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Iran
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran
News
http://www.iranwartimes.com/
Birchtree
06-25-2006, 12:28 PM
The Khobar Towers
From TWSJ 6/23 by Louis J. Freeh, FBI director from 1993-2001.
Ten years ago this Sunday, acting under direct orders from senior Iranian government leaders, the Saudi Hezbollah detonated a 25,000 TNT bomb that killed 19 U.S. airmen in their dormitory at Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The blast wave destroyed Building 131 and grievously wounded hundreds of additional Air Force personnel. It also killed an unknown number of Saudi civilians in a nearby park.
The 19 Americans murdered were members of the 4404th Wing, who were risking their lives to enforce the no-fly zone over southern Iraq. This was a U.N. mandated mission after the 1991 Gulf War to stop Saddam Hussein from killing his Shiite people. The Khobar victims, along with the courageous families and friends who will mourn them this weekend in Washington, deserve our respect and honor. More importantly, they must be remembered, because American justice has still been denied.
Although a federal grand jury handed down indictments in June 2001 - days before I left as FBI director and a week before some of the charges against 14 of the terrorists would have lapsed because of the statute of limitations - two of the primary leaders of the attack, Ahmed Ibrahim al-Mughassil and Abdel Hussein Mohamed al-Nasser, are living comfortably in Iran with about as much to fear from America as Osama bin Laden had prori to Sept. 11.
It soon became clear that Mr Clinton and his national security adviser, Sandy Berger, had no interest in confronting the fact that Iran had blown up the Towers. This is astounding, considering that the Saudi Security Service had arrested six of the bombers after the attack. As FBI agents sifted through the remains og Building 131 in 115 degree heat, the bombers admitted they had been trained by the Iranian external security service (IRGC) in the Beka Valley, and received their passports at the Iranian Embassy in Damacus, along with $250,000 cash for the operation from IRGC Gen Ahmad Sharifi.
We later learned that senior members of the Iranian government, including Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Intelligence and Security and the Spiritual Leader's office had selected Khobar as their target and commissioned the Saudi Hezbollah to carry out the operation. The Saudi police told us that FBI agents had to interview the bombers in custody in order to make our case. To make this happen, however, the U.S. president would need to personally make a request to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah.
So for 30 months, I wrote and rewrote the same set of simple talking points for the president, Mr Berger, and others to press the FBE's request to go inside a Saudi prison and interview the Khobar bombers. And for 30 months nothing happened. The Saudis repoeted back to us that the president and Mr Berger would either fail to raise the matter with the crown prince or raise it without making any request. On one such occasion, our commander in chief instead hit up Prince Abdullah for a contribution to his library. Mr. Berger never once, in the course of the five year investigation which coincided wth his tenure, even asked how the investigation was going.
Finally, frustrated in my attempts to execute Mr. Clinton's leave no stone unturned order, I called former President George H.W. Bush. I had learned that he was about to meet Prince Abdullah on another matter. After fully beiefing Mr. Bush on the impasse and faxing him the talking points that I had now been working on for over two years, he personally asked the crown prince to allow FBI agents to interview the detained bombers.
Several weeks later, agents interviewed the co-conspirators. For the first time since the 1996 attack, we obtained direct evidence of Iran's complicity. What Mr. Clinton failed to do for three years was accomplished in minutes by his predecessor. Washington damage control meetings were held out of the fear that Congress, and ordinary Americans, would find out that Iran murdered our soldiers. After those meetings, neither the president, nor anyone else in the administration, was heard from again about Khobar.
Sadly, this fits into a larger pattern of U.S. governments sending the wrong message to Tehran. Almost 13 yeras before Iran committed its terrorist act of war against America at Khobar, it used its surrogates, the Lebanese Hezbollah, to murder 241 Marines in their Beirut barracks. The U.S. response to that 1983 outrage was to pull our military forces out of the region. Such timidity was not lost upon Tehran. As with Beirut, Tehran once again received loud and clear from the U.S. its consistent message that there would be no price to pay for its acts of war against America. As for the 19 dead warriors and their families, their commander in chief had deserted them, leaving only the FBI to carry on the fight.
The moral of this story from the viewpoint of the Birchtree is never ever receive head while on the job. It turns dirtbags into yellow backs with weak knees.
The aftermath of the Khobar bombing is just one example of how successive U.S. governments have mishandled Iran. On June 25, 1996, President Clinton declared that no stone would be left unturned to find the bombers and bring them to justice. Then Clinton and his document theif Berger became obstructionists to the truth. The Clinton administration was set on improving relations with what it mistakenly perceived to be a moderate Iranian president. But it also wanted to accrue the political mileage of proclaiming to the world, and to the 19 survivor families, that America was aggressively pursuing the bombers. This was typical liberal behavior - their commander in chief had actually deserted them. I say never again.
We have a much bigger worry coming soon… Once Israel is done with Hezbollah and made its border safer they will deal with Iran and Nukes. The US knows this is real issue. Israel wants and needs it’s border safer before these Nuke sites can be taken out.
Hezbollah gave Israel a reason to get the ball rolling … In my opinion the next step is to deal with Iran. With Hezbollah's fighting capabilities reduced from Israel’s Border it will be much easier for Israel and the US to put pressure on Iran. Of course I could be wrong, but Israel and the US will not allow Iran to have a NUKE!!
The US will stand aside for now. Israel is almost done, and the BIG ISSUE will soon come to a head… Iran and it’s hope to be a Nuclear Power.
Think oil is high now? Soon this Hezbollah conflict will be done and the real Issue will get started again... Iran and NUKES!!!!
Stay tuned folks! The problems in the Middle East could get much worse!
Oceansideguy
07-30-2006, 01:12 PM
Robo,
I too believe that the situation with Iran is very grave, and that it will be dealt with soon. I popped back into the I fund after the market fell so much, but placed my request to withdraw on Thursday (with the transaction taking place on Monday). I think the situation with Iran is not being given attention, when in actuality, the "head of the snake", so to speak, dwells there.
Israel would have been smarter to attack Iran, not Lebanon. World Public opinion would have greater -- more understanding -- had they done that. After all, we as Americans can and should act in OUR own interest, not in the interest of other nations, including Israel (whether they are allies or not). It would have been nice for Israel to handle Iran, and welcome. Of course, the truth is Israel's move would likely have sucked us in too :(.
BTW, Achmadenijab (sp?) chose August 23rd as the date to answer re the offer of the West of "goodies" in exchange for cessation of the nuke program. The markets took a deep breath, believing that Iran will "act reasonably". No, Iran will not. Iran chose the date as being the one that coincides with "lights over Jerusalem" (from a Hadith) wherein the angel Gabriel and then the Mahdi (the savoir that comes right before Jesus) comes (shortly thereafter - well I believe from that well in Iran, but you get the idea). In other words, it has an apocalyptic meaning that is also
"confirmed" by astrology. Insanity knows no limits in our day and age.
The clock is now ticking! Iran was told today, NO NUKE FOR YOU...
It's Iran's move.... The Security Council has spoken... Now will they do anything about it if Iran does not comply? Trust me, once Israel is done with Hezbollah and made its border safer they will be in a postion to deal with Iran. You see what they did to get ride of missiles on their border. They will not allow a nuke!!! Will Iran now play the Oil Hand to buy more time... I don't lose sleep over these subjects, but we all must keep a eye on this..
The news is not talking about it much, but soon it will be Headlines again if Iran makes some threats. Hmmmm, Iran meeting with Venezuela officials, and Chavez is his new best buddy!!!!! Oh Boy!!!
I also hope we don't get any Big Hurricanes in August headed our way....
I hope it all works out ok, but the pain at the pump could get worse this summer!!! Should be a cease fire this week, and the News will shift back to Iran and Nukes... Korea... Venezuela.... Nigeria... Iraq and the list goes on!!!!!
Watch the price of oil the next few weeks!!!!
IRAN DISASTER, CHAOS AND OPPORTUNITY
by Sol Palha
Tactical Investor
August 8, 2006
http://www.[[financialsense.com/fsu/editorials/ti/2006/0807.html
I don't think negotiation will work with Iran, just like it didn't work with North Korea. They might accept a deal and then go ahead and develop nuclear technology / nuclear weapons anyway.
The Israelis are certainly watching the situation closely. If they believe Iran is approaching the point of no return with regards to the bomb, they will certainly try something. We can only guess what that something might be - I would surmise that they would try to locate all the Iranian facilities and try to sabotage / blow them up with commando raids if it cannot be done from the air. If those options fail, they could resort to the unthinkable: a pre-emptive nuclear strike.
It seems crazy, and it might be, but considering the fact that Israel is a very small country with just a few cities - which can easily be wiped out by a few nuclear warheads - I don't believe they can afford to allow Iran to get the bomb. The Iranian leader is on record as wanting Israel wiped off the map, and you can bet the Ayatollahs agree with him.
Birchtree
08-10-2006, 03:29 PM
I've seen the hidden Imam and he ain't nothing but a hairy faced punk. The sooner we kill them the better off the world will be - I mean that sincerely.
Show-me
08-10-2006, 05:16 PM
The sooner we kill them the better off the world will be - I mean that sincerely.
Ditto!
The_Technician
08-10-2006, 05:19 PM
I don't think negotiation will work with Iran, just like it didn't work with North Korea. They might accept a deal and then go ahead and develop nuclear technology / nuclear weapons anyway.
The Israelis are certainly watching the situation closely. If they believe Iran is approaching the point of no return with regards to the bomb, they will certainly try something. We can only guess what that something might be - I would surmise that they would try to locate all the Iranian facilities and try to sabotage / blow them up with commando raids if it cannot be done from the air. If those options fail, they could resort to the unthinkable: a pre-emptive nuclear strike.
It seems crazy, and it might be, but considering the fact that Israel is a very small country with just a few cities - which can easily be wiped out by a few nuclear warheads - I don't believe they can afford to allow Iran to get the bomb. The Iranian leader is on record as wanting Israel wiped off the map, and you can bet the Ayatollahs agree with him.
Personally I think we should just let them make it and then let it blow up on themselves, taking their technology with it and of course their own populace, in a convenient manner....news would be "Iranians blow themselves up with their toy. All went to see Allah"
nnuut
08-10-2006, 06:42 PM
I hate to say this, but I think it is true. A terrorist that has no value for his own life and only understands retaliation. It's a grim situation when someone will sacrifice his own life for his beliefs. How do you fight an enemy that has no fear of death. Death would make him a martyr and a hero with 75 virgins in the after life. How would Gingiss Caan punish these people for their actions? He would hunt them down and kill everyone in his family, in his town, his friends and acquaintances. We don't have the stomach for this kind of war and if we don't learn we will lose! When it gets tough YOU have to get TOUGH. When you fight the Devil, fight him with FIRE! No I'm not a liberal!:mad: Now I'm not happy!
World Affairs - Iran
When TspTalk started this forum he posted: Miscellaneous topics relating to world affairs and how they might affect our TSP accounts. Warning: Political discussions. Enter at your own risk.
What we think of other folks and what they think about us is a big spectrum.
Cartoons give a depiction rather than an editorial of words. Some of the cartoons pro or con for Iran are quite graphic. A google of "iran cartoons" will bring up a barrage of various feelings.
Some of the cartoons are the way people feel i.e., http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000289.html . This is an example of how some people see what Iran is doing.
What can U say!.................:( ..............Spaf
Oceansideguy
08-21-2006, 11:49 AM
Iran has already given the answer that anticipated answer: No, we need nukes, glory to Hezbollah (with whom israel cannot even negociate, I mean what claim if any do they have against Isreal?), death to America and the "Zionists", Europe watch your step of you will get yours. It's the same one that has been repeating from Teheran. The question is, what will Bush do about this? We cannot let Iran have the bomb (or disseminate it), but at the same time, we are so tied down that we cannot take action either.
Poor Bush, I would not want to be him now. Iraq was such folly. Had he not gone in, Iran would be far easier. Still, I hope he is steadfast. Difficult times are ahead.
On Aug. 23 Frontpagemagazine.com interviewed Regnar Rasmussen, a military expert and interrogation specialist. The interview is of interest because of Rasmussen’s testimony indicating that Iran purchased nuclear warheads from the “former” Soviet Union in autumn 1992. This is a story that confirms a similar claim made by Yossef Bodansky in his book The High Cost of Peace. Bodansky says the Iranians initially intended to use their newly acquired nuclear weapons in a jihad to destroy Israel. The plan involved strategic coordination with Hezbollah, Syria and communist North Korea (which agreed to a simultaneous attack against American forces in the Far East). Tehran asked its terrorist allies “to refrain temporarily from attacking Western objectives in order not to attract attention to the Iranian-sponsored buildup until they were ready to strike out decisively.” Once the necessary forces were in place, Hezbollah was to play a unique role by setting up the pretext for a devastating assault on Israel. According to Bodansky, Hezbollah would provoke Israel into “a major escalation in Lebanon – so that the planned Syrian and Iranian ballistic-missile barrage against Israeli civilian and strategic objectives could be presented as retaliation for Israeli aggression.” Bodansky also says that a simultaneous terrorist offensive would be launched against the United States while Iranian kamikaze-style attacks would be organized against U.S. aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf.
http://www.financialsense.com/stormwatch/geo/analysis.htm
JOVARN
08-25-2006, 05:52 PM
[COLOR=darkred][B] We don't have the stomach for this kind of war and if we don't learn we will lose! When it gets tough YOU have to get TOUGH.
We do what we have to do, I think we have become desensitized to war and violence.
On August 6, 1945, the city of Hiroshima was the target of the first atomic bomb used against civil population in history. Three days later, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb over the city of Nagasaki. In total, about one fourth of a million people were killed by the two bombs.
Show-me
08-25-2006, 06:31 PM
Some how this quote comes to mind.
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."
And this one.
"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory."
Patton was a stud! Gotta rent that movie this weekend.:D
rokid
08-25-2006, 07:31 PM
Patton was a stud! Gotta rent that movie this weekend.:D
Another quote from the movie Patton:
As Patton is driving by a long line of marching soldiers in his Jeep, one grunt says, "there goes Old Blood and Guts." Another grunt replies, "yeah, our blood, his guts." :D
Show-me
08-25-2006, 07:43 PM
Another quote from the movie Patton:
As Patton is driving by a long line of marching soldiers in his Jeep, one grunt says, "there goes Old Blood and Guts." Another grunt replies, "yeah, our blood, his guts." :D
Yea he was a tough bastard, but got it done. Glad I didn't have to fight that war. I still watch the Band of Brothers series every time it comes on with amazement. What a generation. Thanks!:D
A Kingdom of Not Good
News
August 26,2006
Iran and the Bomb!
Link: [Reuters] > > http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14523587/
JOVARN
08-26-2006, 10:08 AM
I just pray to whomever; that the sources the Western nations are using, are not the same ones who said there were WMD in Iraq., OR DID WE ALREADY FORGET ABOUT THAT CLUSTER SCREW UP; WHICH HAS ALREADY COST THE LIVES OF 2600 AMERICAN NOT COUNTING THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
Mohmond Akmadinejad
President of Iran
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad
http://www.president.ir/eng/
Mohmond Akmadinejad
In the near past
Position of reference: October 26, 2005
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/15E6BF77-6F91-46EE-A4B5-A3CE0E9957EA.htm
http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,534716,00.jpg
Birchtree
08-26-2006, 05:00 PM
Jovarn,
As you mature you will come to realize there is always a hidden agenda. We went into Iraq becasue of Iran. We now have logistics and infrastructure in place to take these scum down to the fires they treasure. It will not be a problem from this point forward. We are prepared.
Dennis
Iran 101
Initially posted August 3, 2006. Cartoon and related News Editorials and updates, concerning a possible perspective for Iran.
Cox & Forkum Editorial Cartoons
"Changement de Rythme"
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000902.html
Iran Focus
Iran Focus is a non-profit news service provider that focuses on events in Iran, Iraq and the Middle East.
Iran Focus: http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/
Report: Iran Has Expanded Nuke Program
By NASSER KARIMI (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
October 27, 2006 8:58 AM EDT
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran has doubled its capacity to enrich uranium by successfully executing the process with a second network of centrifuges, a semiofficial news agency reported Friday, sending a defiant new message to the U.N. Security Council.
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20061027/45418440_3ca6_1552620061027-2124864230
Birchtree
10-27-2006, 10:21 AM
What would Jimmy Carter have to say - doesn't anybody care?
Fivetears
10-27-2006, 12:33 PM
Today... (edit) 'em - where's my nail bag; Habitat for Humanity.
From a historical standpoint... the Iranian hostage crisis was seen by critics as a devastating blow to national prestige; Carter struggled for 444 days to effect the release of the hostages. A failed rescue attempt led to the resignation, in protest, of his Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. The hostages were finally released the day Carter left office.
Carter and "Im-a-mad-man" never played well with each other.
What would Jimmy Carter have to say - doesn't anybody care?
Birchtree
10-27-2006, 01:25 PM
Exactly! What a labia this turkey was and is. We wouldn't have this problem today if we had acted appropriately with the heavy metal and some B52s. I hope our citizens don't forget the liberal bent means bend over and bump your head four times a day. And then sacrifice your head by sword for Allah.
What a bunch of pansy jerks. Oh, here comes Rokid to defend the status quo and quips isn't far behind. Both nice guys by the way - only with different view points. Isn't this country great in conservative hands.
IMHO Carter was by far the worse president I have ever seen. What he is doing for charities is wonderful and he is a very decent individual. Just not
much of a president.
rokid
10-27-2006, 05:32 PM
Oh, here comes Rokid to defend the status quo and quips isn't far behind. Both nice guys by the way - only with different view points. Isn't this country great in conservative hands.
Birch,
Thanks for the compliment. I was so moved that I immediately filled out my Combined Federal Campaign donation designating the ACLU and Habitat for Humanity in your honor.:cheesy:
Rokid, I was so moved that......"fire in the hole".......Stella (the master blaster!).......:D
Birch,
Thanks for the compliment. I was so moved that I immediately filled out my Combined Federal Campaign donation designating the ACLU and Habitat for Humanity in your honor.:cheesy:
Quips
10-27-2006, 05:55 PM
LOL
Jimmy Carter, I believe would not have gotten into Iraq since the problem was Osama in Afganistan.
The problem is that America is becoming an empire, and so it is not surprising that disgruntled guerrillas ... and militias ... and terrorists will do what they feel is necessary for the survival or their cultures and/or religion(s).
But this is the Iran thread.
A very good article by Jacob G. Hornberger (who?) is on that other thread.
Well,
Lets strart with Revelations Chapter 12, The Woman and the Dragon
Fivetears
10-27-2006, 08:24 PM
Now look what you've done Birch. :D
Birchtree
10-27-2006, 08:48 PM
I know, there is never a dull moment. Not to much gets by the proud owner of the "Lilly Pad". Although he did miss the Jimmy Carter lips reference.
Iran will not back down on nuclear program, says top negotiator
By STEVE GUTTERMAN (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
November 10, 2006 1:28 PM EST
MOSCOW - Iran's top nuclear negotiator insisted Friday that Tehran will push ahead with its controversial nuclear program, and suggested it could break off ties with the U.N. nuclear watchdog if the world inflicts punishments proposed by European nations.
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/int?guid=20061110/45540750_3421_1334520061110-1280494301
nnuut
11-10-2006, 03:35 PM
IMHO Carter was by far the worse president I have ever seen. What he is doing for charities is wonderful and he is a very decent individual. Just not
much of a president.
Exactly, I agree, don't think Jimmy has a bad bone in his body, but a real embarsment to the country. I dislike Our Man Bill Clinton more than them all! NAFTA, GATT, and all the rest that exported our jobs out of the country. Oh, I think Hilliary made all the decisions, Bill was far to busy doing important things, CROOKS!:mad: :nuts:
grandma
11-12-2006, 08:51 PM
Actually - start with Ezekial 38-39 - read Joel Rosenberg's `EPICENTER', c2006, non-fiction includes his interviews with those guys over there. A very fascinating, & - could be scarry, read. It makes no difference whether you are a Believer of not, the events of today are documented..... Just don't skip any of it or you will miss tie-ins, cuz Iraq is the center.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y106/triso/skateboarding.gif
Well,
Lets strart with Revelations Chapter 12, The Woman and the Dragon
weatherweenie
11-14-2006, 11:33 AM
VIENNA, Austria - International Atomic Energy experts have found unexplained plutonium and enriched uranium traces in a nuclear waste facility in Iran and have asked Tehran for an explanation, an IAEA report said Tuesday.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
LONDON (Reuters) - Israel has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons, Britain's Sunday Times newspaper said.
Citing what it said were several Israeli military sources, the paper said two Israeli air force squadrons had been training to blow up an enrichment plant in Natanz using low-yield nuclear "bunker busters".
This story could put risk premium back in oil.
http://aheadofthenews.com/
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-01-06T232231Z_01_L06759405_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAN-NUCLEAR-ISRAEL.xml&src=rss
Show-me
01-06-2007, 08:38 PM
So much for the element of surprise!
Birchtree
01-06-2007, 09:39 PM
I don't think anyone really knows the depth of offensive weapons we have sitting in Iraq secure areas. We've been building logistics for several years to help handle Iran when the time arrives. I know there has been a good amount of movement out of Germany. Everyone is getting prepared to end the evil that Iran represents.
Israel Denies Planning Iran Nuke Attack
From Associated Press
January 07, 2007 8:14 AM EST
LONDON - A British newspaper reported Sunday that Israel has drafted plans to strike as many as three targets in Iran with low-yield nuclear weapons, aiming to halt Tehran's uranium enrichment program. The Israeli Foreign Ministry denied the report.
Citing multiple unidentified Israeli military sources, The Sunday Times said the proposals involved using so-called "bunker-buster" nuclear weapons to attack nuclear facilities at three sites south of the Iranian capital.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said it would not respond to the claim. "We don't respond to publications in the Sunday Times," said Miri Eisin, Olmert's spokeswoman.
Israeli Minister of Strategic Threats Avigdor Lieberman also declined to comment on the report.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev denied the report and said that "the focus of the Israeli activity today is to give full support to diplomatic actions" and the implementation of a U.N. Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt enrichment.
The United States and its allies accuse Tehran of secretly trying to produce atomic weapons, but Iran claims its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, including generating electricity.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has condemned as invalid and illegal the U.N. resolution.
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20070107/45a07e50_3ca6_1552620070107-1109776875
James48843
01-12-2007, 09:24 PM
Loose lips sink ships.
But it's easy to figure out.
Just a matter of time?
January 24, 2007
Does SPR Increase Foretell Iran Strike?
by Ashraf Laidi
Sharp swings ensued in today's FX trading, as the dollar fell sharply during the Asian session following a spike in oil prices after President Bush announcement to double the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to 1.5 billion barrels over the next 20 yrs. An unexpectedly low inflation report from Australia sharply significantly curtailed chances of a February rate hike by the Reserve Bank of Australia next month and boosted the US currency by a full cent. But the dollar sell-off resumed, especially against the yen, dropping to a 5-day low before recovering on an unexpectedly dovish report from the minutes of this month's Bank of England interest rate decision. (more below)
Does aggressive SPR build-up foretell Iran strike?
Light sweet crude is down 20 cents at $54.80 per barrel, after Tuesday's $2.48 jump to $55.04 on reports that the US Dept of Energy will purchase 100K barrels of oil per day starting next spring. While the decision is part of the Bush Administration's latest commitment to reduce US dependency on imported oil, the aggressive approach on beefing up SPR may reflect heightened possibility of a US military strike against Iran as early as March or April, at a time when US navy ships are piling up in the Persian Gulf. Yesterday, markets were filled with chatter of a Kuwait-based newspaper article reporting that the US will launch a military strike on Iran before April 2007, citing "reliable sources". According to the article, the strikes will be launched from US ships with Patriot missiles guarding all oil-producing countries in the region. The attacks would be planned in April, the last month of British PM Blair in office. The immediate result of such an attack is a protracted run up in oil prices, which could reach the $70 per barrel mark in less than a week.
http://www.safehaven.com/article-6764.htm
U.N. Says Iran Plans Nuclear Development
By GEORGE JAHN (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
January 26, 2007 3:03 PM EST
DAVOS, Switzerland - Iran plans to begin work next month on an underground uranium enrichment facility, as part of a plan to create a network of tens of thousands of machines turning out material that could be used to make nuclear arms, U.N. officials said Friday.
The officials' comments were the first concrete confirmation that work on the facility would begin in February. A senior U.S. State Department official warned the move would be a "major miscalculation" by Iran.
"If Iran takes this step, it is going to confront universal international opposition," said Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns. "If they think they can get away with 3,000 centrifuges without another Security Council resolution and additional international pressure, then they are very badly mistaken."
Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, meanwhile, accused the U.S. of acting like a bully, with the ultimate aim of forcing Iran to "abandon nuclear energy." In a sermon in Tehran, he said a U.S. military buildup in the Gulf and the announcement that U.S. forces would seek to capture or kill Iranian agents in Iraq were aimed Iranian nuclear programs.
"Today our enemies have come with several issues against us while having supporters in the world communities," Rafsanjani told worshippers Friday. "This is bullying."
Also Friday, the Iranian government said it would bar all U.N. inspectors from countries that voted in favor of a U.N. Security Council resolution last month that imposed sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program. Iran said it had rejected 38 names from a list of inspectors from the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency.
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20070126/45b98ad0_3ca6_1552620070126-1444336823
Iran Says It's Installing Centrifuges
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
January 27, 2007 6:24 PM EST
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran is currently installing 3,000 centrifuges, a top lawmaker said Saturday in an announcement underlining that the country will continue to develop its nuclear program despite U.N. sanctions.
The lawmaker, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said the installation under way at an Iranian uranium enrichment plant "stabilizes Iran's capability in the field of nuclear technology," IRNA reported.
Three inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency who arrived in Iran on Saturday are scheduled to visit the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz, Iranian state-television reported.
Iran last week barred 38 inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog because they come from countries that voted for sanctions on Iran. State television did not give the nationalities of the three inspectors, and the IAEA could not immediately confirm their arrival in Iran.
Iran's announcement appears to be its latest gesture of defiance toward the international community over its nuclear program. It faces the prospect of additional United Nations sanctions unless it stops uranium enrichment by the end of a 60-day period that ends next month.
The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously in favor of economic sanctions Dec. 23 after Iran ignored an earlier deadline to halt enrichment.
Large scale use of centrifuges makes it possible to produce more enriched uranium in a shorter period.
Enriched uranium is used to fuel nuclear reactors and to make nuclear weapons. Many countries, including the United States, believe that Iran is using its nuclear program as a cover to produce an atomic weapon. Iran says its program is only for generating electricity.
Iranian officials had said in recent weeks that the country was moving toward large-scale enrichment involving 3,000 centrifuges, which spin uranium gas into enriched material.
The comments from Boroujerdi, the head of the Iranian Parliament's Foreign Policy and National Security Committee, came a day after IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei said he believed Iran planned to begin work in February on a uranium enrichment facility underground. The subterranean facility is intended to protect the nuclear project from attack.
There had been speculation the leadership might launch the project at Natanz next month to celebrate the 28th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that brought the clerical leadership to power.
A senior State Department official warned Iran against accelerating its atomic program. "If Iran takes this step, it is going to confront universal international opposition," Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said on Friday. "If they think they can get away with 3,000 centrifuges without another Security Council resolution and additional international pressure, then they are very badly mistaken."
Iran ultimately plans to expand its program to 54,000 centrifuges.
In enrichment plants, centrifuges are linked in what are called cascades. For now, the only known assembled centrifuge cascades in Iran are above ground at Natanz, consisting of two linked chains of 164 machines each and two smaller setups.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran's decision last week to bar the entrance of IAEA inspectors from countries whose governments voted in favor the U.N. sanctions resolution was within Iran's legal rights.
"This decision is lawful and will not harm our cooperation with the IAEA," Mottaki said Saturday.
----
Associated Press Writer George Jahn contributed to this report from Davos, Switzerland.
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/int?guid=20070127/45badc50_3ca6_15526200701271087101634
Bush Warns Iran Against Action in Iraq
President Bush speaks to reporters during his meeting with members of Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE), a non-partisan organization aiming to reduce America's dependence on oil, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington Monday, Jan. CHARLES DHARAPAKBy TERENCE HUNT (AP White House Correspondent)
From Associated Press
January 29, 2007 8:51 PM EST
WASHINGTON - President Bush said Monday the United States "will respond firmly" if Iran escalates military action in Iraq and endangers American forces. But Bush emphasized he has no intention of invading Iran.
Bush also acknowledged skepticism concerning U.S. intelligence about Iran, because Washington was wrong in accusing Iraq of harboring weapons of mass destruction before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. "I'm like a lot of Americans that say, 'Well, if it wasn't right in Iraq, how do you know it's right in Iran,'" the president said.
The president, in an interview with NPR, said the United States was "constantly evaluating and answering this legitimate question by always working to get as good intelligence as we can."
Sharply at odds over Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program, Washington and Tehran increasingly are arguing about Iraq, where both countries are seeking influence. The White House said last week that American troops in Iraq have been authorized to kill or capture Iranian agents deemed to be a threat. Iran's ambassador followed up by telling The New York Times that Tehran plans to greatly expand its economic and military ties with Iraq and open an Iranian national bank branch in Baghdad.
The United States accuses Iran of supplying terrorists and insurgents in Iraq with improvised explosive devices that have become the most lethal threat to U.S. forces. The Bush administration says it decided to take a tougher line with Tehran after months of evidence showing Iran was assisting anti-U.S. forces.
"If Iran escalates its military action in Iraq to the detriment of our troops and/or innocent Iraqi people, we will respond firmly," the president said. "It makes common sense for the commander in chief to say to our troops and the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government that we will help you defend yourself from people that want to sow discord and harm. And so we will do what it takes to protect our troops."
Bush said it was important to distinguish the nuclear standoff with Iran from the quarrel over Tehran's involvement in Iraq. He said he believed the dispute over Iran's nuclear program could be resolved diplomatically.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said Bush does not have authority to launch military action in Iran without first seeking congressional authorization.
Bush told NPR he had no intention of going into Iran. "This is the kind of thing that happens in Washington," the president said. "People ascribe, you know, motives to me beyond a simple statement - 'Of course we'll protect our troops.' I don't know how anybody can then say, 'Well, protecting the troops means that we're going to invade Iran.'"
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/pol?guid=20070129/45bd7f50_3ca6_15526200701291805595541
We are getting close. PATRIOT units are now being sent to the Middle East!
The plan is not to invade, but to turn up the heat. I say it's about time!
ChongoChingi
02-11-2007, 01:20 PM
Iran is all over the headlines today with a report showing "an elite Iranian force under the command of Iran's supreme leader is behind bombings that have killed at least 170 U.S. troops in Iraq". http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/11/iraq.main/index.html
So what will this do to the market if we decide to strike back soon? Is it best to just get out of the way when a war is brewing?
Birchtree
02-11-2007, 04:36 PM
I say rearm the anti-Iranian group known as the MEK. Let them leave Iraq and return the favors to the Mullahs. They'll gladly kill as many as possible and be regarded as liberators in their homeland.
tsptalk
03-16-2007, 11:05 AM
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said on Friday no amount of U.N. pressure would deter it from its nuclear program, a day after major powers agreed a plan to impose new sanctions.
"We have a nuclear fuel cycle. We will not give it up under pressure. By holding meetings you (the West) cannot block the Iranian nation's path," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a rally in the central town of Khatam, the official IRNA news agency reported.
More ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070316/ts_nm/iran_nuclear_ahmadinejad_dc_3
Tempest
03-16-2007, 11:21 AM
Nothing more then a bargaining position. You always ask for top dollar at the beginning.
I suppose next we'll get a kind of North Korean "turn the world into a sea of fire blah, blah, blah" and a year later people are striking deals. Same here. It's all posturing.
Is a U.S.-Iran War Inevitable?
Thursday, Mar. 29, 2007 By ROBERT BAER A video grab off the Iranian Arabic-language television station Al-Alam shows British servicewoman Faye Turney, who was among the British sailors seized last week at gunpoint by Iran in northern Gulf waters.
Al-Alam / AFP / GettyArticle ToolsPrintEmailReprints You wouldn't be wrong to wonder if Iran hasn't lost its mind seizing the 15 British marines and sailors, and in so doing, handing Bush a casus belli even he couldn't have imagined.
Related
What Iran Wants with the Sailors
Feeling cornered in its nuclear confrontation, Tehran is trying to take the offensive against Britain. Will it backfire?
But then again you'd be missing the grim fatalism that has settled over Iran of late, the resigned belief that a war with the U.S. is all but inevitable. This week Iranian diplomats are telling interlocutors that, yes, they realize seizing the Brits could lead to a hot war. But, they point out, it wasn't Iran that started taking hostages — it was the U.S., when it arrested five members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Erbil in Northern Iraq on January 11. They are diplomats, the Iranians insist. They were in Erbil with the approval of the Kurds and therefore, they argue, are under the protection of the Vienna Convention.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1604546,00.html
Callme_CO
04-01-2007, 05:10 PM
I dont see this turning out good. And it will give bush all he needs to go after Iran. Worse case senerio they are found guilty by Iranian courts and probably killed. But that would ensure a war that the iranian's are not prepared for. In the end it's all just for show in my eye's. The iranian oil is not as plentiful as it once was and this could be a distraction for more time. More time for what you might ask? Nuclear weapons, nuclear power, to wipe out all the jews in the world. Who knows!!! Or it could be just a stupid attempt to scare us (the west) Either way as I see it, it won't end until there are western troops on Iranian soil.
:notrust:
nnuut
04-01-2007, 05:14 PM
I dont see this turning out good. And it will give bush all he needs to go after Iran. Worse case senerio they are found guilty by Iranian courts and probably killed. But that would ensure a war that the iranian's are not prepared for. In the end it's all just for show in my eye's. The iranian oil is not as plentiful as it once was and this could be a distraction for more time. More time for what you might ask? Nuclear weapons, nuclear power, to wipe out all the jews in the world. Who knows!!! Or it could be just a stupid attempt to scare us (the west) Either way as I see it, it won't end until there are western troops on Iranian soil.
:notrust:
SHOWBOATING is a good word!:cool:
One who seeks attention by ostentatious behavior; a showoff.
Callme_CO
04-01-2007, 08:15 PM
SHOWBOATING is a good word!:cool:
One who seeks attention by ostentatious behavior; a showoff.
On Both sides :suspicious:
James48843
04-04-2007, 09:26 AM
Article V
When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.
Birchtree
04-04-2007, 09:57 AM
The Ayatollahs are worried. There has been an apparent defection by Revolutionary Guards commander Ali Reza Asgari, who disappeared in Istanbul last month. He is said to know a great deal about Iran's nuclear program - they may have been thinking about a swap.
POW
[not as a moderator, but rather a veteran]
I know, sometimes you can't help from being a POW, and I have the utmost respect for any POW. They have a lot of courage!
However, sometimes being a POW is not a option; Little Bighorn, Bastogne, LZ X-ray.
Surrendering??.......Nuts!!
Birchtree
04-04-2007, 11:46 AM
I'm familiar with LZ x-ray. Weren't there over 200 that were ambushed - and the NVA came back at night and murdered all the wounded.
LZ X-ray was where the Cav made a great stand against a larger NVA unit.
The Bn that replaced them was ambushed in their withdrawl to a LZ. The withdrawl was poorly planned. The NVA got on their flanks and cut them to pieces
The_Technician
04-09-2007, 08:52 AM
I see Al-Sadr, the so called religious cleric who really is a killer mafia boss, is trying to slap back at the US with his Shiite protest this weekend.....he really is a bad solution for his fellow humans local and worldwide....he doesn't know how to give up his so called religious ways for money and power......to follow him is to certainly meet the devil in the future.:notrust:
Birchtree
04-09-2007, 09:45 AM
The problem is the skank is not in Iraq - he's hiding out with Osama in Iran. Maybe Nancy can give him a few of her pearls to pacify him. We'll kill the nasty thug eventually. Perhaps a MOAB over Najaf would send a message from Allah.
rokid
04-09-2007, 07:54 PM
LZ X-ray was where the Cav made a great stand against a larger NVA unit.
The Bn that replaced them was ambushed in their withdrawl to a LZ. The withdrawl was poorly planned. The NVA got on their flanks and cut them to pieces
I believe this was the battle fought in the Mel Gibson movie We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young
http://www.princeton.edu/~ferguson/adw/vietnam.shtml
The_Technician
04-10-2007, 06:59 AM
The problem is the skank is not in Iraq - he's hiding out with Osama in Iran. Maybe Nancy can give him a few of her pearls to pacify him. We'll kill the nasty thug eventually. Perhaps a MOAB over Najaf would send a message from Allah.
Yeah, a radical Sunni and a radical Shiite holding hands together......did Nancy supercede the Constitution separation of powers by going to Syria to set some foreign relations??? Isn't foreign policy determined by the Executive branch....??? Does that say she broke the law of the land and therefore is considered criminal and may be treasonous to the country??? Does that make a traitor??? Questions that maybe seriously considered...
Makes you wonder if your Congress is for you or those who put money on the table.....which ain't you, remember yesterday when you went to put gas in your tank and thought of the oil monopoly that exists in todays markets...if it ain't a monopoly, then go down the street and get your gas cheaper.......you, a voter, just determine who is going into office to talk with those who control things.....
Show-me
04-10-2007, 07:01 AM
Buy oil! It's cheap now!
FUTURESTRADER
04-15-2007, 04:19 PM
new russian nuclear attack sub launched today...carries 16 ballistic missiles, reaching 5,000 miles. and we're worried about a few iranian reactors??
Wolverine
04-15-2007, 07:14 PM
We also just sent another Aircraft Carrier Strike Group over to the Persian Gulf about a week ago. That should now make a total of 3 Carriers over there now. That's two that have been sent over this year.
Birchtree
04-15-2007, 07:20 PM
How many Russian subs are still on the bottom?
charmed855
04-15-2007, 11:00 PM
new russian nuclear attack sub launched today...carries 16 ballistic missiles, reaching 5,000 miles. and we're worried about a few iranian reactors??
Seems like missile range overkill when they have been able to sail right into Puget sound, San Diego, Hawaii, etc. :worried:
Wolverine
05-23-2007, 08:16 AM
Just some current happenings.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18812865/
nnuut
05-23-2007, 08:40 AM
Seems like missile range overkill when they have been able to sail right into Puget sound, San Diego, Hawaii, etc. :worried:
We do the same thing to them, but better!!:D
fabijo
07-05-2007, 09:17 AM
A bit old topic, but relevant to today's issues because it shows that actions today could lead to reactions years later. How could actions in 1953 affect what people did in 1979 (taking hostages in Iran)? Here's a quick clip from a PBS documentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldgbOxDX6DE
Birchtree
09-02-2007, 06:41 PM
Do it and do it soon - we will all be safer afterwards.
http://wwwdailykos.com/story/2007/9/1/183018/1527
James48843
09-02-2007, 09:02 PM
Do it and do it soon - we will all be safer afterwards.
http://wwwdailykos.com/story/2007/9/1/183018/1527
Can't. Sorry, but this president has already shot his wad. Our forces are already rather engaged elsewhere.
And there would be no support for a new strike against Iran, even if it made sense.
Which is doesn't.
budnipper1
09-03-2007, 10:23 PM
Pentagon Has 3-Day Blitz Plan for Iran
Sunday, September 2, 2007 6:28 PM
The United States has a "shock and awe" plan designed to annihilate Iran's military, in the event of an attack.
According to the Sunday Times of London, the plan calls for massive airstrikes against 1,200 targets in Iran, over three days.
Alexis Debat, director of terrorism and national security at the Nixon Center, told the Times that U.S. military planners were not preparing for “pinprick strikes” against Iran’s nuclear facilities. “They’re about taking out the entire Iranian military. ... Whether you go for pinprick strikes or all-out military action, the reaction from the Iranians will be the same.”
President Bush has accused Iran of putting the Middle East “under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust" because of its nuclear program. He has warned that the U.S. and its allies would confront Iran “before it is too late." One Washington source told the Time that the “temperature was rising” inside the administration.
Bush is committed for now to the diplomatic route but thinks Iran is moving towards acquiring a nuclear weapon. According to one well placed source, Washington believes it would be prudent to use rapid, overwhelming force, should military action become necessary.
Israel, which has warned it will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, has made its own preparations for airstrikes and is said to be ready to attack if the Americans back down. http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/iran_attack/2007/09/02/29343.html (http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/iran_attack/2007/09/02/29343.html)
Show-me
09-04-2007, 05:47 AM
Israel will defiantly take care of business, but thing will likely escalate.
budnipper1
09-04-2007, 11:19 AM
Yep. If the US would leave Israel alone and let them do their thing, instead of trying to babysit their military power(ref. Arafat) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Arafat) the world would be in a better place today.
Israel will defiantly take care of business, but thing will likely escalate.
hessian
12-03-2007, 06:09 PM
Seems like missile range overkill when they have been able to sail right into Puget sound, San Diego, Hawaii, etc. :worried:
Hello Charmed,
Just a guess, but wondering if your possibly w DoD (maybe Navy)? If so, I got your back! You're right about subs, except I'm more wary of what China's up to! :sick:
I'm a Navy civilian (in DC), & now under this new NSPS- can't wait to see what Jan08 brings as far as my 1st raise under NSPS! Sorry if this is off subject here, but wanted to say hello!:D
VR
Talltimber
12-05-2007, 11:00 PM
We have plenty of payback, and Iran knows it. They might bark and nip at our heels, but they will not close in for combat. A megaton of pepper spray sure would be useful.
charmed855
01-03-2008, 03:33 AM
Hello Charmed,
Just a guess, but wondering if your possibly w DoD (maybe Navy)? If so, I got your back! You're right about subs, except I'm more wary of what China's up to! :sick:
I'm a Navy civilian (in DC), & now under this new NSPS- can't wait to see what Jan08 brings as far as my 1st raise under NSPS! Sorry if this is off subject here, but wanted to say hello!:D
VR
Hey hessian - how did the pay pool treat you? My boss really went to bat for us this year and our group managed to do better than average. I'm kind of stoked about the result but still cautious about the system (I've heard some real horror stories).
We averaged 0% 1's, 1% 2's, 70% 3's, 28% 4's, and <1% 5's. I'd be interested to see how other pay pools faired in terms of distribution.
We'll see how it goes next year when the entire basic pay COLA is added to the mix. By the way, I'm DoD/Army.
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