The US Congress had late last year agreed to a request by President George W Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations aimed at undermining the government of Iran, according to the July 7 edition of The New Yorker made public Sunday. ( dpa )
The US journal, quoting current and former military, intelligence and congressional sources, in a report on its website, said the secret operations were designed to destabilize Iran's religious leadership.
Bush had reportedly sought up to 400 million dollars for the purpose of among others supporting opposition groups and dissident organizations in Iran and the gathering of intelligence about its suspected nuclear weapons programme.