UNSEEN WAR ON IRAQ HAS BEGUN

"Bush doesn't want detente. He wants to attack Iran... Silently, stealthily, unseen by cameras, the war on Iran has begun. Many sources confirm that the US has increased its aid to armed movements among the ethnic minorities that make up about 40% of Iran's population. ABC News reported in April that the US had secretly assisted the Baluchi group Jund al-Islam (Soldiers of Islam), responsible for a recent attack that killed 20 Revolutionary Guards..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2079648,00.html

STRIKE FORCES ASSSEMBLE, WINDOW TO ATTACK IRAN NEAR

"... the Nimitz is rapidly approaching the Persian Gulf, where it will join two other U.S. aircraft carriers and the French carrier Charles De Gaulle in the largest concentration of naval firepower in the region since the launching of the U.S. invasion of Iraq four years ago... the Nimitz is on its way to the Gulf to replace the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower... But the U.S. Central Command... refuses to say when the Eisenhower will actually depart... For a time, at least, the United States will have three carrier battle groups in the region. The USS John C. Stennis is the third. Each carrier is accompanied by a small flotilla of cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and support vessels, many equipped with Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles (TLAMs)... with the arrival of the Nimitz battle group, the Bush administration will be — for an unknown period of time — in an optimal position to strike Iran with a punishing array of bombs and missiles.."
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/04/970/

JEWS LIVE FREELY IN IRAN

"Some 25,000 to 30,000 Jews live relatively freely among the country's majority Shiite Muslims... and many say that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's fiery anti-Israeli rhetoric is about politics, not religion... They caution against comparing Iran's official and visceral opposition to the creation of Israel and Zionism with the regime's acceptance of Jews and Judaism itself. "If you think Judaism and Zionism are one, it is like thinking Islam and the Taliban are the same, and they are not."
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0427/p01s03-wome.html

U.S. NEGOTIATING INDIRECTLY WITH IRAN

"... Using Switzerland as an intermediary, American and Iranian officials have exchanged diplomatic messages on a variety of nuts-and-bolts subjects, including the fate of an American citizen missing in Iran, the future of five Iranian operatives whom American forces seized in Iraq, and old financial and property disputes. The contacts amount to a shift for the White House, which rebuffed an Iranian offer of wide-ranging talks on Iran’s nuclear program, Middle East peace, and direct relations after the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq..."
http://www.kansascity.com/136/story/82718.html

KUWAIT PREPARES FOR U.S. ATTACK ON IRAN

"Kuwait government sets up emergency team to prepare for an Iran-US military conflict... Deputy Saleh Ashour reported Tuesday that the Kuwait cabinet had formed a team to draw up plans to keep the country running during a war..."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), April 25, 2007
http://www.debka.com/index.php

U.S. SPONSORING TERRORISM AGAINST IRAN

"... American intelligence has been training and equipping anti-Iranian terrorists belonging to the so-called Jundallah in camps inside Afghanistan. The Voice of America recently interviewed Jundollah leader Abdul Malek Rigi. He is a wanted by Tehran for several kidnappings and over 50 killings. In the latest incident, on March 25, Jundallah terrorists blocked the Zahedan-Zabol highway in Sistan-Balochistan province, killing 22 people, injuring six others and taking eight people as hostages. Later, four of these hostages were killed and the video footage of their killing was broadcast on a number of Arab television channels..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ID21Ak01.html

U.S. MILITARY IN IRAQ POSITIONING FOR IRAN WAR

"... It now appears that the US military intends to place as many as five mechanised brigades - comprising about 40,000 men - south and east of Baghdad, at least three of them positioned between the capital and the Iranian border. This would present Iran with a powerful - and potentially aggressive - American military force close to its border in the event of a US or Israeli military strike against its nuclear facilities later this year..."
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article2439530.ece

IRAN PRESENTS GULF SECURITY PLAN

"Iran has proposed a 10-point plan for ensuring collective security in the Persian Gulf region...
The 10-point proposal is as follows:
1. Establishment of a Persian Gulf Security and Cooperation Organization comprising the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as well as Iran and Iraq in accordance with Clause 8 of Resolution 598 of the United Nations Security Council.
2. Preparing common security grounds for fighting terrorism, organized crime and drug smuggling, as well as other joint security concerns.
3. Gradual removal of all restrictions in political, security, economic and cultural fields.
4. Development of trade ties by taking the countries' potentials into consideration and conducting joint investment in economic projects to achieve a regional free-trade mechanism.
5. Guaranteeing the security and energy export of regional countries to secure their interests and achieving a sustainable mechanism for energy needed by the world.
6. Building confidence among regional countries in the nuclear field.
7. Setting up a joint consortium for uranium enrichment among regional countries to procure nuclear fuel and other peaceful nuclear activities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
8. Forging serious cooperation among regional countries for having a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.
9. Putting an end to arms races in the region by providing resources for the purpose of economic development and fighting poverty.
10. Making foreign military personnel exit the region and establishing full security by the regional countries..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East.html

BRITISH ASKED U.S. TO NOT PROVOKE A WAR

"The US offered to take military action on behalf of the 15 British sailors and marines held by Iran, including buzzing Iranian Revolutionary Guard positions with warplanes... Pentagon officials asked their British counterparts: what do you want us to do? They offered a series of military options... The British declined the offer and said the US could calm the situation by staying out of it. London also asked the US to tone down military exercises that were already under way in the Gulf... At the request of the British, the two US carrier groups, totalling 40 ships plus aircraft, modified their exercises to make them less confrontational..."

"A senior Iranian source with close ties to the Revolutionary Guard, told the Guardian: "If this had been between Iranian and American soldiers it could have been the beginning of an accidental war."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2051971,00.html

U.S. SPONSOR OF TERROR GROUP AGAINST IRAN

"A Pakistani tribal militant group responsible for a series of deadly guerrilla raids inside Iran has been secretly encouraged and advised by American officials since 2005... The group, called Jundullah, is made up of members of the Baluchi tribe and operates out of the Baluchistan province in Pakistan, just across the border from Iran. It has taken responsibility for the deaths and kidnappings of more than a dozen Iranian soldiers and officials. U.S. officials say the U.S. relationship with Jundullah is arranged so that the U.S. provides no funding to the group, which would require an official presidential order or "finding" as well as congressional oversight.."
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/04/abc_news_exclus.html

BOTCHED U.S. RAID LED TO SAILOR HOSTAGE CRISIS

"A failed American attempt to abduct two senior Iranian security officers on an official visit to northern Iraq was the starting pistol for a crisis that 10 weeks later led to Iranians seizing 15 British sailors and Marines...
"(on) 11 January, helicopter-born US forces launched a surprise raid on a long-established Iranian liaison office in the city of Arbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. They captured five relatively junior Iranian officials whom the US accuses of being intelligence agents and still holds... The aim of the raid, launched without informing the Kurdish authorities, was to seize two men at the very heart of the Iranian security establishment... Mohammed Jafari, the powerful deputy head of the Iranian National Security Council, and General Minojahar Frouzanda, the chief of intelligence of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard... The two men were in Kurdistan on an official visit during which they met the Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani, and later saw Massoud Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government..."
"The abortive Arbil raid provoked a dangerous escalation in the confrontation between the US and Iran which ultimately led to the capture of the 15 British sailors and Marines.."
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2414760.ece

NAVY ADVISES U.S. INVESTORS IN BAHRAIN TO FLEE

"American investors in Bahrain advised to pack up business operations and leave... The advice came from officers with US Central Command 5th Fleet HQ at Manama, who spoke of security tension, a hint at an approaching war with Iran. Arab sources report the positioning of a Patriot anti-missile battery in Bahrain this week; they say occupancy at emirate hotels has soared past 90% due mostly to the influx of US military personnel.

NIMITZ STRIKE DEPLOYS TO JOIN STENNIS ANDE EISENHOWER STRIKE GROUPS

"The USS Nimitz and its support ships will be departing San Diego Monday, April 2, to join the John C. Stennis Strike Group in the Persian Gulf. The nuclear carrier is due to relieve the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower , but military sources in the Gulf believe all three US carriers will stay put if tensions continue to climb... the Nimitz group is composed of the Princeton guided-missile cruiser, and four guided missile destroyers – the Higgins , Chafee , John Paul Jones and Pinckney... The mighty American armada is further supported by the USS Bataan and USS Boxer (helicopter assault) strike groups..."

--DEBKAfile (Israel), March 31, 2007
http://www.debka.com/index.php

TWO ACCOUNTS OF LOCATION OF CAPTURED BRITS

UK and Iranian versions of events...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6502805.stm

IRANIAN AND U.S. TREATMENT OF CAPTURED PRISONERS

"... Turney may have been "forced to wear the hijab"... but so far as we know she has not been forced into an orange jumpsuit. Her comrades have not been shackled, blindfolded, forced into excruciating physical contortions for long periods, or denied liquids and food. As far as we know they have not had the Bible spat on, torn up or urinated on in front of their faces. They have not had electrodes attached to their genitals or been set on by attack dogs. They have not been hung from a forklift truck and photographed for the amusement of their captors. They have not been pictured naked and smeared in their own excrement. They have not been bundled into a CIA-chartered plane and secretly "rendered" to a basement prison in a country where torturers are experienced and free to do their worst..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2046324,00.html

"... the status of five Iranian officials captured in a U.S. military raid on a liaison office in northern Iraq on Jan. 11 remains a mystery... the Iranians have disappeared into the U.S.-sanctioned "coalition detention" system that has been criticised as arbitrary and even illegal by many experts on international law.... five men remain in U.S. custody and have not been formally charged with a crime... and so are being held unlawfully..."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37142

IF IRANIANS HAD SEIZED YANKS, WAR

"... The U.S. Navy rules of engagement say we have not only a right to self-defense but also an obligation to self-defense... If the Revolutionary Guards had... attacked an American boarding party (instead of Britsh)... (Bush) would have his excuse now, and bombs might already be falling on Iran. All the pieces are in place, and the war could start at any time..."
http://www.startribune.com/562/v-print/story/1086014.html

RUSSIAN AGENCY PREDICTS U.S. WILL ATTACK IRAN IN APRIL

"... the Russian News and Information Agency Novosti (RIA-Novosti) quoted military experts predicting the US will attack Iran on April 6th, Good Friday. According to RIA-Novosti, the imminent assault will target Iranian air and naval defense capabilities, armed forces headquarters as well as key economic assets and administration headquarters. Massive air strikes will be deployed, possibly tactical nuclear weapons as well, and the Bush administration will attempt to exploit the resulting chaos and political unrest by installing a pro-US government..."
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/03/28/150/

U.S. SPONSORING TERRORISM AGAINST IRAN

"... the U.S. is fomenting opposition and supporting military operations in Iran among insurgent groups and Iranian ethnic minority groups, some of whom are operating from Iraq... the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PEJAK) is one such group. PEJAK is based in the Kurdish region of Iraq, a few miles from the Iranian border, and has staged attacks across the border in Iran since 2004... Iran has denounced PEJAK as a terrorist group and has accused the U.S. of funding PEJAK.... Iranians and Turks both believe that the U.S. is supporting PEJAK..."

"The Mujahedin e-Khalq (MEK), an Iranian anti-government group which has been listed as a “terrorist group” by the State Department since 1997, is another anti-government group that has received U.S. support... U.S. Special Forces have been directing members of the MEK in carrying out reconnaissance and intelligence collection in Iran from bases in Afghanistan and Balochistan, Pakistan since the summer of 2004..."

http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=42505

FRENCH CARRIER TASK FORCE JOINS U.S. FLOTILLA OFF IRAN

"The French nuclear carrier Charles de Gaulle and its task force enter(ed the) Arabian Sea... (and) rendezvoused with the USS John C. Stennis... Its arrival raises to four the number of Western aircraft carriers cruising within striking distance of Iran, including the USS Eisenhower and USS Boxer.... US and French carriers are sailing and operating in concert opposite Iranian shores for the first time... The Charles de Gaulle is accompanied by French Task Force 473, which consists of five warships: the FNS Cassard guided missile destroyer, the FNS Tourville anti-submarine frigate, the FNS Dupleix destroyer adapted for escorting oil tankers and the FNS Marne, a command and supply vessel.
--DEBKAfile (Israel), March 22, 2007
http://www.debka.com/index.php

U.S. SPONSORING TERRORISM TO OVERTHROW IRAN

"... the United States is officially funding armed groups to overthrow the Islamic government" in Tehran... Secretly, U.S. intelligence services are sponsoring armed attacks within Iran... from so-called former MEK members... The U.S. asks a Mujahedin-e Khalq Organisation (MEK or MKO) member ... if they support democracy. If they answer yes, they can be trained and armed for clandestine actions inside Iran..."
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36961

IRAN'S STRATEGY FOR IRAQ

"... A successful US withdrawal from Iraq would free up military resources and restore US political will to focus on Iran. On the other hand, a hopelessly deteriorating quagmire in Iraq may force to US to seek an alternative path to victory by widening the war with an attack on Iran, or instigate an internal coup by supporting Iranian dissident groups. Thus Iran's strategy for Iraq is neither US withdrawal nor escalation, just a slow bleed to drive home the awareness of superpower impotency to the whole world..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IC21Ak06.html

BUSH HAS SNATCHED WAR FROM JAWS OF PEACE

"Washington had the opportunity at the turn of 2007 to isolate and neutralize the Mahmud Ahmadinejad regime in Tehran, but through stupidity and arrogance has made war the most probable outcome... It is pointless to read the signals out of Washington to divine US intentions... no one can make sense of what the US wants to communicate... no one is in charge... different agencies of government are pursuing their own agendas without accountability to a central authority...

"... Washington has done everything possible to destroy the prospects for a diplomatic solution. Whether it was possible to begin with, the historians will have to debate. For the time being, Bush has snatched war out of the jaws of peace."

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IC06Ak03.html

ATTACK ON IRAN WOULD ACCELERATE BOMB MAKING

"... If Iran is moving towards a nuclear weapons capacity it is doing so relatively slowly, most estimates put it at least five years away... an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities (now) "would almost certainly lead to a fast-track programme to develop a small number of nuclear devices as quickly as possible... a bit like deciding to build a car from spare parts instead of building the entire car factory..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6418049.stm

IMAGES OF IRAN
http://www.lucasgray.com/video/peacetrain.html

U.S. REFUSES DIPLOMATIC TALKS WITH IRAN

"... This Administration has set a collision course with Iran. Time and again, it has refused to enter into direct diplomatic talks with Iran.
• After the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, the Iranian government signaled to the Administration a willingness to cooperate with the United States, including cooperation with the overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan. But in January 2002, President Bush labeled Iran a member of the "axis of evil" in his State of the Union address.
• In early 2003, Iran offered to enter into dialogue with the United States regarding several outstanding US-Iran issues, including full transparency of all nuclear facilities; the cessation of support of Palestinian opposition groups; transformation of Hezbollah into a political organization; coordination of counterterrorism efforts; cooperation with political stabilization in Iraq; and the acceptance of the Arab League "Beirut Declaration"--a comprehensive peace, including the establishment of normal relations with Israel. The United States did not respond to this "grand bargain" offered by Iran.
• Also in 2003, the United States refused to join France, Britain and Germany (the EU-3) in a diplomatic effort to curb Iran's nuclear program.
• In November 2005, the US Ambassador to Iraq received permission to begin a diplomatic dialogue with Iran on the issue of Iraqi stability. The Iranians accepted the offer; however, no talks materialized.
• On May 8, 2006... the Administration ignored a letter from President Ahmadinejad to President Bush.
• On May 31, 2006, the Administration said it would... not negotiate with Iran until Iran agreed, ahead of the talks, to abide by US demands.
• On November 29, 2006, President Ahmadinejad sent an open letter to the American people. The Bush Administration refused to respond.
• The White House is now selectively leaking intelligence to set the stage for a military attack on Iran...."
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070312/kucinich

U.S. INTELLIGENCE ON IRAN INACCURATE

"... most U.S. intelligence shared with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has proved inaccurate and none has led to significant discoveries inside Iran... none of the tips about supposed secret weapons sites provided clear evidence that the Islamic Republic was developing illicit weapons..."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0225-04.htm

ISRAEL DENIES TALKS TO USE IRAQI AIRSPACE TO ATTACK IRAN

"Britain's Daily Telegraph, citing an unnamed senior Israeli defense official, said on Saturday that Israel had sought permission from the U.S. Pentagon to be able to use an "air corridor" in Iraq in the event that the Jewish state decided to launch air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities... (but) Israel's deputy defense minister denied on Saturday that Israel was in talks with the United States to use Iraqi airspace as part of possible plans to attack Iranian nuclear sites..."
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2901142

ISRAEL ASKS U.S. CLEARANCE FOR AIR ATTACK ON IRAN

"Israel is negotiating with the United States for permission to fly over Iraq as part of a plan to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.. A senior Israeli defence official said negotiations were now underway between the two countries for the US-led coalition in Iraq to provide an "air corridor"... (saying) "The only way to do this is to fly through US-controlled air space. If we don't sort these issues out now we could have a situation where American and Israeli war planes start shooting at each other."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/24/wiran124.xml

U.S. SPONSORING TERRORISM AGAINST IRAN

"... (Iran's) Balochistan province is "particularly crucial for Iran's national security as it borders Sunni Pakistan and US-occupied Afghanistan... the Sunni Balochi resistance could prove valuable to Western intelligence agencies with an interest in destabilizing the hardline regime in Tehran."

"... The irony is that Afghanistan is being put to use as a launch pad by the US for sponsoring terrorism directed against Iran, when the raison d'etre of the US occupation of Afghanistan during the past five years has been for the stated purpose of fighting a "war on terrorism..."

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IB24Ak01.html

Posted here 11/29/2005
NEO-CONSERVATIVE IPC REPRESENTS THE MEK TERRORIST ORGANIZATION IN U.S.
"... Raymond Tanter's Iran Policy Committee has called for Washington to deploy against Tehran the Iraq-based Mujahideen-e Khalq, which is listed as a terrorist group by the State Department..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GK30Ak01.html

U.S. INTELLIGENCE ON IRAN IS INCORRECT

"Much of the intelligence on Iran's nuclear facilities provided to UN inspectors by US spy agencies has turned out to be unfounded... most of the tip-offs about supposed secret weapons sites provided by the CIA and other US intelligence agencies have led to dead ends when investigated by IAEA inspectors... Most of it has turned out to be incorrect... "They gave us a paper with a list of sites. [The inspectors] did some follow-up, they went to some military sites, but there was no sign of [banned nuclear] activities."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2019235,00.html

IRAN SUCESSFULLY TESTS TOR M-1 AIR DEFENSE MISSILE

"... a military manoeuvre in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman near the Hormuz Strait... test-fired the newly acquired, Russian-made TOR M-1 surface-to-air defence shield... The TOR M-1 air defence shield has a 12 km range which could be increased to 20 km... (and) is capable of rapidly tracing down 48 targets and engaging with eight, including cruise missiles simultaneously. The system, capable of tracing modern cruise missiles, was successfully test-fired... (Iran also) deployed the SSN4 land-to-sea strategic missile... The missile can carry a 500-kg warhead and is capable of targeting and destroying big warships..."
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36586

Posted here on 11/27/06:
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

HELICOPTER DOWNINGS IN IRAQ MAY JUSTIFY ATTACK ON IRAN

"US troops may attack nuclear and military targets in neighboring Iran when a high-casualty attack is traced directly to Tehran... This new presidential directive extends the license President George W. Bush issued last month to US troops to capture or kill Iranian agents supporting Iraqi insurgency and al Qaeda attacks on American forces. It is causing great concern in Tehran's ruling circles - especially as the new license may well be applied when the downing of a large US helicopter ends in a heavy US death toll... Under the new presidential directive, the downing of a helicopter carrying a large number of US troops could trigger a bombing campaign against Iran such as, for example, the dispatch of long-range B2 stealth bombers with bunker-busting bombs for dropping on the 25m deep Natanz site, where centrifuges are positioned for enriching uranium. Attacks may also be mounted against Iran’s military infrastructure."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), February 20, 2007
http://www.debka.com/index.php

U.S. PLANS INCLUDE FULL ATTACK - TWO POSSIBLE TRIGGERS

"US contingency plans for air strikes on Iran extend beyond nuclear sites and include most of the country's military infrastructure... the trigger for such an attack reportedly includes any confirmation that Iran was developing a nuclear weapon... (or) a high-casualty attack on US forces in neighbouring Iraq could also trigger a bombing campaign if it were traced directly back to Tehran..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6376639.stm

U.S. JOINT CHIEF'S POSTION ON IRANIAN IEDS

"We know that the explosively formed projectiles are manufactured in Iran. What I would not say is that the Iranian government per se knows about this. It is clear that Iranians are involved and it is clear that materials from Iran are involved. But I would not say based on what I know that the Iranian government clearly knows or is complicit..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6360469.stm

BUSH'S POSITION ON IRANIAN IEDS

"... What we don't know is whether or not the head leaders of Iran ordered the Quds force to do what they did...providing these deadly IEDs to networks inside of Iraq. But here's my point: Either they knew or didn't know, and what matters is, is that they're there. What's worse, that the government knew or that the government didn't know?..."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070214-2.html

IRAN'S POSITION ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS

"In Iran's national-security doctrine there is no place for atomic and chemical weapons," Larijani stated, reminding the world once again that "the Supreme Leader has issued a decree, fatwa, against nuclear weapons and considers it contrary to Islamic principles".
--Iran's national security chief, Ali Larijani, at NATO Conference on Security Policy in Munich
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IB13Ak03.html

IRANIAN AIR DEFENSE MISSILE INSTALLATION COMPLETED

"... Moscow announced it had completed deliveries of 29 sophisticated Tor-M1 mobile antiaircraft batteries to Iran, and Mr. Ivanov hinted that Russia might also supply S-300 long-range air defense weapons. Experts believe that the Tor-M1, which can track 48 targets simultaneously, could seriously complicate any potential air strike on Iran's nuclear facilities..."
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0212/p04s01-woeu.html

Posted here on 11/27/06:
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

U.S. DENIES IRAN'S HELP IN CATCHING AL-QAEDA

"... Since al-Qaeda fighters began streaming into Iran from Afghanistan in the winter of 2001, Tehran had turned over hundreds of people to U.S. allies and provided U.S. intelligence with the names, photographs and fingerprints of those it held in custody... including "high-value" targets such as al-Qaeda spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith of Kuwait and Saif al-Adel of Egypt... members of the "al-Qaeda operational management committee."

"Last week, the CIA sent an urgent report to President Bush's National Security Council: Iranian authorities had arrested two al-Qaeda operatives traveling through Iran on their way from Pakistan... to fight U.S. troops on Iraqi soil... The arrests were presented to Bush's senior policy advisers as evidence that Iran appears committed to stopping al-Qaeda foot traffic across its borders... (but) the Bush administration, in an effort to push for further U.N. sanctions on the Islamic republic, is preparing to publicly accuse Tehran of cooperating with and harboring al-Qaeda suspects..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/09/AR2007020902294.html

U.S. ABLE TO ATTACK IRAN IN SPRING

"US preparations for an air strike against Iran are at an advanced stage... The present military build-up in the Gulf would allow the US to mount an attack by the spring... "Planning is going on, in spite of public disavowals by Gates. Targets have been selected. For a bombing campaign against nuclear sites, it is quite advanced. The military assets to carry this out are being put in place. We are planning for war. It is incredibly dangerous"...

"... Mr Bush has ordered oil reserves to be stockpiled.... a second battle group led by the aircraft carrier USS John Stennis... is due to arrive within the next 10 days. Extra US Patriot missiles have been sent to the region, as well as more minesweepers, in anticipation of Iranian retaliatory action...But the sources said that... Bush had not yet made a decision... (and) if there was an attack, it was more likely next year, just before Mr Bush leaves office..."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2010086,00.html

IRAQI SHIA MILITANTS USING IRANIAN IED

"The most lethal weapon directed against American troops in Iraq... is known as an “explosively formed penetrator”... being used by Shiite groups... The link... to Iran is based on... analysis of captured devices, examination of debris after attacks, and intelligence on training of Shiite militants in Iran and in Iraq by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and by Hezbollah militants..."

"... Only a small fraction of the roadside bombs used in Iraq are explosively formed penetrators... (but) “It is the most effective I.E.D out there,” said Lt. Col. James Danna.... “To me it is a political weapon. There are not a lot of them out there, but every time we crack down on the Shia militias that weapon comes out. They want to keep us on our bases, keep us out of their neighborhoods..."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/10/world/middleeast/10weapons.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5094&en=e9a9ae56cb1df98a&hp&ex=1171170000&partner=homepage

IRANIAN ANTI-AIR MISSILES IN IRAQ

"... last month, two Iranian QW-1 and SA-7 missile consignments reached Iraqi insurgents allied with al Qaeda and one, radical Shiite Moqtada Sadr’s Shiite militia, the Mehdi Army... Iran’s arms industry has succeeded in replicating a quality version of the Chinese QW-1 and improved its electronics. It is 1.447 meters long and packs 16.5 kilos of explosives... Iranian markings have been erased from the equipment going into Iraq and Lebanon to suggest they were bought on the black market..."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), February 10, 2007
http://www.debka.com/index.php

POSSIBLE RESULTS OF ATTACK ON IRAN

"... The possibilities include:
* immediate withdrawal of Iran from the non-proliferation treaty and a wholehearted effort to develop nuclear weapons as quickly as possible - leading to further action by the United States and Israel, and a long war.
* action against US forces in Iraq, through Shi'a militia intermediaries on a far larger scale than at present.
* direct involvement of Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Iraq.
* closure of the Straits of Hormuz, causing a steep increase in world oil prices.
* aid and encouragement to Hizbollah in southern Lebanon (especially if Israel was involved in the attacks).
* paramilitary attacks on oil facilities in western Gulf states...."
http://www.opendemocracy.net/conflict/us_iran_4306.jsp

IRAN DENIES ROLE IN IRAQ INSURGENCY

"There is no truth whatsoever in the allegations that Iran has been supplying weapons to the Iraqi insurgents," said Mohammad Mir Ali Mohammadi, a spokesman for the Iranian mission to the United Nations. Instead, Mohammadi said, the United States is producing allegations on "a large scale (to) justify a discredited and dangerously flawed policy" in Iraq...

"Bruce Riedel, former top Middle East expert on the National Security Council, said most attacks on U.S. troops are by Sunni militias, not Shiites backed by Iran. "There is no evidence that the Sunnis are being assisted by Iran," he said.... "

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-02-04-iran-iraq_x.htm

IRAN HAS SPY SATELLITE AND ICBM MISSILES

"Iran is closer than ever before to the launch of a spy satellite by a BM25 ballistic missile, 18 of which were purchased from North Korea... Iran (has) finished building a reconnaissance satellite and converted (the BM25) ballistic missile into a space launcher. If this claim is correct, then Iran has a launcher able to put 300 kg into earth orbit - and by the same definition... an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) able to drop a payload weighing 300 km, the estimated weight of a reconnaissance satellite, anywhere in the world..."
http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1251

IRAN WARNS AGAINST ATTACK, HAS AIR DEFENSE MISSILE SYSTEM

"Iran will strike against US interests worldwide if it is attacked, the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned... Another key Iranian figure, ex-President Hashemi Rafsanjani, has also warned against a strike, saying it would carry a heavy cost for those who tried it... Iran says it has successfully test-fired a land-to-sea missile with a range of 350km (220 miles). Tehran says it has also tested a new Russian-made air defence system..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6342313.stm

DID U.S. HAVE IRANIAN BANKER KIDNAPPED AS PROVOCATION?

"Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad outlined an ambitious plan... to greatly expand its economic and military ties with Iraq — including an Iranian national bank branch in the heart of the capital... Mr. Qumi said the bank was just the first of what he said would be several in Iraq — an agricultural bank and three private banks also intend to open branches.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/29/world/middleeast/29iranians.html?ex=1186290000&en=cc2417c3386132ad&ei=5087&excamp=mkt_at10

"Iran blamed America for the "terrorist" kidnapping of a Iranian diplomat in Baghdad... on his way to the new Baghdad branch of the Iranian state-owned Bank Melli... he was ordered out of his car by... members of the Iraqi 36th Commando Battalion, a special military unit that works closely with US forces in the capital and drove American vehicles.... a US military spokesman rejected the charge today."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1340201.ece

IRAN HAS ABIDED BY RULES OF NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY

"... Unlike Israel and the United States, Iran has abided by the rules of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, of which it was an original signatory and has allowed routine inspections under its legal obligations – until gratuitous, punitive measures were added in 2003, at the behest of Washington. No report by the International Atomic Energy Agency has ever cited Iran for diverting its civilian nuclear program to military use. The IAEA has said that for most of the past three years its inspectors have been able to "go anywhere and see anything." ... The head of the IAEA, Mohamed El-Baradei says that an attack on Iran will have "catastrophic consequences" and only encourage the regime to become a nuclear power."
http://www.lewrockwell.com/pilger/pilger47.html

U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATE: IRAN NOT A MAJOR ROLE IN IRAQ WAR

"... The NIE, which has been six months in preparation and represents the consensus views of the vast US intelligence community, also stressed that the violence in Iraq is internally generated and sustained, refuting recent suggestions by senior Bush administration officials that Iran is playing a major role in support of Shi'ite militias..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IB06Ak02.html

U.S. PREPARATIONS FOR ATTACK ON IRAN

"... the U.S.-Iran confrontation is getting very dangerous.
* The heaviest concentration of U.S. naval strike forces since the 2003 war against Iraq is concentrating off Iran...
* CIA drones and U.S. Air Force recon aircraft -- along with U.S. and British Special Forces -- are overflying Iran and probing its nuclear and military installations.
* CIA and Britain's MI6 are stirring unrest among Iran's Kurds and Azerbaijanis, and arming Iranian Marxist and royalist exiles...
* Half of the 21,000 additional U.S. troops headed to Iraq are being positioned to cover the Iranian border and block an Iranian threat to the main U.S.Kuwait-Baghdad supply line....
* New contingents of U.S. Air Force personnel and warplanes are arriving at key forward air bases in Bulgaria and Romania that link the U.S. to the Mideast and Central Asia.
* U.S. bases in Britain, Germany, Diego Garcia, the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, and Pakistan are reported on heightened alert.
* Turkey is being pressed to allow U.S. and Israeli strike aircraft to use its air space to attack northern Iran..."
http://www.torontosun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Margolis_Eric/2007/02/04/3522931.html

END TIME PROPHECY SITE SEES WAR WITH IRAN IMMINENT
(Christian groups see war as fulfilment of End Times and Armageddon prophecies)

"Read the news and see the Russian Iranian Alliance is pulling the whole world into destroying three kingdoms = Israel , U.S. , and the U.K. after Damascus destruction. There is so much proof..."
http://www.abbaswatchman.com/

GENERALS WARN AGAINST ATTACKING IRAN

"Three former high-ranking American military officers have warned against any military attack on Iran. They said such action would have "disastrous consequences" for security in the Middle East and also for coalition forces in Iraq. The letter was published in Britain's Sunday Times newspaper. It was signed by:
* Lt Gen Robert Gard, a former military assistant to the US defence secretary
* Gen Joseph Hoar, a former commander-in-chief, US Central Command
* Vice Adm Jack Shanahan, a former director of the Center for Defense Information..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6328801.stm

U.S. CANNOT LINK IRAN TO IRAQ STRIFE

"U.S. can't prove Iran link to Iraq strife... Bush administration officials acknowledged Friday that they had yet to compile evidence strong enough to back up publicly their claims that Iran is fomenting violence against U.S. troops in Iraq.... Iranian officials challenged the Americans to produce evidence of their charges... Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates seemed to concede Friday that U.S. officials can't say for sure whether the Iranian government is involved in assisting the attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq..."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iran3feb03,0,2695314.story?coll=la-home-headlines

U.S. RESPONSIBLE FOR ASCENDENCY OF IRAN

"Four years after the United States invaded Iraq, in part to transform the Middle East, Iran is ascendant, many in the region view the Americans in retreat, and Arab countries... are awash in sharpening sectarian currents that many blame the United States for exacerbating...

"There is one thing important about the ascendance of Iran here. It does not reflect a real change in Iranian capabilities, economic or political. It's more a reflection of the failures on the part of the U.S. and its Arab allies in the region..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/29/AR2007012902090.html

IRAN HAS LEGAL RIGHT TO URANIUM ENRICHMENT

"... the United Nations Security Council's demand, reflected in Resolutions 1696 and 1737, for a halt to the enrichment activities... refer to the IAEA resolutions that requested these suspensions as a "non-legally binding" and "voluntary" measure. In other words, no matter how insistent the United States and its European allies are on a permanent suspension (of uranium enrichment), there is nothing in either the UN resolutions and/or the IAEA resolutions that would endorse (the U.S.'s) unreasonable demand, which lacks a legal basis..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IA25Ak03.html

USS STENNIS STRIKE GROUP DEPLOYS FOR IRAN

"The USS Stennis carrier with thousands of troops and 80 warplanes aboard is heading for Persian Gulf... the ship picked up 2,500 troops at San Diego. The Stennis Strike Group has still to collect two ships at Hawaii before heading east with a complement of 6,500 US soldiers."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), January 21, 2007
http://www.debka.com/index.php

NO EVIDENCE OF IRANIAN I.E.D. INVOLVEMENT

"... US... officials suggested that Iranian government involvement in the use by Sunni insurgents or Shi'ite militias of "shaped charges" that can penetrate US armored vehicles was the only logical conclusion that could be drawn from the facts. But when asked point blank, they admitted that they had no evidence.

"... The US command admitted at first that the Sunnis were making the shaped charges themselves... (then) the Bush administration made a decision to start blaming its new problem in Iraq on Tehran... But the US administration had a major credibility problem with that story. It could not explain why Iran would want to assist the Sunnis, enemies of the militant Shi'ite parties in Iraq that are aligned with Iran... (recently) Bush apparently gave orders that the US military should seize any Iranians in the country in an effort to get some kind of evidence to use in support of its propaganda theme... trying to substantiate an anti-Iran line for which the Bush administration has no credible evidence..."

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IA18Ak02.html

CHENEY REBUFFED IRANIAN OFFER OF COOPERATION

"An Iranian offer to help the United States stabilize Iraq and end its military support for Hezbollah and Hamas was rejected by Vice-President Dick Cheney in 2003...The State Department was open to the offer, which came in an unsigned letter sent shortly after the U.S. invasion of Iraq... But... Cheney vetoed the deal..."
--Lawrence Wilkerson, former secretary of state Colin Powell's chief of staff
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070119.WORLDREPORT19-1/TPStory/TPInternational/Africa/

BUSH HOPING TO GOAD IRAN INTO WAR

"... on Iran, the president spelled out a plan that appears to be aimed at goading Iran into war with the U.S... recent developments and statements indicate that the administration is ever more seriously eyeing war with Iran. On Wednesday, Bush made the starkest accusations yet against the rulers in Tehran, alleging that the clerics were "providing material support for attacks on American troops"...

"The next move may be Iran's. Tehran has likely sniffed the trap and will sit idly by for now and deprive the Bush administration of a pretext for escalation. But continued provocations from the U.S. through additional raids of Iranian consulates and offices will likely lead to an intentional or unintentional response, after which escalation and war may become reality..."

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36152

3 ASSAULT SHIPS DEPLOY FOR PERSIAN GULF


"Three US Norfolk-based amphibious assault ships set out for Persian Gulf... they are part of the USS Bataan Strike group carrying 2,000 Marines and equipped to insert forces ashore by helicopter, landing craft and amphibious vehicles. The Baatan is equipped with helicopters and fast hovercraft capable of landing thousands of Marines on beaches and providing the landing with cover. The Shreveport, known as the Super Gator, combines the logistical-intelligence support of a command ship with the assault capabilities of combat loaded marines. It is designed for extended amphibious operations. The USS Oak Hill is designed to assist distressed vessels.

DEBKAfile’s military sources add that another three warships are due to sail out of Norfolk for the Gulf this week with marine personnel aboard. This will bring to more than 20,000 the complement of sailors, marines and pilots either heading for the Gulf region like the USS John C. Stennis strike group, or already present like the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS Boxer.

The deployment of the USS John C. Stennis strike group, announced last week, was billed as “a warning to Syria and Iran.”

--DEBKAfile (Israel), January 7, 2007
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=3705

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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

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

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

FOUR CARRIERS IN THE PERSIAN GULF

"Why Are There Four Carriers In The Persian Gulf?"
http://www.rense.com/general74/whyare.htm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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/

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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