Vienna, Austria.

"It's important for them to change their behavior and provide transparency into their nuclear program," Little said of Iran's government in Tehran.

WMD Central

Part 2: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Our interview continues with Dr. Vahid Majidi, head of our Weapons of Mass Destruction, or WMD, Directorate, which marked its fifth anniversary on July 26.

Q. Can you provide a few examples of successful WMD investigations over the past five years?

Dr. Majidi: We’ve managed quite a few cases actually, including our first major counterproliferation investigation that involved two Iranian men and one Iranian-American who were charged in California with conspiring to export certain technologies from the U.S. to Iran. Other examples include a Texas man charged with possessing 62 pounds of sodium cyanide; a government contractor in Tennessee charged with trying to sell restricted U.S. Department of Energy materials; and a Nevada man charged with possessing deadly ricin. (Note: see the sidebar for more examples.)

Q. What has the FBI learned over the past five years?

Dr. Majidi: Quite a bit. For some time, we’ve had WMD coordinators in every one of our field offices. But we realize that for WMD prevention to be truly comprehensive, we need to think and act globally. So that’s why—in addition to our network of legal attaché offices and agents around the world—we’ve recently put our first WMD coordinators overseas, in our offices in Tbilsi and Singapore. We also have personnel assigned to Interpol to help it develop an international WMD training program like ours.

Q. What kind of work is done overseas?

Dr. Majidi: It runs the gamut. For instance, several years ago, after an interdiction of highly enriched uranium in Georgia in the former Soviet Union, our WMD experts performed a forensic analysis of the material and then testified in Georgian courts. And when the Russian defector in London was poisoned with a radioactive isotope in 2006, our WMD personnel shadowed London Metropolitan Police during the ensuing investigation to develop lessons learned to help us prepare for such a scenario here. Through it all, we’ve built some strong relationships with our global partners.

Q. What are the WMD Directorate’s plans for the next five years?

Dr. Majidi: The basic knowledge and material that go into making weapons of mass destruction is becoming more readily available to anyone, anywhere in the world as the Information Age matures. That’s why we’ll continue to be all about partnerships—locally, nationally, and internationally. We’ll also focus even more on threats on the horizon. For example, we’ll look at emerging developments like synthetic biology from a preventative point of view. By collaborating with the synthetic biology community, we can articulate our safety and security concerns as they relate to weapons of mass destruction. We’ll also be improving our threat analysis capabilities to better spot potential WMD opportunities, potential WMD vulnerabilities, and gaps in our intelligence collection.

Q. What can the average citizen do to assist law enforcement with the WMD threat?

Dr. Majidi: Keep in mind that to develop weapons of mass destruction, you only need two things: the material and the know-how. So please, if you see anything suspicious or in a place where it doesn’t belong, report it to local law enforcement or your closest FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. It could be just the tip we need to stop something serious.

WMD Case Highlights

Some additional FBI cases in recent years that have received valuable assistance from the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate:

- A plot in the Bronx to bomb synagogues and shoot down planes is foiled.

- A Texas resident is charged with attempting to make an improvised explosive device.

- An Illinois courthouse and a Dallas skyscraper are targets of separate bombing plots.

- A man who knew how to make the deadly toxin ricin—and had built his own weapons lab—is sentenced for threatening a federal prosecutor.

- A Colorado man who plotted to bomb the New York City subway system pleads guilty.

- Six members of a Michigan militia group and two others are charged with attempted use of weapons of mass destruction.

U.S. General: 'Jury Still Out' on Flow of Weapons From Iran

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 7, 2007 - Though U.S. officials now believe Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program four years ago, the jury is still out on the extent to which Tehran is influencing the battlefield in Iraq, two senior officers said at a Pentagon news conference today. The new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran has caused "no course correction" on the Joint Staff, Marine Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, the Joint Staff's director of strategic plans and policy, said.

"We take the (National Intelligence Estimate) on board as we look at the country of Iran," he said. "The Iranians have said officially they would not support nefarious activities -- movements of weapons and materials into Iraq and Afghanistan."

The intelligence estimate says Iran stopped its covert nuclear weapons program in 2003. The White House released an unclassified version of the estimate Dec. 3. While the Iranian government continues closure of its covert nuclear weapons program, the country restarted its uranium enrichment program in 2005, the report states. The material made from this could be used to fuel atomic bombs.

Iran also was supplying weapons, training and finances to Iraqi insurgents, but there have been indications that Iran has stopped this practice. "The frequency of spectacular or signature attacks is down, but it's not zero," Army Lt. Gen. Carter F. Ham, director of operations on the Joint Staff, said. "That's a positive indicator, and we like that. But there are other indicators that weapons, munitions and training are still being provided by Iran.

"There is an effort to try and interdict that as best we can in concert with the Iraqi security forces" he continued. "But there is still an ongoing diplomatic effort, which is probably more important than the interdiction. I would say the jury is still out on what the flow (from Iran) really looks like."

Intelligence personnel in Iraq cannot tell if caches discovered there recently contain weapons from after Iran announced its intention to stop this support to insurgents, Sattler said.

Bush Says Iran Still Poses Threat

By Sgt. Sara Moore, USA
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 4, 2007 - The national intelligence estimate released yesterday on Iran's nuclear program proves that Iran is still a threat to world peace and provides an opportunity for the international community to work together to persuade the country's current regime to stop its uranium enrichment program, President Bush said here today. Although the estimate says Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, it also states with "high confidence" that Iran had a covert nuclear weapons program that it has never acknowledged and continues to deny, Bush said in a White House news conference. This opens up the possibility that Iran could develop another covert weapons program and could transfer the knowledge of uranium enrichment, which the country has been pursuing since 2005, to that program, Bush said.

"I think it is very important for the international community to recognize the fact that if Iran were to develop the knowledge that they could transfer to a clandestine program, it would create a danger for the world," Bush said. "So I view this report as a warning signal."

Bush denied allegations that this latest estimate damages U.S. credibility because it points out that Iran's weapons program was halted, but U.S. leaders continued to warn of the impending danger of a nuclear Iran. Iran still is a threat to the stability of the Middle East, he said, because uranium enrichment is the most important step in developing nuclear weapons.

"Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous, and Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," Bush said, asserting that his opinion about Iran has not changed.

The intelligence estimate also found that diplomacy worked in the past to dissuade Iran from its nuclear weapons program. This proves that there is a better way forward for Iran, Bush said, and now is the time for the international community to come together and work toward a diplomatic solution.

"The best way to ensure that the world is peaceful in the future is for the international community to continue to work together to say to the Iranians, 'We're going to isolate you, however, there is a better way forward for the Iranians,'" Bush said.

Bush complimented the intelligence community for its work on the intelligence estimate. This report proves that reforms of the U.S. intelligence community have worked, and it is important for the public to see the facts about Iran, he said.

"I think the (national intelligence estimate) makes it clear that Iran needs to be taken seriously as a threat to peace," Bush said. "My opinion hasn't changed. If you want to avoid a really problematic situation in the Middle East, now's the time to work together. That's our message to our allies."

Mullen Discusses Regional Issues With Foreign Press

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 20, 2007 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff gave reporters a whirlwind tour of the world during a news conference at the Foreign Press Center here today. Journalists from around the world quizzed Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen on topics relevant to their regions. Europe, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Asia figured in his answers.

Iraq and Afghanistan were the main concentrations. Mullen credited the reduction in violence in Iraq to the troop surge and the changes in Iraqis' perception of al Qaeda and other extremist groups.

"Clearly, security is much better, but it isn't just having the extra troops," he said. "It's how they're being employed. And that strategy has worked up to this point in time, very effectively. And it has a lot to do with being out in the villages and towns, and out and about, where the Iraqi citizens live."

Baghdad still is a very violent city, he said, but the violence has been reduced in most parts of the country, with the Iraqi people themselves playing a key role. "One of the unexpected outcomes that's had a big impact on security has been this group of some 70,000 concerned local citizens, who have taken back ... their towns and their villages and their areas," he said.

The trends in Afghanistan are mixed, Mullen said. He visited Afghanistan in October and said he was taken aback "that it was in better shape than I had anticipated personally."

"There are opportunities (in Afghanistan) for additional forces," he said. Both Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and the chairman pressed NATO allies for more troops and capabilities at recent NATO meetings.

"The commitment and the need to continue to engage in Afghanistan is going to be there for a long time," Mullen said.

Turning to India and Pakistan, the chairman said military-to-military contacts with India are good and growing. "We are in a position where we've had in recent years an increased number of military-to-military contacts, and I think that's positive," he said. "I'm actually very positive about the continuing and emerging relationship between the United States and India."

The state of emergency in Pakistan, Mullen said, has not affected military-to-military contacts. He told reporters that the security of Pakistani nuclear weapons does not appear to be a problem, and logistics support to U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan continues with no interruptions.

Mullen discussed the U.S. relationship with Kuwait as an opportunity to engage with other nations of the Persian Gulf region and reassure them of American commitment. "Kuwait has been an enormously important ally in our efforts in that part of the world and will continue to be in the future," he said.

Mullen used questions about reduction of U.S. forces in Europe to address the global footprint of American forces.

"I think, in places like Europe, places like Korea, that continuous engagement and the relationship-building that goes on when you have American soldiers, sailors, airmen (and) Marines living in countries as we do is a great strength of relationships and understanding each other, and also a significant commitment on the part of the host country, as well as the United States of America," he said.

Mullen said he worries about Iran because of the rhetoric coming out of Tehran, because of the country's push to develop nuclear weapons and because of its help to insurgents in Iraq. "From that standpoint, I think the diplomatic engagement is really important," he said. "I am hopeful that talks will resume with them. At the same time, I'd never take the military operation off the table."

"Having the military option on the table doesn't mean it's going to get used," he explained, "but it certainly is intended to ensure that there's no miscommunication or miscalculation -- that the potential is there and the resolve is there, though it is restrained at this point."

Bush Urges Congress to Support Victory Strategy in Iraq

By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 23, 2007 – Citing freedom's progress in the Middle East, the ambitions of a thinking and determined enemy and the consequences of failure in Iraq, President Bush tonight urged Congress in his State of the Union Address to support a strategy of victory in Iraq. "On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle," Bush told members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. "So let us find our resolve and turn events toward victory."

Bush cited a thirst for freedom that has grown in the Middle East. "In the last two years, we have seen the desire for liberty in the broader Middle East, and we have been sobered by the enemy's fierce reaction," he said. "In 2005, the world watched as the citizens of Lebanon raised the banner of the Cedar Revolution, drove out the Syrian occupiers and chose new leaders in free elections. In 2005, the people of Afghanistan defied the terrorists and elected a democratic legislature."

Also in 2005, Bush said, the Iraqi people chose a transitional government, adopted the most progressive, democratic constitution in the Arab world, and then elected a government under that constitution. "Despite endless threats from the killers in their midst, nearly 12 million Iraqi citizens came out to vote in a show of hope and solidarity we should never forget," he said.

Enemies of freedom saw all this and adjusted their tactics, the president said. "In Lebanon, assassins took the life of Pierre Gemayel, a prominent participant in the Cedar Revolution," he said. "And Hezbollah terrorists, with support from Syria and Iran, sowed conflict in the region and are seeking to undermine Lebanon's legitimately elected government."

Taliban and al Qaeda fighters have regrouped in Afghanistan and tried to regain power by engaging Afghan and NATO forces, and al Qaeda and other Sunni extremists in Iraq blew up the Golden Mosque of Samarra, one of Shiia Islam's holiest shrines, almost a year ago. The Golden Mosque attack was intended to provoke reprisals, Bush said, and the resulting sectarian violence has continued.

"This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we are in," Bush said. "Every one of us wishes that this war were over and won. Yet it would not be like us to leave our promises unkept, our friends abandoned and our own security at risk."

Bush said that while it's the Iraqi government's responsibility to put an end to the sectarian violence, he's sending more than 20,000 U.S. soldiers and Marines to help Iraqi security forces that aren't yet up to the task. "We did not drive al Qaeda out of their safe haven in Afghanistan only to let them set up a new safe haven in a free Iraq," he said.

"If American forces step back before Baghdad is secure, the Iraqi government would be overrun by extremists on all sides," Bush said. "We could expect an epic battle between Shiia extremists backed by Iran and Sunni extremists aided by al Qaeda and supporters of the old regime. A contagion of violence could spill out across the country. And, in time, the entire region could be drawn into the conflict."

Bush called this a "nightmare scenario" for America and the objective of the enemy.

"Chaos is their greatest ally in this struggle," he said. "And out of chaos in Iraq would emerge an emboldened enemy with new safe havens, new recruits, new resources and an even greater determination to harm America."

Success in the war on terror often is measured by the things that did not happen, Bush said.

"We cannot know the full extent of the attacks that we and our allies have prevented," he said, "but here is some of what we do know:

"We stopped an al Qaeda plot to fly a hijacked airplane into the tallest building on the West Coast.

"We broke up a Southeast Asian terrorist cell grooming operatives for attacks inside the United States.

"We uncovered an al Qaeda cell developing anthrax to be used in attacks against America.

"And, just last August, British authorities uncovered a plot to blow up passenger planes bound for America over the Atlantic Ocean."

Bush said every success "is a reminder of the shoreless ambitions of this enemy."

"The evil that inspired and rejoiced in 9/11 is still at work in the world," he said. "And so long as that is the case, America is still a nation at war."

Terrorists have made their intentions clear, he said. "They want to overthrow moderate governments and establish safe havens from which to plan and carry out new attacks on our country," he said. "By killing and terrorizing Americans, they want to force our country to retreat from the world and abandon the cause of liberty. They would then be free to impose their will and spread their totalitarian ideology."

Bush said the United States is not in the struggle alone, noting international cooperation in various troubled areas of the world.

"In Iraq, multinational forces are operating under a mandate from the United Nations, and we are working with Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Gulf States to increase support for Iraq's government," he said. "The United Nations has imposed sanctions on Iran and made it clear that the world will not allow the regime in Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons."

With the U.N., the European Union and Russia, the United States is working to establish a democratic Palestinian state living side by side with Israel, Bush said.

"In Afghanistan," he continued, "NATO has taken the lead in turning back the Taliban and al Qaeda offensive -- the first time the Alliance has deployed forces outside the North Atlantic area. Together with our partners in China, Japan, Russia and South Korea, we are pursuing intensive diplomacy to achieve a Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons."

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