IRAN BUYS LONG-RANGE FIGHTER BOMBERS

"Iran buys... from Russia... 250 Su-30MKM warplanes and 20 IL-78 MKI fuel tankers... Iran has stipulated delivery of the first aircraft before the end of 2007. The transaction, Russia’s largest arms deal in 30 years, will endow Iran with a long-range aerial assault capability. The Sukhoi can sustain a four-and-a-half hour raid at its maximum range of 3,000 km against long-distance, marine and low-lying ground targets across the Persian Gulf and Middle East, including Israel and Lebanon.
The fuel tankers extends the Su-30MKM’s assault sustainability to 10 hours and its range to 8,000 km at altitudes of 11-13 km. The closest comparable plane in the West is the American F-15E fighter bomber. Iran’s acquisition of an exceptionally large fleet of the Russian fighter-bomber will elevate its air force to one of the two largest and most advanced in the region, alongside the Israeli Air Force...Moscow is selling Tehran the same Sukhoi model as India received earlier this year... (and) began delivering the same craft in June to Malaysia..."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), July 27, 2007
http://www.debka.com/index.php

TO BE OFFSET BY...

"The United States is reported to be preparing a major arms deal with Saudi Arabia worth $20 billion... it would include missile guidance systems, upgraded fighter jets and naval ships... part of a strategy for countering Iran's growing strength..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6920458.stm

BUT...

"... the arms proposal to Saudi Arabia would face broad bipartisan opposition on the Hill. Despite the administration’s efforts to portray the Saudis as part of the moderate Arab world, members of Congress of both parties are increasingly skeptical..."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), July 28, 2007
http://www.debka.com/index.php

B-2 BOMBER GETS PENETRATOR BOMB FOR STRIKING NATANZ

"US Air Force B-2 Stealth bombers will soon be fitted with newly-developed 15-ton Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs... the gigantic new bunker-blaster is designed to hit fortified underground targets such as Iran’s uranium-enrichment facility at Natanz. It will be capable of drilling through many meters of earth or concrete. When it falls from a high altitude, the MOP – composed of 20% explosives, 80% hardened metal - will punch a hole in the toughest protective casing before exploding in depth. It is GPS guided."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), July 23, 2007
http://www.debka.com/index.php

IRAN TO BE PART OF ENDLESS REGIME CHANGE TREADMILL

"... The U.S. isn't massing its naval might in the Persian Gulf for nothing, nor are the daily rhetorical broadsides aimed at Iran just boilerplate. Tehran has been the target from the beginning... It is just a matter of time before an incident on the Iran-Iraq border ignites the coming conflict. That's why the administration is desperately trying to buy time and put off congressional demands that we start withdrawing from Iraq. Meanwhile, they're busy ramping up the war of words with the Iranians... Once we're stuck in the Iranian quagmire, one can easily imagine the objections to a U.S. withdrawal: just re-run the arguments made by this administration and its supporters in regard to Iraq. At that point the American people may wake up and realize that we're on an endless treadmill of "regime change" and occupation..."
http://antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=11344

INTELLIGENCE GATHERING ON IRAN

"... the sheer breadth and depth of US intelligence activities in Islamic Iran are rarely acknowledged... hundreds (possibly thousands) of Iranian expatriates in western Europe, North America and the Middle East have been effectively recruited by the CIA (and other US intelligence agencies) without their knowledge.... these people are highly educated and often come from the very top of their professions; which ranges from medicine, engineering and the law to more politically oriented careers such as journalism and political and military analysis. The great majority of these people are apolitical,... (they are made to) feel like a "consultant" rather than an "informant" or "agent".... The relationships are handled by subcontractors, and the CIA only assumes direct control when the target is either beginning to produce intelligence-quality information... or has managed to secure access to people who can..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IG21Ak06.html

CHENEY PUSHES BUSH TO ATTACK IRAN

"Cheney pushes Bush to act on Iran... Military solution back in favour as Rice loses out... Bush is not going to leave office with Iran still in limbo... No decision on military action is expected until next year... "
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2127115,00.html

EAST COAST ENTERPRISE STRIKE GROUP DEPLOYS FOR IRAN

"... The US aircraft carrier USS Enterprise will not rotate with any of the two carriers already present in the Middle East... the Enterprise... will in fact join the USS Stennis and USS Nimitz near the shores of Iran - not replace them... The carrier which departed Norfolk Monday is heading for a six-month Middle East tour of duty with its strike group of four warships: the guided missile destroyers Arleigh Burke, Stout, James E .Williams and Forrest Sherman, as well as three more ships – and 7,500 sailors in all aboard..."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), July 12, 2007
http://www.debka.com/index.php

WESTERN POWERS WILLINGNESS TO ATTACK IRAN
(Which report is "spin"?)

As reported in the conservative site Newsmax (http://www.newsmax.com):
"Israel 'Approved' to Strike Iran... Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs said he has received approval from the U.S. and Europe for an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. "If we start military operations against Iran alone, then Europe and the U.S. will support us,” Avigdor Lieberman said following a meeting with NATO and European Union officials..."
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/7/13/100257.shtml

As reported in the Jewish news site JTA (http://www.jta.org):
"Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who visited NATO headquarters in Brussels two weeks ago, came away with the impression that Western powers are unwilling to resort to pre-emptive military strikes to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons... NATO leaders reportedly told Israel that it would have to stop Iran's nuclear program alone..."
http://www2.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/102935.html

AL QAEDA IN IRAQ THREATENS TO ATTACK IRAN

"The leader of an al-Qaida umbrella group in Iraq threatened to wage war against Iran unless it stops supporting Shiites in Iraq ..."
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/jul/09/na-al-qaida-group-in-iraq-threatens-iran-with-war/

THIRD CARRIER STRIKE GROUP HEADED INTO GULF

"The USS Enterprise CVN 65-Big E Strike Group will join the USS Stennis and the USS Nimitz carriers, building up the largest sea, air, marine concentration the United States has ever deployed opposite Iran... making good on the assurances of four carriers US Vice President Dick Cheney offered the Gulf and Middle East nations during his May tour... The “Big E” leads a strike group consisting of the guided-missile destroyers USS Arleigh Burke DDG 51, USS Stout DDG 55, Forrest Sherman DDG 98 and USS James E. Williams DDG 95, as well as the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg CG 64, the SS Philadelphia SSN 690 nuclear submarine and the USNS Supply ship AOE 6. On its decks are the Carrier Air Wing CVW 1, whose pilots fought combat missions in the Gulf and Arabian Sea during 2006. The Air Wing is made up of F/Q-18 Super Hornet strike craft, the Sidewinder Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-86, the 251st Marine Fighter Attack Squadron MFA, and the Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ 137. The 32nd Sea Control Squadron VS consists of S-3B Vikings. The Airborne Early Warning Squadron VAQ 3 flies E-2C Hawkeye craft. The Fleet Logistics Support Squadron VRC is based on C-2A Greyhounds.... Washington is considering deploying the fourth US carrier for the region in the Red Sea opposite Saudi Arabian western coast to secure the three US carriers in the Gulf from the rear as well as the Gulf of Aqaba and Suez Canal."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), June 21, 2007
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=4334

ISRAELI AIR FORCE TRAINING FOR POSSIBLE STRIKE ON IRAN

"The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has been training on long-range flights, including refueling in mid-flight, in preparation for potential strikes against Iranian nuclear targets.... At the end of 2007 the US and Israel are expected to hold a joint assessment to ascertain the influence of economic sanctions against Iran..."
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1182409614270&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull

ADMINISTRATION AND NATO DISAGREE ON IRAN ARMS TO AFGHANISTAN

"... a State Department official publicly accused Iran for the first time of arming the Taliban forces last week, but the U.S. commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan rejected that charge for the second time in less than two weeks... Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns declared in Paris Jun. 12 that Iran was "transferring arms to the Taliban in Afghanistan"... But the NATO commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Dan McNeill... (said) that he did not agree with the charge...."
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38244

DOGS OF WAR

"... Iran's puppies of war in Gaza and their counterparts in Lebanon are a mixed blessing for their sponsors in Tehran. In Western capitals, the case for military action of some kind against Iran has become far more compelling... The Hamas putsch in Gaza strengthens the position of American hawks who favor a military strike against Iran... Wars start because no one wants to disown his dog... Tehran may have Hamas and Hezbollah on a leash, but it is the master that is dragged forward now, rather than the dog dragged back... The logical result is continued escalation until America and Iran stand off in earnest..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IF19Ak03.html

AL QAEDA TO BLEED U.S. BY PROVOKING WAR WITH IRAN

"... Al Qaeda... has made the U.S. military occupation in Iraq its primary recruiting ground... (and is) today is a global operation — with a well-oiled propaganda machine based in Pakistan, a secondary but independent base in Iraq, and an expanding reach in Europe”... (Al Qaeda) would likely set up new operations in northern Lebanon and Gaza and eventually try to provoke “all-out war” between the U.S. and Iran as part of a “grand strategy” aimed at “bleeding” Washington in much the same way that U.S.-backed mujahadin and their Arab allies bled the Soviets in Afghanistan during the 1980s..."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38202

U.S. SECDEF AND NATO COMMANDER ON IRANIAN ARMS TO TALIBAN

One media says this:
"... Mr Gates said he had seen recent intelligence which made it "pretty clear there's a fairly substantial flow of weapons" into Afghanistan... Mr Gates said it was difficult to believe the Iranian government was unaware... "Given the quantities that we're seeing, it is difficult to believe that it's associated with smuggling or the drug business or that it's taking place without the knowledge of the Iranian government..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6750785.stm

Another media says this:
"... Defence Secretary Robert Gates and the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Dan McNeil, issued unusually strong denials.. (to) a media campaign portraying Iran as supplying arms to the Taliban guerrillas fighting U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan... Both Gates and McNeill denied flatly last week that there is any evidence linking Iranian authorities to those arms..."
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38121

RELIGIOUS AUTHOR SAYS IRAN MUST BE ATTACKED BEFORE END OF BUSH PRESIDENCY

"... Iran is the biggest threat to the United States and to peace in the Middle East, and it should be confronted militarily no later than the end of the George W. Bush presidency. Under no circumstances should U.S. troops be withdrawn from Iraq before the mission is accomplished -- the mission being the disarming of Iran. The U.S. public has been dumbed down by the secular left and the liberal media. And god has been removed from the public square in the U.S., resulting in Christians being systematically "stripped" of their rights... the recommendations in the bipartisan Iraq Study Group (ISG) report, issued in early December 2006, are a "call to appeasement -- just like Chamberlain's in the face of Nazi aggression in 1938."
--Mike Evans, author of "The Final Move Beyond Iraq: The Final Solution While The World Sleeps"
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38156

NEW ISRAELI SATELLITE TO GUIDE ROCKETS TO IRAN

"(With the) successful launch Monday of Ofeq-7 imaging satellite, Israel acquires an essential intelligence asset for any war contingency... (and) reflects wide expectations of a Middle East war this summer... the new platform fills the gap in the coverage of distant high-priority areas in the Middle East including Iran.... The military importance... as a deterrent to Iran’s missile threats cannot be overstated. It means that Israeli rockets can be relied on to reach any part of Iran..."
--DEBKAfile (Israel), June 11, 2007
http://www.debka.com/index.php

IRAN THREATENS GULF BLITZ IF U.S. ATTACKS

"Iran has threatened to launch a missile blitz against the Gulf states and plunge the entire Middle East into war if America attacks its nuclear facilities.... Gulf states providing the US with military cooperation would be the key targets of a barrage of ballistic missiles.... missiles would be launched not only at US military bases but also at strategic targets such as oil refineries and power stations.... The attacks on Arab states would be in addition to airstrikes on Israel... An Iranian foreign ministry official said: “The objective would be to overwhelm US missile defence systems with dozens and maybe hundreds of missiles fired simultaneously at specific targets..."

"... the “retaliation plan” claimed it would be launched within an hour of a US attack and would be accompanied by increased support for terrorist groups. “The US will be as surprised with Iranian military capabilities as the Israelis were with Hezbollah in last summer’s war in Lebanon...”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article1909896.ece

IRAN AND SYRIA ANTICIPATE U.S. AND ISRAELI ATTACKS THIS SUMMER

"... Iranian leaders foresee the next UN Security Council in New York at the end of June or early July ending with an American announcement that the sanctions against Tehran are inadequate... Therefore, the military option is the only one left on the table.... Bush is determined to bow out of office on the high note of a glittering military success against Iran to eclipse his failures in Iraq... According to the Iranian scenario, the timeline for hostilities has already been fixed... The US will strike Iran first, after which Israel will use the opportunity to go for Syria..."
http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1279

BOTH CHENEY AND AL QAEDA WANT U.S. TO BOMB IRAN

"Could al Qaeda Attack Trigger War With Iran?... Bush administration policy (is) to hold Iran responsible for any al Qaeda attack on the U.S. that could be portrayed as planned on Iranian soil... Zbigniew Brzezinksi warned last week that Washington might use such an incident as a pretext to bomb Iran... (Brzezinksi said) an al Qaeda terrorist attack in the United States intended to provoke war between the U.S. and Iran was a possibility that must be taken seriously, and that the Bush administration might accuse Iran of responsibility for such an attack and use it to justify carrying out an attack on Iran... Although most elements in the Bush administration appear to oppose military action against Iran, Vice President Dick Cheney has reportedly advocated that course. He has also continued to raise the issue of al Qaeda officials in Iran... "
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38050

I.A.E.A HEAD SAYS "CRAZIES" WANT TO BOMB IRAN

"... Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, described those wanting to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities as "new crazies"... Dr ElBaradei said a nuclear-armed Iran would be terrible but the jury was still out as to whether the country even wanted nuclear weapons..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/nuclear_detectives/6707457.stm