REASONS FOR RUSHING SADDAM'S EXECUTION
"... Why the rush to execute Saddam Hussein... Why on earth would anyone want to set off an ideological bomb during an already chaotic situation?... when Iraq is falling into total chaos and civil war, and as American troops continue to die, why would anyone want to add fuel to that fire, enough fuel to destroy what is left? Suspend your emotions and think strategically..."
"The (strike group) carriers will be in position... there will be an event of some sort in Iraq... blamed on Iran... The sanctions... have given the administration the blank check they needed... to order aerial strikes. The surge troops will be in position, and... ground support will begin around late February, early March..."
http://www.juancole.com/2006/12/alexandrova-guest-op-ed-saddams.html
Friday, December 22, 2006
MAJOR U.S. OPERATION PREDICTED FOR MARCH 2007
"the US Central Command... put in a request for another carrier in Gulf region... this request is the first in four years tied specifically to a deterrent for Syria and Iran... the Bush administration is heading for a major operation against the two key threats to Iraq’s stability: the Sunni insurgents supported by Syria, and the Shiite militias which receive arms, intelligence and funding from Tehran. The application to deploy a third carrier in the Gulf in late March 2007 is a pointer to the projected timeline of this operation..."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), December 22, 2006
http://www.debka.com/index.php
"the US Central Command... put in a request for another carrier in Gulf region... this request is the first in four years tied specifically to a deterrent for Syria and Iran... the Bush administration is heading for a major operation against the two key threats to Iraq’s stability: the Sunni insurgents supported by Syria, and the Shiite militias which receive arms, intelligence and funding from Tehran. The application to deploy a third carrier in the Gulf in late March 2007 is a pointer to the projected timeline of this operation..."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), December 22, 2006
http://www.debka.com/index.php
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
END-WORLD CHRISTIANS HOPE FOR WAR AGAINST IRAN
"The end of the world as we know it is rapidly approaching. Just before us is a nuclear countdown with Iran... and then the final battle - the battle of Armageddon."
--John Hagee, pastor of the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church, San Antonio, TX, author of book "Jerusalem Countdown: A Warning to the World", founder of Christians United for Israel.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HL21Ak01.html
"The end of the world as we know it is rapidly approaching. Just before us is a nuclear countdown with Iran... and then the final battle - the battle of Armageddon."
--John Hagee, pastor of the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church, San Antonio, TX, author of book "Jerusalem Countdown: A Warning to the World", founder of Christians United for Israel.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HL21Ak01.html
Saturday, December 16, 2006
WHAT IRAN WANTS
"Iran wants a wholesale transformation of its relationship with the United States, which is one of the most antagonistic in the world... Iran wants to be allowed to continue its (nuclear) programme... which it says is completely peaceful as well as its right under the international non-proliferation regime. That means an end to the threat of UN sanctions... and an end to US and Israeli threats of military action to destroy its nuclear facilities.
In the past, Tehran has had its fingers burnt by trying to open a dialogue with this most hawkish of US administrations. In May 2003, for example, it offered to open up its nuclear programme, rein in Hezbollah and co-operate against al-Qaeda, but was... rebuffed... Since then, a right-wing Iranian president has been elected, although overall executive power lies with the religious revolutionary leadership of Ayatollah Khamenei. Iran... wants to be absolved completely from Washington's designation of it as part of the "axis of evil"..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6144842.stm
"Iran wants a wholesale transformation of its relationship with the United States, which is one of the most antagonistic in the world... Iran wants to be allowed to continue its (nuclear) programme... which it says is completely peaceful as well as its right under the international non-proliferation regime. That means an end to the threat of UN sanctions... and an end to US and Israeli threats of military action to destroy its nuclear facilities.
In the past, Tehran has had its fingers burnt by trying to open a dialogue with this most hawkish of US administrations. In May 2003, for example, it offered to open up its nuclear programme, rein in Hezbollah and co-operate against al-Qaeda, but was... rebuffed... Since then, a right-wing Iranian president has been elected, although overall executive power lies with the religious revolutionary leadership of Ayatollah Khamenei. Iran... wants to be absolved completely from Washington's designation of it as part of the "axis of evil"..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6144842.stm
Thursday, December 14, 2006
STRIKE FORCE BLOCKADE MAY PROVOKE AIR CAMPAIGN
"... The flood of military assets (naval strike forces) into and around the Persian Gulf signifies an impending naval embargo or blockade of Iran designed to attempt to weaken and collapse the regime over several months, with a crushing air campaign held at the immediate ready... There is also the distinct possibility that the regimes targeted with the embargo/blockade will strike out at the naval assets and provide the US with the "justification" to unleash a full-blown air campaign..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HL15Ak04.html
"... The flood of military assets (naval strike forces) into and around the Persian Gulf signifies an impending naval embargo or blockade of Iran designed to attempt to weaken and collapse the regime over several months, with a crushing air campaign held at the immediate ready... There is also the distinct possibility that the regimes targeted with the embargo/blockade will strike out at the naval assets and provide the US with the "justification" to unleash a full-blown air campaign..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HL15Ak04.html
Monday, December 04, 2006
IRAN GRATEFUL TO U.S.
"... Iranian leaders have made clear that they believe they are the big winners from America's involvement in Iraq. "The kind of service that the Americans, with all their hatred, have done us — no superpower has ever done anything similar," Mohsen Rezai, secretary-general of the powerful Expediency Council that advises the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamanei, boasted on state television recently.
"America destroyed all our enemies in the region. It destroyed the Taliban. It destroyed Saddam Hussein... The Americans got so stuck in the soil of Iraq and Afghanistan that if they manage to drag themselves back to Washington in one piece, they should thank God. America presents us with an opportunity rather than a threat — not because it intended to, but because it miscalculated. They made many mistakes".
"Iran also watched with pleasure as America, Britain, France and Germany failed to persuade Russia and China to sign up to a package of sanctions against Iran..."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/03/wirq03.xml
"... Iranian leaders have made clear that they believe they are the big winners from America's involvement in Iraq. "The kind of service that the Americans, with all their hatred, have done us — no superpower has ever done anything similar," Mohsen Rezai, secretary-general of the powerful Expediency Council that advises the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamanei, boasted on state television recently.
"America destroyed all our enemies in the region. It destroyed the Taliban. It destroyed Saddam Hussein... The Americans got so stuck in the soil of Iraq and Afghanistan that if they manage to drag themselves back to Washington in one piece, they should thank God. America presents us with an opportunity rather than a threat — not because it intended to, but because it miscalculated. They made many mistakes".
"Iran also watched with pleasure as America, Britain, France and Germany failed to persuade Russia and China to sign up to a package of sanctions against Iran..."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/03/wirq03.xml
Friday, December 01, 2006
EXCERPT FROM AHMADINAJAD LETTER TO BUSH
"...Mr President,
Those in power have specific time in office, and do not rule indefinitely, but their names will be recorded in history and will be constantly judged in the immediate and distant futures. The people will scrutinize our presidencies.
Did we manage to bring peace, security and prosperity for the people or insecurity and unemployment? Did we intend to establish justice, or just supported especial interest groups, and by forcing many people to live in poverty and hardship, made a few people rich and powerful – thus trading the approval of the people and the Almighty with theirs’? Did we defend the rights of the underprivileged or ignore them? Did we defend the rights of all people around the world or imposed wars on them, interfered illegally in their affairs, established hellish prisons and incarcerated some of them? Did we bring the world peace and security or raised the specter of intimidation and threats? Did we tell the truth to our nation and others around the world or presented an inverted version of it? Were we on the side of people or the occupiers and oppressors? Did our administration set out to promote rational behaviour, logic, ethics, peace, fulfilling obligations, justice, service to the people, prosperity, progress and respect for human dignity or the force of guns. Intimidation, insecurity, disregard for the people, delaying the progress and excellence of other nations, and trample on people’s rights? And finally, they will judge us on whether we remained true to our oath of office – to serve the people, which is our main task, and the traditions of the prophets – or not?..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1130-23.htm
"...Mr President,
Those in power have specific time in office, and do not rule indefinitely, but their names will be recorded in history and will be constantly judged in the immediate and distant futures. The people will scrutinize our presidencies.
Did we manage to bring peace, security and prosperity for the people or insecurity and unemployment? Did we intend to establish justice, or just supported especial interest groups, and by forcing many people to live in poverty and hardship, made a few people rich and powerful – thus trading the approval of the people and the Almighty with theirs’? Did we defend the rights of the underprivileged or ignore them? Did we defend the rights of all people around the world or imposed wars on them, interfered illegally in their affairs, established hellish prisons and incarcerated some of them? Did we bring the world peace and security or raised the specter of intimidation and threats? Did we tell the truth to our nation and others around the world or presented an inverted version of it? Were we on the side of people or the occupiers and oppressors? Did our administration set out to promote rational behaviour, logic, ethics, peace, fulfilling obligations, justice, service to the people, prosperity, progress and respect for human dignity or the force of guns. Intimidation, insecurity, disregard for the people, delaying the progress and excellence of other nations, and trample on people’s rights? And finally, they will judge us on whether we remained true to our oath of office – to serve the people, which is our main task, and the traditions of the prophets – or not?..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1130-23.htm
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
AHMADINEJAD LETTER TO U.S. PEOPLE
"... Ahmadinejad has made an unprecedented and direct appeal to the US people, urging them to reject US foreign policy. In a letter to "Noble Americans" Iran's president said the US administration's use of "coercion, force and injustice" weakened its global position... (and) said terrorism had "grown exponentially" in the "military misadventure" of Iraq..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6157311.stm
Complete letter:
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1130-23.htm
"... Ahmadinejad has made an unprecedented and direct appeal to the US people, urging them to reject US foreign policy. In a letter to "Noble Americans" Iran's president said the US administration's use of "coercion, force and injustice" weakened its global position... (and) said terrorism had "grown exponentially" in the "military misadventure" of Iraq..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6157311.stm
Complete letter:
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1130-23.htm
Monday, November 27, 2006
RUSSIAN SUPER MISSILES TO IRAN -- WILL BE INVULERABLE IN 6 MONTHS
"Russia sells Iran sophisticated missile systems capable of repelling US or Israeli air or missile assaults... The first of 29 Tor-M1 systems in the $700m deal have been delivered to Iran... a weapon widely regarded as the most advanced of its kind in the world... (with) ability to simultaneously destroy two targets traveling at up to 700km/h in any weather by day or night, (having) powerful, jamming-resistant radar with electronic beam control... (and) and automatic threat evaluation data on up to 48 targets... its full deployment at Iran’s nuclear installations will make them virtually invulnerable to American or Israeli attack... Therefore, no more than six months remain, until the Russian Tor-M1 systems are in place, for any attempt to knock out Iran’s nuclear weapons industry."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), November 27, 2006
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=3541
"Russia sells Iran sophisticated missile systems capable of repelling US or Israeli air or missile assaults... The first of 29 Tor-M1 systems in the $700m deal have been delivered to Iran... a weapon widely regarded as the most advanced of its kind in the world... (with) ability to simultaneously destroy two targets traveling at up to 700km/h in any weather by day or night, (having) powerful, jamming-resistant radar with electronic beam control... (and) and automatic threat evaluation data on up to 48 targets... its full deployment at Iran’s nuclear installations will make them virtually invulnerable to American or Israeli attack... Therefore, no more than six months remain, until the Russian Tor-M1 systems are in place, for any attempt to knock out Iran’s nuclear weapons industry."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), November 27, 2006
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=3541
USS BOXER PATROLLING OFF OIL TERMINALS
"USS Boxer Expeditionary Strike Force is patrolling waters off S. Iraq’s Basra and Khawr Al Amaya oil terminals... The terminals, key elements of Iraq’s lifeline oil exports, are under terrorist threat. Boxer has been deployed since Nov. 21 in support of the US 5th Fleet, whose area of responsibility includes the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean, critical chokepoint straits and 27 countries."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), November 27, 2006
http://www.debka.com/index.php
"USS Boxer Expeditionary Strike Force is patrolling waters off S. Iraq’s Basra and Khawr Al Amaya oil terminals... The terminals, key elements of Iraq’s lifeline oil exports, are under terrorist threat. Boxer has been deployed since Nov. 21 in support of the US 5th Fleet, whose area of responsibility includes the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean, critical chokepoint straits and 27 countries."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), November 27, 2006
http://www.debka.com/index.php
Sunday, November 26, 2006
IRAN PROPOSES TO HELP U.S. CALM IRAQ
"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed Sunday that he would help the United States calm Iraq if Washington changes what he described as its "bullying" policy toward Iran...
"We are ready to help you. You went to Iraq to topple Saddam and find weapons of mass destruction, but it was clear to us that you came in order to dominate the region and its oil.You have been trapped in a quagmire and locked in your place with nowhere to go. The Iranian nation is ready to help you to get out of the quagmire — on condition that you resume behaving in a just manner and avoid bullying and invading. Then, nations of the region, headed by the Iranian nation, will be ready to show you the path of salvation. It is the time for the leaders of the U.S. and U.K to listen. You have reached a dead end in our region as well as in the world."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-11-26-iran-us-iraq_x.htm
"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed Sunday that he would help the United States calm Iraq if Washington changes what he described as its "bullying" policy toward Iran...
"We are ready to help you. You went to Iraq to topple Saddam and find weapons of mass destruction, but it was clear to us that you came in order to dominate the region and its oil.You have been trapped in a quagmire and locked in your place with nowhere to go. The Iranian nation is ready to help you to get out of the quagmire — on condition that you resume behaving in a just manner and avoid bullying and invading. Then, nations of the region, headed by the Iranian nation, will be ready to show you the path of salvation. It is the time for the leaders of the U.S. and U.K to listen. You have reached a dead end in our region as well as in the world."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-11-26-iran-us-iraq_x.htm
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
"ROQUE STATE" TERM CREATED FOR TARGETS OF WAR ON TERROR
"... The US response to... (9-11) has been... a vengeful declaration of a "war on terror". This is a strategic overshoot, because terrorism is an amorphous organism that cannot be eliminated by military operations, war can only be declared on and fought between states. Thus the US was compelled to conjure up the notion of "rogue states" that gelled into an "axis of evil" allegedly linked to state-sponsored terrorism....
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HK21Ak03.html
"... The US response to... (9-11) has been... a vengeful declaration of a "war on terror". This is a strategic overshoot, because terrorism is an amorphous organism that cannot be eliminated by military operations, war can only be declared on and fought between states. Thus the US was compelled to conjure up the notion of "rogue states" that gelled into an "axis of evil" allegedly linked to state-sponsored terrorism....
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HK21Ak03.html
U.S USING KURDISH GROUP TO DESTABILIZE IRAN
"The United States, which has promised Ankara to end the existence of the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, is reportedly backing the group’s Iranian wing PEJAK in a secret ploy to destabilize (Iran)... Washington, and Israel, have been providing PEJAK with training and equipment over the last six months..."
http://www.zaman.com/?bl=international&alt=&trh=20061121&hn=38497
"The United States, which has promised Ankara to end the existence of the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, is reportedly backing the group’s Iranian wing PEJAK in a secret ploy to destabilize (Iran)... Washington, and Israel, have been providing PEJAK with training and equipment over the last six months..."
http://www.zaman.com/?bl=international&alt=&trh=20061121&hn=38497
CIA: NO PROOF IRAN DEVELOPING NUCLEAR WEAPONS
"The CIA has not found conclusive evidence that Iran is developing nuclear weapons... (says) a secret CIA report based on intelligence such as... satellite photography and measurements from sensors planted by US and Israeli agents.... the alleged document appears to challenge Washington's views regarding Iranian nuclear intentions..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6167304.stm
"The CIA has not found conclusive evidence that Iran is developing nuclear weapons... (says) a secret CIA report based on intelligence such as... satellite photography and measurements from sensors planted by US and Israeli agents.... the alleged document appears to challenge Washington's views regarding Iranian nuclear intentions..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6167304.stm
Sunday, November 19, 2006
FOUR CARRIERS IN THE PERSIAN GULF
"Why Are There Four Carriers In The Persian Gulf?"
http://www.rense.com/general74/whyare.htm
"Why Are There Four Carriers In The Persian Gulf?"
http://www.rense.com/general74/whyare.htm
Monday, November 13, 2006
S. KOREA WON'T INTERCEPT N. KOREAN SHIPMENTS TO IRAN
"... South Korea will not join a US-led scheme to stop and search suspicious North Korean ships... worried that intercepting a North Korean ship could trigger an armed clash... (still) South Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister Park In-kook told reporters that South Korea supported the "purpose and principles" of the PSI... a voluntary initiative that was launched in 2003 as a way of stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction by stopping suspicious cargo ships at sea..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6142488.stm
"... the US - along with ships from Bahrain, Australia, France, Italy and Britain - is conducting exercises simulating inspection of ships carrying illicit weapons-related materials. Iran must understand that the purpose is to intercept any nuclear- or missile-related shipments from North Korea..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HK03Ak02.html
"... South Korea will not join a US-led scheme to stop and search suspicious North Korean ships... worried that intercepting a North Korean ship could trigger an armed clash... (still) South Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister Park In-kook told reporters that South Korea supported the "purpose and principles" of the PSI... a voluntary initiative that was launched in 2003 as a way of stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction by stopping suspicious cargo ships at sea..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6142488.stm
"... the US - along with ships from Bahrain, Australia, France, Italy and Britain - is conducting exercises simulating inspection of ships carrying illicit weapons-related materials. Iran must understand that the purpose is to intercept any nuclear- or missile-related shipments from North Korea..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HK03Ak02.html
Sunday, November 12, 2006
IRAN WARNS ISRAEL AGAINST MILITARY STRIKES
"... Israel's deputy defence minister Ephraim Sneh... suggested Israel could launch military strikes against Iranian nuclear installations as a last resort... Iran's foreign ministry spokesman has warned Tehran will not hesitate to retaliate with a crushing blow if Israel attacks its nuclear sites... "if Israel indulged in such stupidity, then the response of Iranian fighters would be emphatic, crushing and immediate... it would not take one second..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6141180.stm
"... Israel's deputy defence minister Ephraim Sneh... suggested Israel could launch military strikes against Iranian nuclear installations as a last resort... Iran's foreign ministry spokesman has warned Tehran will not hesitate to retaliate with a crushing blow if Israel attacks its nuclear sites... "if Israel indulged in such stupidity, then the response of Iranian fighters would be emphatic, crushing and immediate... it would not take one second..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6141180.stm
LANDING FORCE STRIKE GROUP ENTERS PERSIAN GULF
"USS Boxer Strike Group, entered the Persian Gulf Thursday, Nov. 9, the largest US landing force to reach this water in a decade. The Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group (BOXESG) now in the US Fifth Fleet area headquartered in Bahrain, consists of Boxer (picture), Amphibious Squadron 5, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Seals), the Coast Guard cutter Midgett and Canadian frigate HMCS Ottawa, as well as the USS Dubuque, USS Comstock, the largest landing craft in the US Navy, USS Bunker Hill and the guided missile destroyers USS Benfold and USS Howard.
"The Boxer Group has just come from joint maneuvers with the Indian navy in the Arabian Sea opposite the coast of Goa, including large-scale landing practices. The group’s commander, Capt. David Angood said that if “anything important happens in the real-world environment, the task force will deal with it in the most efficient manner.”
"...the arrival of Boxer in the Persian Gulf coincided with the USS Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group’s passage through the Suez Canal on its way from the Gulf to the Mediterranean. It is the first time that a US naval strike force is accompanied by a coast guard unit. Its vessels are equipped and their crews trained for rapid rescue and aid missions to damaged ships and wounded crewmen. Their presence in the task force indicates that the Boxer strike group is prepared for Iranian attack by sea, air, submarine, sea-to-sea missiles or depth mines."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), Sunday, November 12, 2006
http://www.debka.com/index.php
"USS Boxer Strike Group, entered the Persian Gulf Thursday, Nov. 9, the largest US landing force to reach this water in a decade. The Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group (BOXESG) now in the US Fifth Fleet area headquartered in Bahrain, consists of Boxer (picture), Amphibious Squadron 5, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Seals), the Coast Guard cutter Midgett and Canadian frigate HMCS Ottawa, as well as the USS Dubuque, USS Comstock, the largest landing craft in the US Navy, USS Bunker Hill and the guided missile destroyers USS Benfold and USS Howard.
"The Boxer Group has just come from joint maneuvers with the Indian navy in the Arabian Sea opposite the coast of Goa, including large-scale landing practices. The group’s commander, Capt. David Angood said that if “anything important happens in the real-world environment, the task force will deal with it in the most efficient manner.”
"...the arrival of Boxer in the Persian Gulf coincided with the USS Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group’s passage through the Suez Canal on its way from the Gulf to the Mediterranean. It is the first time that a US naval strike force is accompanied by a coast guard unit. Its vessels are equipped and their crews trained for rapid rescue and aid missions to damaged ships and wounded crewmen. Their presence in the task force indicates that the Boxer strike group is prepared for Iranian attack by sea, air, submarine, sea-to-sea missiles or depth mines."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), Sunday, November 12, 2006
http://www.debka.com/index.php
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
ATTACK ON IRAN COULD TRAP U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ
"Sources indicate increasing indications of 'something big' happening between the Nov. 7 congressional election and Christmas. That could be the long-planned attack on Iran... It will be a 'package' of air and missile strikes, by U.S. forces or Israel...(what) no one forsees is a substantial danger that we could lose the American army now deployed in Iraq... our supply lines from the south could be cut if we attack Iran.... by Shiite militias including the Mahdi Army and the Badr Brigades... (and by) regular Iranian Army divisions (that) will roll into Iraq..."
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/article_1218968.php/Outside_View_Iraq_disaster_warning
"Sources indicate increasing indications of 'something big' happening between the Nov. 7 congressional election and Christmas. That could be the long-planned attack on Iran... It will be a 'package' of air and missile strikes, by U.S. forces or Israel...(what) no one forsees is a substantial danger that we could lose the American army now deployed in Iraq... our supply lines from the south could be cut if we attack Iran.... by Shiite militias including the Mahdi Army and the Badr Brigades... (and by) regular Iranian Army divisions (that) will roll into Iraq..."
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/article_1218968.php/Outside_View_Iraq_disaster_warning
ATTACK ON IRAN COMING
"Sources indicate increasing indications of 'something big' happening between the Nov. 7 congressional election and Christmas. That could be the long-planned attack on Iran... It will be a 'package' of air and missile strikes, by U.S. forces or Israel...(what) no one forsees is a substantial danger that we could lose the American army now deployed in Iraq... our supply lines from the south could be cut if we attack Iran.... by Shiite militias including the Mahdi Army and the Badr Brigades... (and by) regular Iranian Army divisions (that) will roll into Iraq..."
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/article_1218968.php/Outside_View_Iraq_disaster_warning
"Sources indicate increasing indications of 'something big' happening between the Nov. 7 congressional election and Christmas. That could be the long-planned attack on Iran... It will be a 'package' of air and missile strikes, by U.S. forces or Israel...(what) no one forsees is a substantial danger that we could lose the American army now deployed in Iraq... our supply lines from the south could be cut if we attack Iran.... by Shiite militias including the Mahdi Army and the Badr Brigades... (and by) regular Iranian Army divisions (that) will roll into Iraq..."
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/article_1218968.php/Outside_View_Iraq_disaster_warning
Monday, November 06, 2006
MISSILE EXERCISE TO WARN EUROPE OF BACKLASH FROM U.S. NAVAL ATTACK
"... Iran announced (a) war game... Nov. 1 in response to the to the US-led naval movements and buildup in the in the Red Sea... The spectacular swarm of sophisticated missiles fired in Iran’s surprise military exercise stuns military planners in the US, Israel and Europe... their most startling feat was the successful first test-fire of the long-range Shehab-3 with its cluster of tens of small bomblets... This Shehab-3, whose 2,000-km range brings Israel, the Middle East and Europe within reach - may be more than a match for any anti-missile missile system in American, Israeli or European arsenals... Europe... was being warned that it would be first in line for a backlash from a US or Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities..."
--DEBKAfile, Israel, November 6, 2006
http://www.debka.com/index.php
"... Iran announced (a) war game... Nov. 1 in response to the to the US-led naval movements and buildup in the in the Red Sea... The spectacular swarm of sophisticated missiles fired in Iran’s surprise military exercise stuns military planners in the US, Israel and Europe... their most startling feat was the successful first test-fire of the long-range Shehab-3 with its cluster of tens of small bomblets... This Shehab-3, whose 2,000-km range brings Israel, the Middle East and Europe within reach - may be more than a match for any anti-missile missile system in American, Israeli or European arsenals... Europe... was being warned that it would be first in line for a backlash from a US or Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities..."
--DEBKAfile, Israel, November 6, 2006
http://www.debka.com/index.php
Sunday, November 05, 2006
U.S. STRIKE FORCES ASSEMBLE OFF IRAN
"Hundreds of US and allied war ships foregathered in the strategic seas of the Middle East and India in the last days of October 2006 for two primary missions: To prepare for a US-led military strike against Iran... (and) to fend off palpable al Qaeda threats to oil targets... an Iranian spy plane had located the USS Boxer heading for the Persian Gulf... the Iranians suspect that at the end of the joint US-Indian exercise in the Arabian Sea, USS Boxer will veer west and head into the Persian Gulf. There would then be four US air carriers with task forces parked opposite Iranian shores, including the USS Enterprise Strike Group, the USS Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group and the USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, which are already in place.... DEBKAfile’s military sources provide details of the massive deployments..."
http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1223
"Hundreds of US and allied war ships foregathered in the strategic seas of the Middle East and India in the last days of October 2006 for two primary missions: To prepare for a US-led military strike against Iran... (and) to fend off palpable al Qaeda threats to oil targets... an Iranian spy plane had located the USS Boxer heading for the Persian Gulf... the Iranians suspect that at the end of the joint US-Indian exercise in the Arabian Sea, USS Boxer will veer west and head into the Persian Gulf. There would then be four US air carriers with task forces parked opposite Iranian shores, including the USS Enterprise Strike Group, the USS Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group and the USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, which are already in place.... DEBKAfile’s military sources provide details of the massive deployments..."
http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1223
Thursday, November 02, 2006
U.S. AND IRANIAN NAVAL MANUEVERS
"... Two developments in the Persian Gulf region need to be watched carefully. First, it has been reported that US-led coalition naval forces have moved into the Saudi port of Ras Tanura. The stated purpose is to ward off possible seaborne attacks from al-Qaeda against the world's largest oil-loading terminal. But Iran will be watching carefully to see how much this US presence intimidates the Saudi leaders. Second, the US - along with ships from Bahrain, Australia, France, Italy and Britain - is conducting exercises simulating inspection of ships carrying illicit weapons-related materials. Iran must understand that the purpose is to intercept any nuclear- or missile-related shipments from North Korea.
Perhaps in response, Iranian state television has announced that naval maneuvers - named "Great Prophet Two" - would take place in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman from Thursday. "The war games are aimed at demonstrating the deterrent power of the [Iranian Revolutionary] Guards against possible threats," General Yahya Rahim Safavi, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, was quoted as saying."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HK03Ak02.html
"... Two developments in the Persian Gulf region need to be watched carefully. First, it has been reported that US-led coalition naval forces have moved into the Saudi port of Ras Tanura. The stated purpose is to ward off possible seaborne attacks from al-Qaeda against the world's largest oil-loading terminal. But Iran will be watching carefully to see how much this US presence intimidates the Saudi leaders. Second, the US - along with ships from Bahrain, Australia, France, Italy and Britain - is conducting exercises simulating inspection of ships carrying illicit weapons-related materials. Iran must understand that the purpose is to intercept any nuclear- or missile-related shipments from North Korea.
Perhaps in response, Iranian state television has announced that naval maneuvers - named "Great Prophet Two" - would take place in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman from Thursday. "The war games are aimed at demonstrating the deterrent power of the [Iranian Revolutionary] Guards against possible threats," General Yahya Rahim Safavi, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, was quoted as saying."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HK03Ak02.html
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
TWO STRIKE GROUPS AN EXTRAORDINARY DEVELOPMENT
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower, and its accompanying carrier strike group, passed through the Suez Canal on Monday, Oct. 30, and arrived in the Red Sea on Tuesday, Oct. 31.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the USS Eisenhower is at sea off the Saudi Arabian coast, together with another aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise. The presence of the two US aircraft carriers, and their accompanying strike groups, in a body of water as small as the Red Sea is an extraordinary development.
So far there have been no indications that the USS Eisenhower arrived to replace the USS Enterprise.
US Intelligence director John Negroponte also is in the region. He was in Saudi Arabia over the weekend and in Cairo on Tuesday, and is due to arrive in Israel on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
With the arrival of the USS Eisenhower in the region, there are now three US aircraft carriers in the Persion Gulf and surrounding waters, including the USS Iwo Jima. Accompanying the USS Eisenhower are the guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio, the guided-missile destroyers USS Ramage and USS Mason and the nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine USS Newport.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that a fourth US aircraft carrier, the USS Boxer, will arrive on the scene by the beginning of next week, together with its carrier strike group. The USS Boxer is currently taking part in joint US-Indian naval maneuvers, dubbed Malabar ’06, which include the landing of marines on beaches.
-DEBkafile (Israel), November 1, 2006
http://www.debka.com/index.php
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower, and its accompanying carrier strike group, passed through the Suez Canal on Monday, Oct. 30, and arrived in the Red Sea on Tuesday, Oct. 31.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the USS Eisenhower is at sea off the Saudi Arabian coast, together with another aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise. The presence of the two US aircraft carriers, and their accompanying strike groups, in a body of water as small as the Red Sea is an extraordinary development.
So far there have been no indications that the USS Eisenhower arrived to replace the USS Enterprise.
US Intelligence director John Negroponte also is in the region. He was in Saudi Arabia over the weekend and in Cairo on Tuesday, and is due to arrive in Israel on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
With the arrival of the USS Eisenhower in the region, there are now three US aircraft carriers in the Persion Gulf and surrounding waters, including the USS Iwo Jima. Accompanying the USS Eisenhower are the guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio, the guided-missile destroyers USS Ramage and USS Mason and the nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine USS Newport.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that a fourth US aircraft carrier, the USS Boxer, will arrive on the scene by the beginning of next week, together with its carrier strike group. The USS Boxer is currently taking part in joint US-Indian naval maneuvers, dubbed Malabar ’06, which include the landing of marines on beaches.
-DEBkafile (Israel), November 1, 2006
http://www.debka.com/index.php
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
PRESIDENTS LINKED TO GOD AND SATAN
"President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is trying to shore up his conservative base by portraying himself as a man with a direct link to God... "I have a connection to God - if we stay faithful, God will show us his miracle," Ahmadinejad said at a mosque in Tehran. He also lashed out at President George W Bush, saying the US president "also receives inspiration but from Satan".
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HJ28Ak03.html
"President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is trying to shore up his conservative base by portraying himself as a man with a direct link to God... "I have a connection to God - if we stay faithful, God will show us his miracle," Ahmadinejad said at a mosque in Tehran. He also lashed out at President George W Bush, saying the US president "also receives inspiration but from Satan".
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HJ28Ak03.html
Saturday, October 28, 2006
U.S. NAVY ON ALERT IN PERSIAN GULF
Q: Do you have anything on the heightened state of alert in the Persian Gulf with U.S. Naval forces?
MR. SNOW: Let me put it this way, there have been -- there have been some reports that maybe there's some Saudi facilities that are under watch. As you know, we don't talk about specific operations, but let me put it this way: We have vigorous and ongoing counter-terrorism operations with the Saudis, and if they seek our help and request our help, we'll be certainly happy to provide it.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061027-1.html
Q: Do you have anything on the heightened state of alert in the Persian Gulf with U.S. Naval forces?
MR. SNOW: Let me put it this way, there have been -- there have been some reports that maybe there's some Saudi facilities that are under watch. As you know, we don't talk about specific operations, but let me put it this way: We have vigorous and ongoing counter-terrorism operations with the Saudis, and if they seek our help and request our help, we'll be certainly happy to provide it.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061027-1.html
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
IRAN CONDEMNS U.S. GULF EXERCISES
"... the US is to hold naval exercises at the end of October... (to) practise intercepting and searching ships carrying weapons of mass destruction and missiles... Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted an unnamed foreign ministry official as describing the military manoeuvres as "dangerous and suspicious... aimed at fomenting crises"... The manoeuvres come as America is pushing for tough UN sanctions on Iran... it is not yet clear whether the UN would authorise the searching of ships heading to Iran."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6080204.stm
"... the US is to hold naval exercises at the end of October... (to) practise intercepting and searching ships carrying weapons of mass destruction and missiles... Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted an unnamed foreign ministry official as describing the military manoeuvres as "dangerous and suspicious... aimed at fomenting crises"... The manoeuvres come as America is pushing for tough UN sanctions on Iran... it is not yet clear whether the UN would authorise the searching of ships heading to Iran."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6080204.stm
PUBLIC UNAWARE OF IRAN WAR PLANS
"... government insiders are aware of serious plans for war with Iran, but Congress and the public remain largely in the dark..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1025-20.htm
"... government insiders are aware of serious plans for war with Iran, but Congress and the public remain largely in the dark..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1025-20.htm
Monday, October 23, 2006
BLUFF CAN LEAD TO WAR
"... No doubt the three US carrier groups stand off the Iranian coast in the hope of frightening Iran into nuclear compliance, not with orders to attack. Intentions are not always the best predictor of outcomes, however. Daggers drawn tend to draw blood..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HJ24Ak01.html
"... No doubt the three US carrier groups stand off the Iranian coast in the hope of frightening Iran into nuclear compliance, not with orders to attack. Intentions are not always the best predictor of outcomes, however. Daggers drawn tend to draw blood..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HJ24Ak01.html
Monday, October 16, 2006
UNECCESSARY FUSS ABOUT STRIKE GROUPS
"Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad... dismissed talk about possible war breaking out over the nuclear issue as nonsense, saying some people were making an unnecessary fuss about US naval ships reportedly sailing towards the region.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6055834.stm
"Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad... dismissed talk about possible war breaking out over the nuclear issue as nonsense, saying some people were making an unnecessary fuss about US naval ships reportedly sailing towards the region.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6055834.stm
Sunday, October 15, 2006
THREE U.S. STRIKE GROUPS DEPLOYING TO IRAN
USS ENTERPRISE STRIKE GROUP
"... The U.S.S. Enterprise a U.S. Navy flagship is under deployment to the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. This includes all the warships and vessels that compose Carrier Strike Group 12 (CSG 12) Destroyer Squadron 2 (DESRON 2), and Carrier Air Wing 1 (CVW 1). The stated objective for the deployment of the U.S.S. Enterprise, a nuclear powered aircraft carrier, and other U.S. Navy vessels is to conduct naval security operations and aerial missions in the region. The deployment does not mention Iran, it is said to be part of the U.S.-led “War on Terror” under “Operation Enduring Freedom.” Other warships in the Enterprise Strike Group include the destroyer U.S.S. McFaul, the war frigate U.S.S. Nicholas, the battle cruiser U.S.S. Leyte Gulf, the attack submarine U.S.S. Alexandria, and the “fast combat support ship” U.S.N.S. Supply.The U.S.S. Enterprise carries with it a host of infiltration, aerial attack, and rapid deployment units. This includes Marine Strike Fighter Squadron 251, Electronic Attack Squadron 137, and Airborne Early Warning Squadron 123. Squadron 123 will be vital in the event of a war with Iran in detecting Iranian missiles and sending warnings of danger to the U.S. fleet. Special mention should be made of the helicopter squadron specialized for combating submarines traveling with the strike group. “Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 11” will be on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. The Persian Gulf is known to be the home of the Iranian submarine fleet, the only indigenous submarine fleet in the region..."
USS EISENHOWER STRIKE GROUP
"... The Eisenhower Strike Group, based in Norfolk, Virginia, has also received orders to deploy to the Middle East. The strike group is led by the U.S.S. Eisenhower, another nuclear battleship. It includes a cruiser, a destroyer, a war frigate, a submarine escort, and U.S. Navy supply ships. One of these two naval strike groups (Enterprise or Eisenhower) will position itself in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea while the other naval strike group will position itself in the Persian Gulf, both off the Iranian coast..."
USS BOXER STRIKE GROUP
"... Another assault or strike group of U.S. warships, “Expeditionary Strike Group 5,” are setting off to sea too. This strike group is setting sail from Naval Station San Diego with the Persian Gulf in the Middle East as their final destination. Over 6,000 U.S. Marines and Navy personnel will be deployed to the Persian Gulf and Anglo-American occupied Iraq from San Diego.4 Approximately 4,000 U.S. sailors and 2,200 U.S. Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Pendleton will make the bulk of the force.... Expeditionary Strike Group 5 (ESG 5) is being led by the assault ship the U.S.S. Boxer as the flagship. Expeditionary Strike Group 5 (ESG 5) will also consist of the U.S.S. Dubuque, a “dock landing vessel,” the naval transport ship the U.S.S. Comstock, the battle cruiser the U.S.S. Bunker Hill, the guided-missile hauling destroyer the U.S.S. Benfold, and the guided-missile hauling destroyer the U.S.S. Howard. Once again, these vessels will all be deployed in the Persian Gulf, in nearby proximity to the Iranian coast..."
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=NAZ20061001&articleId=3361
USS ENTERPRISE STRIKE GROUP
"... The U.S.S. Enterprise a U.S. Navy flagship is under deployment to the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. This includes all the warships and vessels that compose Carrier Strike Group 12 (CSG 12) Destroyer Squadron 2 (DESRON 2), and Carrier Air Wing 1 (CVW 1). The stated objective for the deployment of the U.S.S. Enterprise, a nuclear powered aircraft carrier, and other U.S. Navy vessels is to conduct naval security operations and aerial missions in the region. The deployment does not mention Iran, it is said to be part of the U.S.-led “War on Terror” under “Operation Enduring Freedom.” Other warships in the Enterprise Strike Group include the destroyer U.S.S. McFaul, the war frigate U.S.S. Nicholas, the battle cruiser U.S.S. Leyte Gulf, the attack submarine U.S.S. Alexandria, and the “fast combat support ship” U.S.N.S. Supply.The U.S.S. Enterprise carries with it a host of infiltration, aerial attack, and rapid deployment units. This includes Marine Strike Fighter Squadron 251, Electronic Attack Squadron 137, and Airborne Early Warning Squadron 123. Squadron 123 will be vital in the event of a war with Iran in detecting Iranian missiles and sending warnings of danger to the U.S. fleet. Special mention should be made of the helicopter squadron specialized for combating submarines traveling with the strike group. “Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 11” will be on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. The Persian Gulf is known to be the home of the Iranian submarine fleet, the only indigenous submarine fleet in the region..."
USS EISENHOWER STRIKE GROUP
"... The Eisenhower Strike Group, based in Norfolk, Virginia, has also received orders to deploy to the Middle East. The strike group is led by the U.S.S. Eisenhower, another nuclear battleship. It includes a cruiser, a destroyer, a war frigate, a submarine escort, and U.S. Navy supply ships. One of these two naval strike groups (Enterprise or Eisenhower) will position itself in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea while the other naval strike group will position itself in the Persian Gulf, both off the Iranian coast..."
USS BOXER STRIKE GROUP
"... Another assault or strike group of U.S. warships, “Expeditionary Strike Group 5,” are setting off to sea too. This strike group is setting sail from Naval Station San Diego with the Persian Gulf in the Middle East as their final destination. Over 6,000 U.S. Marines and Navy personnel will be deployed to the Persian Gulf and Anglo-American occupied Iraq from San Diego.4 Approximately 4,000 U.S. sailors and 2,200 U.S. Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Pendleton will make the bulk of the force.... Expeditionary Strike Group 5 (ESG 5) is being led by the assault ship the U.S.S. Boxer as the flagship. Expeditionary Strike Group 5 (ESG 5) will also consist of the U.S.S. Dubuque, a “dock landing vessel,” the naval transport ship the U.S.S. Comstock, the battle cruiser the U.S.S. Bunker Hill, the guided-missile hauling destroyer the U.S.S. Benfold, and the guided-missile hauling destroyer the U.S.S. Howard. Once again, these vessels will all be deployed in the Persian Gulf, in nearby proximity to the Iranian coast..."
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=NAZ20061001&articleId=3361
Friday, October 13, 2006
TASK GROUPS TO BE FOR IRAN INTERDICTION EXERCISES
"... the US Navy is about to commence interdiction exercises in waters close to Iran. For all practical purposes, Iran considers this maneuver a sign of US bullying, and in case there is an actual exchange with Iranian cargo ships in the (near) future, this is sure to escalate tensions in the oil-rich region..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HJ14Ak02.html
"... the US Navy is about to commence interdiction exercises in waters close to Iran. For all practical purposes, Iran considers this maneuver a sign of US bullying, and in case there is an actual exchange with Iranian cargo ships in the (near) future, this is sure to escalate tensions in the oil-rich region..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HJ14Ak02.html
Monday, October 09, 2006
IRANIAN PRE-EMPTIVE ATTACK VIA SYRIA PREDICTED
"... Tehran is not prepared to wait passively for the Americans to build up their assault force in the Gulf and strike its nuclear facilities. A pre-emptive attack would suit them better.... Tehran and Damascus are gearing up for a pre-emptive Syrian attack on Israel to ward off a US strike on Iran’s nuclear sites.. Both are seriously looking at a Syrian attack on the Golan which would escalate into a full-blown Syrian-Israeli war and a second Hizballah assault from Lebanon... (This) would serve the purpose of forcing the Americans to divide their military assets between a strike against Iran and the defense of their allies in the Persia Gulf, Israel and US forces in Iraq..."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), Monday, October 9, 2006
http://www.debka.com/index.php
"... Tehran is not prepared to wait passively for the Americans to build up their assault force in the Gulf and strike its nuclear facilities. A pre-emptive attack would suit them better.... Tehran and Damascus are gearing up for a pre-emptive Syrian attack on Israel to ward off a US strike on Iran’s nuclear sites.. Both are seriously looking at a Syrian attack on the Golan which would escalate into a full-blown Syrian-Israeli war and a second Hizballah assault from Lebanon... (This) would serve the purpose of forcing the Americans to divide their military assets between a strike against Iran and the defense of their allies in the Persia Gulf, Israel and US forces in Iraq..."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), Monday, October 9, 2006
http://www.debka.com/index.php
PURPOSE OF THE STRIKE GROUPS
"Q: So, this means we're probably going to war?
A: Not necessarily.
Q: Really? What else could it be?
A: Oh, I don't know, preparations to enforce sanctions against Iran should they be passed?
Q: Sanctions?
A: Yeah, you know, the UN has been talking about imposing santions against Iran if they don't stop enriching uranium. And apparently there seems to be some momentum building to actually do something.
Q: Oh yeah. But why would you send a carrier battle group?
A: To impose the sanctions by denying ingress and egress to Iranian ports. Let's face it, if they can't ship oil through the Straits of Hormuz, they're out of business.
Q: So a carrier battle group could stop them from doing that?
A: Oh yeah.
Q: But I'd bet the Iranians wouldn't take it lying down, would they?
A: Probably not which is why we have tomahawk missiles. Should they attack our naval vessels, we could take out all their missile and naval sites with them.
Q: But what about the mine layers?
A: Mines are area denial weapons. Again, a good way to control ingress and egress. We can also completely bottle up their ports if necessary. It's also a good way to canalize their surface vessels and make them attack along known corridors we control. Iran has many fast attack missile boats. Ensuring we controlled the only avenues of approach would go a long way toward defeating any attacks they might mount.
Q: So this deployment probably doesn't signal an attack on Iran?
A: Nope. A single carrier group, no matter how many tomahawks it has or how hurriedly it is deployed does not mean war with anyone."
http://www.qando.net/details.aspx?Entry=4630
“... The ships will be in place to strike Iran by the end of the month. It may be a bluff. It may be a feint. It may be a simple show of American power. But I doubt it...”
-- Chris Hedges, former Middle East bureau chief for The New York Times
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/200601009_bushs_nuclear_apocalypse/
"Q: So, this means we're probably going to war?
A: Not necessarily.
Q: Really? What else could it be?
A: Oh, I don't know, preparations to enforce sanctions against Iran should they be passed?
Q: Sanctions?
A: Yeah, you know, the UN has been talking about imposing santions against Iran if they don't stop enriching uranium. And apparently there seems to be some momentum building to actually do something.
Q: Oh yeah. But why would you send a carrier battle group?
A: To impose the sanctions by denying ingress and egress to Iranian ports. Let's face it, if they can't ship oil through the Straits of Hormuz, they're out of business.
Q: So a carrier battle group could stop them from doing that?
A: Oh yeah.
Q: But I'd bet the Iranians wouldn't take it lying down, would they?
A: Probably not which is why we have tomahawk missiles. Should they attack our naval vessels, we could take out all their missile and naval sites with them.
Q: But what about the mine layers?
A: Mines are area denial weapons. Again, a good way to control ingress and egress. We can also completely bottle up their ports if necessary. It's also a good way to canalize their surface vessels and make them attack along known corridors we control. Iran has many fast attack missile boats. Ensuring we controlled the only avenues of approach would go a long way toward defeating any attacks they might mount.
Q: So this deployment probably doesn't signal an attack on Iran?
A: Nope. A single carrier group, no matter how many tomahawks it has or how hurriedly it is deployed does not mean war with anyone."
http://www.qando.net/details.aspx?Entry=4630
“... The ships will be in place to strike Iran by the end of the month. It may be a bluff. It may be a feint. It may be a simple show of American power. But I doubt it...”
-- Chris Hedges, former Middle East bureau chief for The New York Times
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/200601009_bushs_nuclear_apocalypse/
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
A SECOND STRIKE GROUP DUE OFF IRAN OCTOBER 21
(Departing fron Norfolk, with flagship USS Eisenhower, a jet carrier)
"... Bush Administration and the Pentagon have moved up the deployment of a major "strike group" of ships, including the nuclear aircraft carrier Eisenhower as well as a cruiser, destroyer, frigate, submarine escort and supply ship, to head for the Persian Gulf, just off Iran's western coast... According to Lieut. Mike Kafka, a spokesman at the headquarters of the Second Fleet, based in Norfolk, Virginia, the Eisenhower Strike Group, bristling with Tomahawk cruise missiles, has received orders to depart the United States in a little over a week. Other official sources in the public affairs office of the Navy Department at the Pentagon confirm that this powerful armada is scheduled to arrive off the coast of Iran on or around October 21...."
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061009/lindorff
(Departing fron Norfolk, with flagship USS Eisenhower, a jet carrier)
"... Bush Administration and the Pentagon have moved up the deployment of a major "strike group" of ships, including the nuclear aircraft carrier Eisenhower as well as a cruiser, destroyer, frigate, submarine escort and supply ship, to head for the Persian Gulf, just off Iran's western coast... According to Lieut. Mike Kafka, a spokesman at the headquarters of the Second Fleet, based in Norfolk, Virginia, the Eisenhower Strike Group, bristling with Tomahawk cruise missiles, has received orders to depart the United States in a little over a week. Other official sources in the public affairs office of the Navy Department at the Pentagon confirm that this powerful armada is scheduled to arrive off the coast of Iran on or around October 21...."
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061009/lindorff
Monday, October 02, 2006
OCTOBER SURPRISE? U.S. NAVAL STRIKE FORCE ENROUTE TO IRAN?
(Departing from San Deigo, with flagship USS Boxer, a helicopter carrier)
"... Another assault or strike group of U.S. warships, “Expeditionary Strike Group 5,” are setting off to sea too. This strike group is setting sail from Naval Station San Diego with the Persian Gulf in the Middle East as their final destination... The Marine contingent of the force is not destined for deployment in Iraq. It must be noted that the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit is, however, able to “rapidly deploy” on “order” using large landing craft stowed aboard the strike group’s warships. If ordered this rapid deployment unit has the strong potential of being used as part of an invasion force against Iran from the Persian Gulf. The Marine unit would be ideal in being part of an operation with the objective(s) of securing Iranian ports to create beachheads for an invasion...
"Expeditionary Strike Group 5 (ESG 5) is being led by the assault ship the U.S.S. Boxer as the flagship. Expeditionary Strike Group 5 (ESG 5) will also consist of the U.S.S. Dubuque, a “dock landing vessel,” the naval transport ship the U.S.S. Comstock, the battle cruiser the U.S.S. Bunker Hill, the guided-missile hauling destroyer the U.S.S. Benfold, and the guided-missile hauling destroyer the U.S.S. Howard. Once again, these vessels will all be deployed in the Persian Gulf, in nearby proximity to the Iranian coast...
"It is noteworthy to mention that the command and control structure of the group will be separated from the vessels for maximum flexibility. Also before the U.S. Naval strike group reaches the Persian Gulf it will be performing “anti-submarine drills and operations.” The anti-submarine exercises will take place off the coast of Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean. This can be training and preparation intended for combating the Iranian submarine fleet in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. The warships will also be joined in Hawaii by Seattle-based U.S. Coast Guard and by a Canadian navy frigate, the H.M.C.S. Ottawa....... to participate in anti-submarine exercises off the coast of Hawaii.."
"For what purpose are these exercises being conducted? How many countries in the Middle East or Persian Gulf have submarines? Iran is the only country in the Persian Gulf, which is not an ally of the U.S., which possesses an indigenous submarine fleet....
"The U.S. Coast Guard is... (also) being prepared for operations in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. Although this is not an unusual event by itself, it can be significant in relationship to other events and military movements unfolding and taking place. The U.S. Coast Guard will be of great value in the event of a conflict with Iran. U.S. Coast Guard can “enter ports that other warships can not. This would be useful in securing bridgeheads of entry for an invasion force into Iran. The U.S. Coast Guard is also specialized in maritime search and rescue operations, unlike the U.S. Navy or the Marines. This is significant since it is predicted by military analysts that there will definitely be U.S. vessels that will be destroyed and heavily damaged in the Persian Gulf by the Iranian Armed Forces in the event of a conflict between the United States and Iran. U.S. Coast Guard will be crucial in rescue operations, besides speedy operations, protecting U.S. Navy ships, and the entry of ports or shores which other warships can not enter...."
--Article in Al Arab Online, an Arabic news site in London
http://english.alarabonline.org/display.asp?fname=2006%5C10%5C10-02%5Czopinionz%5C963.htm&dismode=x&ts=01/10/2006%2011:05:41%20ã
(Departing from San Deigo, with flagship USS Boxer, a helicopter carrier)
"... Another assault or strike group of U.S. warships, “Expeditionary Strike Group 5,” are setting off to sea too. This strike group is setting sail from Naval Station San Diego with the Persian Gulf in the Middle East as their final destination... The Marine contingent of the force is not destined for deployment in Iraq. It must be noted that the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit is, however, able to “rapidly deploy” on “order” using large landing craft stowed aboard the strike group’s warships. If ordered this rapid deployment unit has the strong potential of being used as part of an invasion force against Iran from the Persian Gulf. The Marine unit would be ideal in being part of an operation with the objective(s) of securing Iranian ports to create beachheads for an invasion...
"Expeditionary Strike Group 5 (ESG 5) is being led by the assault ship the U.S.S. Boxer as the flagship. Expeditionary Strike Group 5 (ESG 5) will also consist of the U.S.S. Dubuque, a “dock landing vessel,” the naval transport ship the U.S.S. Comstock, the battle cruiser the U.S.S. Bunker Hill, the guided-missile hauling destroyer the U.S.S. Benfold, and the guided-missile hauling destroyer the U.S.S. Howard. Once again, these vessels will all be deployed in the Persian Gulf, in nearby proximity to the Iranian coast...
"It is noteworthy to mention that the command and control structure of the group will be separated from the vessels for maximum flexibility. Also before the U.S. Naval strike group reaches the Persian Gulf it will be performing “anti-submarine drills and operations.” The anti-submarine exercises will take place off the coast of Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean. This can be training and preparation intended for combating the Iranian submarine fleet in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. The warships will also be joined in Hawaii by Seattle-based U.S. Coast Guard and by a Canadian navy frigate, the H.M.C.S. Ottawa....... to participate in anti-submarine exercises off the coast of Hawaii.."
"For what purpose are these exercises being conducted? How many countries in the Middle East or Persian Gulf have submarines? Iran is the only country in the Persian Gulf, which is not an ally of the U.S., which possesses an indigenous submarine fleet....
"The U.S. Coast Guard is... (also) being prepared for operations in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. Although this is not an unusual event by itself, it can be significant in relationship to other events and military movements unfolding and taking place. The U.S. Coast Guard will be of great value in the event of a conflict with Iran. U.S. Coast Guard can “enter ports that other warships can not. This would be useful in securing bridgeheads of entry for an invasion force into Iran. The U.S. Coast Guard is also specialized in maritime search and rescue operations, unlike the U.S. Navy or the Marines. This is significant since it is predicted by military analysts that there will definitely be U.S. vessels that will be destroyed and heavily damaged in the Persian Gulf by the Iranian Armed Forces in the event of a conflict between the United States and Iran. U.S. Coast Guard will be crucial in rescue operations, besides speedy operations, protecting U.S. Navy ships, and the entry of ports or shores which other warships can not enter...."
--Article in Al Arab Online, an Arabic news site in London
http://english.alarabonline.org/display.asp?fname=2006%5C10%5C10-02%5Czopinionz%5C963.htm&dismode=x&ts=01/10/2006%2011:05:41%20ã
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEACE WITH IRAN
"... In the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks... In Iran, vast crowds turned out on the streets and held candlelit vigils for the victims. Sixty-thousand spectators respected a minute's silence at Tehran's football stadium... After the Afghan war, US negotiators worked closely with Iranian counterparts to form a new Afghan government... (but) just a few weeks after Iran and the US had worked so closely over Afghanistan, Iran was described by President George W Bush as part of an "axis of evil" in his 2002 State of the Union address..."
"... in May 2003... Tehran made a dramatic... approach to the Americans... a letter... (that) appeared willing to put everything on the table - including being completely open about its nuclear programme, helping to stabilise Iraq, ending its support for Palestinian militant groups and help in disarming Hezbollah... (Iran asked for) a halt in US hostile behaviour and a statement that "Iran did not belong to 'the axis of evil'"... But in Washington, the letter was ignored..."
"... the effect of America's rejection of talks was far reaching. It would tilt the balance of power within Tehran towards the hardliners... And the balance of power between Iran and the US began to shift.... Iran's influence both in Iraq and across the Middle East grew..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5377914.stm
"... In the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks... In Iran, vast crowds turned out on the streets and held candlelit vigils for the victims. Sixty-thousand spectators respected a minute's silence at Tehran's football stadium... After the Afghan war, US negotiators worked closely with Iranian counterparts to form a new Afghan government... (but) just a few weeks after Iran and the US had worked so closely over Afghanistan, Iran was described by President George W Bush as part of an "axis of evil" in his 2002 State of the Union address..."
"... in May 2003... Tehran made a dramatic... approach to the Americans... a letter... (that) appeared willing to put everything on the table - including being completely open about its nuclear programme, helping to stabilise Iraq, ending its support for Palestinian militant groups and help in disarming Hezbollah... (Iran asked for) a halt in US hostile behaviour and a statement that "Iran did not belong to 'the axis of evil'"... But in Washington, the letter was ignored..."
"... the effect of America's rejection of talks was far reaching. It would tilt the balance of power within Tehran towards the hardliners... And the balance of power between Iran and the US began to shift.... Iran's influence both in Iraq and across the Middle East grew..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5377914.stm
Sunday, September 10, 2006
IRAN WAS ON U.S. SIDE AFTER 9/11
"... after 9/11, Iranian president Mohammad Khatami condemned the terrorist attack and reached out to the West to fight terrorism together... Khatami was a moderate reformer, a popular democratically elected president who had been struggling to limit the power of Iran's reactionary religious leaders, and to open up a dialogue between the West and the Muslim world..."
"But the Bush administration was determined to treat 9/11 as a battle in the "clash of civilizations" — a clash that Khatami was trying to steer the world away from. So, despite an outpouring of sympathy from Iranians over 9/11... Washington declared Iran part of the "axis of evil" and dragged the West into a "war on terror" that involved invading Muslim countries..."
"Meanwhile, the moderate Khatami has been replaced by Iran's new hard-line president as the "clash of civilizations" heats up."
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1157838637025
"... after 9/11, Iranian president Mohammad Khatami condemned the terrorist attack and reached out to the West to fight terrorism together... Khatami was a moderate reformer, a popular democratically elected president who had been struggling to limit the power of Iran's reactionary religious leaders, and to open up a dialogue between the West and the Muslim world..."
"But the Bush administration was determined to treat 9/11 as a battle in the "clash of civilizations" — a clash that Khatami was trying to steer the world away from. So, despite an outpouring of sympathy from Iranians over 9/11... Washington declared Iran part of the "axis of evil" and dragged the West into a "war on terror" that involved invading Muslim countries..."
"Meanwhile, the moderate Khatami has been replaced by Iran's new hard-line president as the "clash of civilizations" heats up."
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1157838637025
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
BUSH ENSURES IRAN OFFER IS REJECTED, MOVES CLOSER TO GENERAL MID-EAST WAR
"Bush Ensured Iran Offer Would Be Rejected... Even before Iran gave its formal counter-offer... (the) Bush administration had already begun the process of organising sanctions against Iran... Thus ends what appeared on the surface to be a genuine multilateral initiative for negotiations with Iran on the terms under which it would give up its nuclear programme..."
"Britain, France and Germany... had concluded... that Iran's security concerns would have to be central to any agreement.... (but) tried in vain to get the Bush administration to support their diplomatic efforts with Tehran by authorising the inclusion of security guarantees..."
"... "There must consequences if people thumb their noses at the United Nations Security Council," Bush said ... If the European three, Russia and China, allow Bush to get away with that highly distorted version of what happened, the world will have taken another step closer to general war in the Middle East."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34425
"Bush Ensured Iran Offer Would Be Rejected... Even before Iran gave its formal counter-offer... (the) Bush administration had already begun the process of organising sanctions against Iran... Thus ends what appeared on the surface to be a genuine multilateral initiative for negotiations with Iran on the terms under which it would give up its nuclear programme..."
"Britain, France and Germany... had concluded... that Iran's security concerns would have to be central to any agreement.... (but) tried in vain to get the Bush administration to support their diplomatic efforts with Tehran by authorising the inclusion of security guarantees..."
"... "There must consequences if people thumb their noses at the United Nations Security Council," Bush said ... If the European three, Russia and China, allow Bush to get away with that highly distorted version of what happened, the world will have taken another step closer to general war in the Middle East."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34425
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
IRAN DISSIDENT DECLINES WHITE HOUSE INVITATION, SAYS IRAQ WAR HAS HAMPERED DEMOCRACY
(but accepts Russian invitation for Freedom award)
"Iranian dissident Akbar Ganji declined to meet White House officials during a visit to the US... Mr Ganji said he had been invited to discuss the current situation in Iran... he rejected the offer because he believed current US policies could not help promote democracy in Iran. In a speech last week in Washington DC, he also criticised US policy in Iraq, saying: "You cannot bring democracy to a country by attacking it". He added that the war in Iraq had helped Islamic fundamentalism and hampered the democracy movement in the region."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5211840.stm
"Iran has allowed a leading dissident journalist to leave the country to receive a journalism award in Moscow. Akbar Ganji, who was freed from jail in March... was given permission to go at the last minute. On Monday, he will collect the World Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom award in Russia's capital."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5047034.stm
(but accepts Russian invitation for Freedom award)
"Iranian dissident Akbar Ganji declined to meet White House officials during a visit to the US... Mr Ganji said he had been invited to discuss the current situation in Iran... he rejected the offer because he believed current US policies could not help promote democracy in Iran. In a speech last week in Washington DC, he also criticised US policy in Iraq, saying: "You cannot bring democracy to a country by attacking it". He added that the war in Iraq had helped Islamic fundamentalism and hampered the democracy movement in the region."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5211840.stm
"Iran has allowed a leading dissident journalist to leave the country to receive a journalism award in Moscow. Akbar Ganji, who was freed from jail in March... was given permission to go at the last minute. On Monday, he will collect the World Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom award in Russia's capital."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5047034.stm
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
NO EVIDENCE OF SECRET ENRICHMENT BY IRAN
"... officials have been saying for years that Iran is using its publicly declared nuclear programme as a cover for a clandestine nuclear weapons programme, but has never produced concrete evidence to support that argument... the specter of a clandestine P-2 enrichment programme paralleling the declared P-1 progress at Natanz is not supported by leading independent specialists or by what is known about the history of Iran's nuclear programme..."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33930
"... officials have been saying for years that Iran is using its publicly declared nuclear programme as a cover for a clandestine nuclear weapons programme, but has never produced concrete evidence to support that argument... the specter of a clandestine P-2 enrichment programme paralleling the declared P-1 progress at Natanz is not supported by leading independent specialists or by what is known about the history of Iran's nuclear programme..."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33930
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
BUSH WILL NOT ATTACK IRAN
"... a little-noticed section of the administration's official national security strategy indicates that Bush has already decided that he will not use military force to try to prevent Iran from going nuclear... This carefully worded statement... explicitly makes regime change -- not stopping Iran's progress toward a nuclear capability -- the goal of U.S. policy toward Iran.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33692
"... a little-noticed section of the administration's official national security strategy indicates that Bush has already decided that he will not use military force to try to prevent Iran from going nuclear... This carefully worded statement... explicitly makes regime change -- not stopping Iran's progress toward a nuclear capability -- the goal of U.S. policy toward Iran.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33692
Thursday, June 15, 2006
ZARQAWI TRYING TO START U.S. WAR ON IRAN
"... a pocket hard-drive, a laptop and documents were found in the debris after the strike... One of the documents showed that Zarqawi was planning to try to start a war between the US and Iran by carrying out attacks - falsely attributed to Iran - on US interests, the prime minister's office said..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5084324.stm
"... a pocket hard-drive, a laptop and documents were found in the debris after the strike... One of the documents showed that Zarqawi was planning to try to start a war between the US and Iran by carrying out attacks - falsely attributed to Iran - on US interests, the prime minister's office said..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5084324.stm
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
U.S. WILL STRIKE IRAN
"... there will be war, and Washington will strike Iranian nuclear installations, probably before the end of 2006... Western analysts think President Mahmud Ahmadinejad a madman... But madness is an occupational hazard of becoming the leader of desperate men fighting against inevitable ruin...
"The tragedy will proceed more or less as follows:... Iran has failed as a society in the face of the modern world. It embodies a fatal combination of modern demographics, that is, a rapidly aging population, without having assimilated modern productivity. The forces that have rallied to the banner of the Islamic Revolution both at home and abroad have no more hope... Away from their jihad, they can look forward only to a relentless pulverization of the traditional society whence they came. Such is the stuff of strategic mysticism. When there is no retreat, nothing to which to return, Destiny beckons from the enemy's lines and the army leaves its trenches and flies forward into the cannons..."
herhttp://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HF06Ak03.htmle
"... there will be war, and Washington will strike Iranian nuclear installations, probably before the end of 2006... Western analysts think President Mahmud Ahmadinejad a madman... But madness is an occupational hazard of becoming the leader of desperate men fighting against inevitable ruin...
"The tragedy will proceed more or less as follows:... Iran has failed as a society in the face of the modern world. It embodies a fatal combination of modern demographics, that is, a rapidly aging population, without having assimilated modern productivity. The forces that have rallied to the banner of the Islamic Revolution both at home and abroad have no more hope... Away from their jihad, they can look forward only to a relentless pulverization of the traditional society whence they came. Such is the stuff of strategic mysticism. When there is no retreat, nothing to which to return, Destiny beckons from the enemy's lines and the army leaves its trenches and flies forward into the cannons..."
herhttp://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HF06Ak03.htmle
Thursday, May 25, 2006
IRAN OFFERED PEACE WITH ISRAEL - BUSH REFUSED
"Iran offered in 2003 to accept peace with Israel and to cut off material assistance to Palestinian armed groups and pressure them to halt terrorist attacks within Israel's 1967 borders, according to the secret Iranian proposal to the United States... The two-page document contradicts the official line of the George W. Bush administration that Iran is committed to the destruction of Israel and the sponsorship of terrorism in the region.... in 2003, Bush refused to allow any response to the Iranian offer to negotiate an agreement that would have accepted the existence of Israel..."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33348
"Iran offered in 2003 to accept peace with Israel and to cut off material assistance to Palestinian armed groups and pressure them to halt terrorist attacks within Israel's 1967 borders, according to the secret Iranian proposal to the United States... The two-page document contradicts the official line of the George W. Bush administration that Iran is committed to the destruction of Israel and the sponsorship of terrorism in the region.... in 2003, Bush refused to allow any response to the Iranian offer to negotiate an agreement that would have accepted the existence of Israel..."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33348
Saturday, May 20, 2006
U.S. "FROZE" TALKS WITH IRAN LAST MARCH
"... Bush administration ordered U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad in March to postpone indefinitely the talks with Iran on Iraq for which Khalilzad had previously gotten White House approval... Condoleezza Rice "froze" the talks on Iraq that the United States and Iran had agreed to in mid-March, telling Khalilzad "it wasn't the right time to meet"... The reversal... has resulted in a widening chasm between the United States and the other major powers on how to reach a diplomatic solution with Iran on the nuclear issue."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0520-02.htm
"... the decision... (was from) the determination of Vice Pres. Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld to avoid anything that legitimised the Islamic Republic of Iran... The Europeans -- particularly France and Germany -- have long been dismayed at Washington's refusal to enter into diplomatic dialogue with Iran on the nuclear issue... The administration's refusal to meet with Iran is now at the heart of the protracted discussions between the United States and the five other powers on a common position on Iran..."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33303
"... Bush administration ordered U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad in March to postpone indefinitely the talks with Iran on Iraq for which Khalilzad had previously gotten White House approval... Condoleezza Rice "froze" the talks on Iraq that the United States and Iran had agreed to in mid-March, telling Khalilzad "it wasn't the right time to meet"... The reversal... has resulted in a widening chasm between the United States and the other major powers on how to reach a diplomatic solution with Iran on the nuclear issue."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0520-02.htm
"... the decision... (was from) the determination of Vice Pres. Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld to avoid anything that legitimised the Islamic Republic of Iran... The Europeans -- particularly France and Germany -- have long been dismayed at Washington's refusal to enter into diplomatic dialogue with Iran on the nuclear issue... The administration's refusal to meet with Iran is now at the heart of the protracted discussions between the United States and the five other powers on a common position on Iran..."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33303
Thursday, May 11, 2006
AHMADINEJAD 2006 LETTER DISMISSED BY RICE
"... Ahmadinejad's letter has elicited a preliminary rebuttal by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who dismissed it as a "philosophical" narrative..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HE11Ak03.html
"... Ahmadinejad's letter has elicited a preliminary rebuttal by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who dismissed it as a "philosophical" narrative..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HE11Ak03.html
AHMADINEJAD LETTER TO BUSH
Full text of letter from Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to US President George W Bush, released by United Nations diplomats:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HE11Ak01.html
Full text of letter from Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to US President George W Bush, released by United Nations diplomats:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HE11Ak01.html
Friday, May 05, 2006
HOMOPHOBOIC KILLINGS BY FUNDAMENTALIST MILITIAS
"... (there is a) surge in homophobic killings by state security services and religious militias following an anti-gay and anti-lesbian fatwa issued by Iraq's most prominent Shia leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani... (killings are) evidence that fundamentalists have infiltrated government security forces to commit homophobic murders while wearing police uniforms..."
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article362151.ece
"... (there is a) surge in homophobic killings by state security services and religious militias following an anti-gay and anti-lesbian fatwa issued by Iraq's most prominent Shia leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani... (killings are) evidence that fundamentalists have infiltrated government security forces to commit homophobic murders while wearing police uniforms..."
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article362151.ece
BUSH ADMINISTRATION REFUSES TO TALK TO IRAN
"... The Bush administration... is refusing to talk directly with Iran about its nuclear program... Bush administration officials argue that direct two-way negotiations raise expectations that the United States will make concessions. They say multinational pressure is more effective..."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/14502621.htm
"... The Bush administration... is refusing to talk directly with Iran about its nuclear program... Bush administration officials argue that direct two-way negotiations raise expectations that the United States will make concessions. They say multinational pressure is more effective..."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/14502621.htm
Monday, May 01, 2006
U.S. HAS REBUFFED IRAN ON NUKES & SECURITY TALKS
"Iranian leaders have been signaling to Washington since late 2005 that Iran wanted direct negotiations with the United States on Tehran's nuclear programme and other outstanding issues between the two countries... (however the) Bush administration ignored (an) Iranian proposal in 2003 and has publicly rejected possible talks with Iran on the nuclear issue in recent months..."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33070
"Iranian leaders have been signaling to Washington since late 2005 that Iran wanted direct negotiations with the United States on Tehran's nuclear programme and other outstanding issues between the two countries... (however the) Bush administration ignored (an) Iranian proposal in 2003 and has publicly rejected possible talks with Iran on the nuclear issue in recent months..."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33070
A CASE FOR ATTACKING IRAN SOON
"... let major wars break out, the sooner the better... If Kaiser Wilhelm II had had the presence of mind to attack France during the First Morocco Crisis of 1906 - while Russia was busy with Japan and England was uncommitted - the horrors of World War I never would have occurred... By the same token, if Washington waits to long to disarm Iran, the consequence will be a Thirty Years' War in the Middle East quite as terrible as World War I. Harsh as it might seem, preemption - an aerial attack on Iran's nuclear facilities - is the most humane solution..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HE02Ak03.html
"... let major wars break out, the sooner the better... If Kaiser Wilhelm II had had the presence of mind to attack France during the First Morocco Crisis of 1906 - while Russia was busy with Japan and England was uncommitted - the horrors of World War I never would have occurred... By the same token, if Washington waits to long to disarm Iran, the consequence will be a Thirty Years' War in the Middle East quite as terrible as World War I. Harsh as it might seem, preemption - an aerial attack on Iran's nuclear facilities - is the most humane solution..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HE02Ak03.html
Sunday, April 30, 2006
U.S. NUCLEAR MISSILES ON ISRAELI SUBS FOR ATTACKS ON IRAN
"... after the Gulf War in 1991, Germany gave Israel two of its diesel-powered Dolphin-class submarines... In November 2005, Germany announced that it was selling two more subs to Israel... the vessels have been fitted with US-made Harpoon missiles with nuclear tips. Each Dolphin-class boat can carry 24 missiles... the Harpoons were equipped with "over the horizon" software from a US manufacturer to make them suitable for attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities..."
http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article360993.ece
"... after the Gulf War in 1991, Germany gave Israel two of its diesel-powered Dolphin-class submarines... In November 2005, Germany announced that it was selling two more subs to Israel... the vessels have been fitted with US-made Harpoon missiles with nuclear tips. Each Dolphin-class boat can carry 24 missiles... the Harpoons were equipped with "over the horizon" software from a US manufacturer to make them suitable for attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities..."
http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article360993.ece
Friday, April 14, 2006
COMPLICATIONS OF ATTACK ON IRAN
"... if the US decided to bomb the country's nuclear sites, they are maintained by Russian advisers and technicians; that would mean in effect a declaration of war against Russia. Russia recently closed a US$700 million deal selling 30 Tor M-1 surface-to-air missiles to Iran - very effective against aircraft, cruise missiles and guided bombs. The missiles will be deployed at the nuclear-research center at Isfahan and the Bushehr reactor, which is being built by Russia..."
"... Shi'ites in the south and in Baghdad would turn extreme heat on the occupation forces in Iraq. Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr... said that "if any Islamic state, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is attacked, the Mehdi Army would fight inside and outside Iraq..."
"... (Iran has) the power to halt oil supply... from the shores of the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz... Up to 30% of the world's oil production passes through the strait. Were Iran to block it, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait would not be able to export their oil..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HD13Ak01.html
"... an unprovoked attack on a country that has attacked no one. It would be likened to Osama bin Laden's attack on the U.S... (could lead to) Poison-laced missiles raining down on U.S. troops in Iraq or Afghanistan, the downing of a U.S. passenger airliner, suicide bombers in major cities... Renewed venom aimed at Washington from European capitals, greater distrust from China and Russia, outright hatred in the Arab and Muslim world. Oil prices spiralling out of control, a global recession at hand. In Iran, a galvanizing of a splintered nation. An end to hopes for political reform, a rally-around-the-leader phenomenon common among the victimized, an ability to rebuild a nuclear program in two to four years..."
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1145051411410&call_pageid=968332188854
"... if the US decided to bomb the country's nuclear sites, they are maintained by Russian advisers and technicians; that would mean in effect a declaration of war against Russia. Russia recently closed a US$700 million deal selling 30 Tor M-1 surface-to-air missiles to Iran - very effective against aircraft, cruise missiles and guided bombs. The missiles will be deployed at the nuclear-research center at Isfahan and the Bushehr reactor, which is being built by Russia..."
"... Shi'ites in the south and in Baghdad would turn extreme heat on the occupation forces in Iraq. Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr... said that "if any Islamic state, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is attacked, the Mehdi Army would fight inside and outside Iraq..."
"... (Iran has) the power to halt oil supply... from the shores of the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz... Up to 30% of the world's oil production passes through the strait. Were Iran to block it, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait would not be able to export their oil..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HD13Ak01.html
"... an unprovoked attack on a country that has attacked no one. It would be likened to Osama bin Laden's attack on the U.S... (could lead to) Poison-laced missiles raining down on U.S. troops in Iraq or Afghanistan, the downing of a U.S. passenger airliner, suicide bombers in major cities... Renewed venom aimed at Washington from European capitals, greater distrust from China and Russia, outright hatred in the Arab and Muslim world. Oil prices spiralling out of control, a global recession at hand. In Iran, a galvanizing of a splintered nation. An end to hopes for political reform, a rally-around-the-leader phenomenon common among the victimized, an ability to rebuild a nuclear program in two to four years..."
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1145051411410&call_pageid=968332188854
Monday, April 10, 2006
BUSH'S LACK OF DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS TOWARD IRAN
"... Bush reportedly is considering military strikes against Iran to pressure Tehran to abandon its alleged nuclear development program. Although administration officials hope diplomatic efforts to restrain Iran will succeed..."
http://www.gopusa.com/news/2006/april/0410_bush_iran.shtml
"... Hersh told CNN however, that the White House has spurned Tehran's overtures for dialogue. "This president is not talking to the Iranians. They are trying very hard to make contact, I can assure you of that, in many different forms," he said. "He's not talking. And there's no public pressure on the White House to start bilateral talks. And that's what amazes everybody..."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0410-02.htm
"... A former official of the International Atomic Energy Agency told Pulitzer-prize winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh: “there’s nothing the Iranians could do that would result in a positive outcome. American diplomacy does not allow for it.”
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0412-33.htm
"... Bush reportedly is considering military strikes against Iran to pressure Tehran to abandon its alleged nuclear development program. Although administration officials hope diplomatic efforts to restrain Iran will succeed..."
http://www.gopusa.com/news/2006/april/0410_bush_iran.shtml
"... Hersh told CNN however, that the White House has spurned Tehran's overtures for dialogue. "This president is not talking to the Iranians. They are trying very hard to make contact, I can assure you of that, in many different forms," he said. "He's not talking. And there's no public pressure on the White House to start bilateral talks. And that's what amazes everybody..."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0410-02.htm
"... A former official of the International Atomic Energy Agency told Pulitzer-prize winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh: “there’s nothing the Iranians could do that would result in a positive outcome. American diplomacy does not allow for it.”
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0412-33.htm
Saturday, April 08, 2006
BUSH PLANNING TO ATTACK IRAN WITH NUCLEAR BOMBS
"The administration of President George W. Bush is planning a massive bombing campaign against Iran, including use of bunker-buster nuclear bombs to destroy a key Iranian suspected nuclear weapons facility, The New Yorker magazine has reported in its April 17 issue... (A Pentagon) adviser warned that bombing Iran could provoke "a chain reaction" of attacks on American facilities and citizens throughout the world and might also reignite Hezbollah. "If we go, the southern half of Iraq will light up like a candle," the adviser is quoted as telling The New Yorker..."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0408-07.htm
The April 17 issue New Yorker article:
http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/060417fa_fact
"The administration of President George W. Bush is planning a massive bombing campaign against Iran, including use of bunker-buster nuclear bombs to destroy a key Iranian suspected nuclear weapons facility, The New Yorker magazine has reported in its April 17 issue... (A Pentagon) adviser warned that bombing Iran could provoke "a chain reaction" of attacks on American facilities and citizens throughout the world and might also reignite Hezbollah. "If we go, the southern half of Iraq will light up like a candle," the adviser is quoted as telling The New Yorker..."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0408-07.htm
The April 17 issue New Yorker article:
http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/060417fa_fact
Sunday, March 12, 2006
U.S. ATTACK ON IRAN TO LEAD TO WIDER MIDDLE EAST WAR
"... Cheney and Rumsfeld and Bolton and Bush... are likely to attack Iran before they are out of office. Such an attack would kill up to 10,000 people and lead to a wider war in the Middle East, according to a February report by the Oxford Research Group. And it would further enflame Iraq, as the Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr has declared that his forces would attack the Americans in the event that Bush bombs Iran..."
http://progressive.org/mag_wx031106
"... Cheney and Rumsfeld and Bolton and Bush... are likely to attack Iran before they are out of office. Such an attack would kill up to 10,000 people and lead to a wider war in the Middle East, according to a February report by the Oxford Research Group. And it would further enflame Iraq, as the Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr has declared that his forces would attack the Americans in the event that Bush bombs Iran..."
http://progressive.org/mag_wx031106
Sunday, March 05, 2006
INDIA NUCLEAR DEAL MAKES IT HARD TO CONTAIN IRAN
"... (Bush) signed an historic nuclear deal with India — "a Santa Claus giveaway," said the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace — with little or no regard for its impact on the effort to contain Iran... How do you now go after Iran?
Unlike India, Pakistan or Israel, it signed the non-proliferation treaty. It has not violated the treaty, which entitles it to develop nuclear energy.
What Iran is guilty of is cheating — hiding some aspects of its program — ... But its cheating has been minuscule compared to Israel's, India's and Pakistan's.
That's why the Atomic Energy Agency report... is so mild: The agency cannot give Iran a clean bill of health but it can find no proof of a nuclear weapons program.
"India is more guilty than Iran could be," says Dilip Hiro, a London-based expert on Iran. "North Korea is more guilty than Iran could be."
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1141253415465
"... (Bush) signed an historic nuclear deal with India — "a Santa Claus giveaway," said the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace — with little or no regard for its impact on the effort to contain Iran... How do you now go after Iran?
Unlike India, Pakistan or Israel, it signed the non-proliferation treaty. It has not violated the treaty, which entitles it to develop nuclear energy.
What Iran is guilty of is cheating — hiding some aspects of its program — ... But its cheating has been minuscule compared to Israel's, India's and Pakistan's.
That's why the Atomic Energy Agency report... is so mild: The agency cannot give Iran a clean bill of health but it can find no proof of a nuclear weapons program.
"India is more guilty than Iran could be," says Dilip Hiro, a London-based expert on Iran. "North Korea is more guilty than Iran could be."
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1141253415465
Friday, March 03, 2006
IRAN INVESTING $1 BILLION IN IRAQ
"Iran to invest $1 billion in Iraq... to rehabilitate the country’s industrial sector... A team of Iranian industrial experts is due in Iraq to map out the sectors of mutual interest, the statement said. Seven major Iranian companies will be involved. The Iranians would like to start up a new car company in Iraq as well as factories for the manufacture of electrical transformers and appliances, steel and glass...."
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news%5C2006-03-02%5C206.htm
"Iran to invest $1 billion in Iraq... to rehabilitate the country’s industrial sector... A team of Iranian industrial experts is due in Iraq to map out the sectors of mutual interest, the statement said. Seven major Iranian companies will be involved. The Iranians would like to start up a new car company in Iraq as well as factories for the manufacture of electrical transformers and appliances, steel and glass...."
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news%5C2006-03-02%5C206.htm
Saturday, February 18, 2006
AFTER ANY TERRORIST ATTACK, U.S. PLANS TO BOMB IRAN
"... former CIA Officer Philip Giraldi has said the Pentagon’s plans to attack Iran were drawn up “to be employed in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the United States.” Writing in The American Conservative in August 2005, Giraldi added, “As in the case of Iraq, the response is not conditional on Iran actually being involved in the act of terrorism directed against the United States.”... (That is to say) The Pentagon’s plan should be used in response to a terrorist attack on the US, yet is not contingent upon Iran actually having been responsible. How outlandish is this scenario: another 9/11 hits the US, the administration says it has secret information implicating Iran, the US population demands retribution and bombs start dropping on Tehran."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0218-28.htm
"... former CIA Officer Philip Giraldi has said the Pentagon’s plans to attack Iran were drawn up “to be employed in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the United States.” Writing in The American Conservative in August 2005, Giraldi added, “As in the case of Iraq, the response is not conditional on Iran actually being involved in the act of terrorism directed against the United States.”... (That is to say) The Pentagon’s plan should be used in response to a terrorist attack on the US, yet is not contingent upon Iran actually having been responsible. How outlandish is this scenario: another 9/11 hits the US, the administration says it has secret information implicating Iran, the US population demands retribution and bombs start dropping on Tehran."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0218-28.htm
Sunday, January 29, 2006
U.S. FAILURE IN IRAQ ENCOURAGES IRAN
"... officials at all levels of government here say they see the American presence as a source of strength for themselves as they face the Bush administration. In almost every conversation about Iran's nuclear showdown with the United States and Europe, they cite the Iraq war as a factor Iran can play to its own advantage..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/weekinreview/29slackman.html?_r=1
"... officials at all levels of government here say they see the American presence as a source of strength for themselves as they face the Bush administration. In almost every conversation about Iran's nuclear showdown with the United States and Europe, they cite the Iraq war as a factor Iran can play to its own advantage..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/weekinreview/29slackman.html?_r=1
Saturday, January 28, 2006
MIDEAST ELECTIONS TURN DEMOCRACY AGAINST U.S.
"... (concerning) the administration's campaign for greater democracy in the Middle East. Elections in Iran, Iraq, Egypt and now the Palestinian territories have resulted in the defeat of secular and moderate parties and the rise of Islamic parties hostile to U.S. interests."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/27/AR2006012701562.html
"... (concerning) the administration's campaign for greater democracy in the Middle East. Elections in Iran, Iraq, Egypt and now the Palestinian territories have resulted in the defeat of secular and moderate parties and the rise of Islamic parties hostile to U.S. interests."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/27/AR2006012701562.html
Monday, January 23, 2006
MAHDI ARMY SIDES WITH IRAN
"... Muqtada Sadr, the... militant young cleric, said on Sunday that the Mahdi Army, which is now a big part of the Iraqi government to be, says that his forces will fight alongside Iran’s if Iran is attacked by the United States over its nuclear program..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0123-26.htm
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Iran_Iraq_Sadr.html
"... Muqtada Sadr, the... militant young cleric, said on Sunday that the Mahdi Army, which is now a big part of the Iraqi government to be, says that his forces will fight alongside Iran’s if Iran is attacked by the United States over its nuclear program..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0123-26.htm
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Iran_Iraq_Sadr.html
Thursday, January 05, 2006
BRITAIN ADMITS WRONG IN BLAMING IRAN FOR BOMBS
"... Government officials now acknowledge that there is no evidence, or even reliable intelligence, connecting the Iranian government to the infra-red triggered bombs which have killed 10 British soldiers in the past eight months... the mother of a young soldier killed... by an improvised explosive device at al-Amarah, north of Basra... said: "They don't like Iran and they are using this for sympathy towards their attitudes, claiming that they were involved in the murder of our sons. ... it was just an excuse for another invasion. They have a foothold in the Middle East and they want to go further."
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article336567.ece
"... Government officials now acknowledge that there is no evidence, or even reliable intelligence, connecting the Iranian government to the infra-red triggered bombs which have killed 10 British soldiers in the past eight months... the mother of a young soldier killed... by an improvised explosive device at al-Amarah, north of Basra... said: "They don't like Iran and they are using this for sympathy towards their attitudes, claiming that they were involved in the murder of our sons. ... it was just an excuse for another invasion. They have a foothold in the Middle East and they want to go further."
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article336567.ece
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