IRANIAN ARAB SPRING?

"... When popular uprisings began erupting through the Middle East a couple of years ago, some commentators wondered when Iranians would rebel. That was never a possibility. The reason is simple. Iran will not have a revolution because it has already had one -- and learned a terrible lesson from it. Iranians know that no matter how bad a Middle Eastern regime may be, overthrowing it violently may well lead to something worse. Arabs launched their jubilant uprisings without understanding this painful truth. They were utopians. Iranians are not. They have built the Middle East's first post-utopian society... 
"Iran's message to the Arab world is profoundly stabilizing: Often it is better to bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of. Seeking incremental change within an essentially corrupt political system is preferable to confrontation, even if it brings meager results..."
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/25/iran-rouhani-obamaarabspring.html>http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/25/iran-rouhani-obamaarabspring.html

IRAN: NO PLAN OR INTENT TO BUILD NUCLEAR WEAPON

"Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, in a television interview with NBC News on Wednesday night, said firmly that his country has no plans to build a nuclear weapon, no desire to do so, and hopes that tensions with the U.S. over its atomic program can soon be put to rest..."
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/09/19>http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/09/19

IRAN ACQUIRES ITS OWN SUPERTANKER FLEET


"Some of Iran’s [oil sanction] problems came from the unwillingness of tanker companies to risk US retaliation by carrying Iranian oil. Iran therefore has bought from China 12 huge oil tankers, each of which can carry 2 million barrels of petroleum. Iran just took delivery of 4 more of these tankers. It will therefore be in a position over coming years to export to China and India with its own tankers, holding itself harmless from Congressional sanctions."
http://www.juancole.com/2013/08/china-congress-iranian.html

"The National Iranian Tanker Co. has acquired four new supertankers in mid-2013... from China as part of a $1.2 billion contract signed in 2009. In all, 12 supertankers were ordered. The supertankers were said to have a capacity of two million barrels each... The latest acquisitions boost NITC’s supertanker fleet to 37 vessels with a maximum carrying capacity of 64 million barrels of oil... The company also has 14 small crude oil tankers with another 12.5 million barrels in capacity.”
http://www.worldtribune.com/2013/08/09/china-helping-keep-iran-oil-industry-afloat-with-four-new-supertankers/

NEW PRESIDENT ROUHANI WANTS NEGOTIATIONS

"Iran's incoming President Hassan Rouhani... offered an olive branch to the United States in talks on Tehran's disputed nuclear program... that he was "seriously determined" to resolve the dispute and was ready to enter "serious and substantive" negotiations... Rouhani said Iran would not abandon its nuclear program, which it would uphold "on the basis of international law... However, we are for negotiations and interaction. We are prepared, seriously and without wasting time, to enter negotiations which are serious and substantive..."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/07/us-iran-nuclear-idUSBRE9750Q020130807

SANCTIONS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE

"In a report issued by the Iran Project... former diplomats and experts suggested that the sanctions policy, rather than bolstering diplomacy, may be backfiring. As the pressure has increased, the group concluded, sanctions have “contributed to an increase in repression and corruption within Iran” and “may be sowing the seeds of long-term alienation between the Iranian people and the United States.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/world/middleeast/report-on-iran-urges-obama-to-rethink-sanctions.html?_r=3&

CENTRIFUGE MAGNETS REALLY NOT

"On February 13 Joby Warrick reported for the Washington Post that "Iran recently sought to acquire tens of thousands of highly specialized magnets used in centrifuge machines, according to experts and diplomats, a sign that the country may be planning a major expansion of its nuclear program that could shorten the path to an atomic weapons capability..." 
(But) The apparent manufacturer or supplier of the magnets in question, Ferrito Plastronics, is evidently a "tiny firm (in India) in a dark alley in Chennai's electronic spare parts hub on Meeran Sahib Street." According to the Times of India, "the Chennai firm does supply magnets. But these, avers company proprietor Bala Subramanian, are the ones used in loudspeakers, coils, and medical equipment. Besides these, there are decorative magnets for fridges."

http://www.fpif.org/blog/latest_smoking_gun_on_irans_nuclear_program_just_another_misfire>http://www.fpif.org/blog/latest_smoking_gun_on_irans_nuclear_program_just_another_misfire
and
http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/iran-centrifuge-magnet-story-technically-questionable>http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/iran-centrifuge-magnet-story-technically-questionable

DON'T REPEAT IRAQ IN IRAN

"... In the case of Iraq, there was an attempt made by some states to eradicate weapons of mass destruction that did not exist, and today there is talk of going on Iran to eradicate intentions that may not exist... So far Iran has not violated NPT (the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) and there is no evidence right now that suggests that Iran is producing nuclear weapons..."
--Hans Blix, former UN weapons inspector
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/03/06-9>http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/03/06-9

PANETTA: IRAN NOT DEVELOPING NUCLEAR WEAPONS

"Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday that Iran is enriching uranium in a peaceful nuclear program but that Tehran has not decided to develop an atomic bomb... Top U.S. military and intelligence officials gave separate testimonies in congressional hearings on Thursday regarding Iran, and...  they all reiterated the consensus that Iran’s nuclear program is purely civilian in nature..."

http://news.antiwar.com/2012/02/16/panetta-iran-is-not-developing-nuclear-weapons/

IRAN'S NUCLEAR POLICY: LATENCY

"... An Iranian nuclear bomb is neither imminent nor a foregone conclusion. The 16 U.S. intelligence agencies judge with high confidence that Iran has conducted no nuclear weapons-related experiments since 2003, that it currently has no nuclear weapons program, and that is has not made the political decision to pursue nuclear weapons. In theory, this provides ample political space for Obama to pursue a sustained process of diplomacy dedicated to ensuring that Iran's nuclear program remains verifiably peaceful.

In practice, however, we often see the opposite from Washington -- self-imposed time limits on diplomacy, unprecedented coercive measures, and sensationalistic journalism about an imminent Iranian nuclear weapon. Why the disconnect? Because at present, Iran is pursuing a strategic middle ground called nuclear latency: It aims to build a nuclear energy program that would allow for the production of a nuclear weapon on short notice if an existential threat came to the fore...."

http://www.niacouncil.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8827&security=1&news_iv_ctrl=-1

WHY U.S. WILL NOT ALLOW ISRAEL TO BOMB IRAN

"... The Department of Defense is aware that the thousands of US personnel at the US embassy in Baghdad...  are vulnerable to attacks by the Mahdi Army if Israel bombs Iran, as are US facilities in the Gulf such as the al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar and the US naval base in Manama, Bahrain. That is, there is no such thing as a unilateral Israeli military action against Tehran. Any such strike would immediately cause attacks on US facilities in the region and bring the US into the war... Washington should remember the law of unintended consequences.
http://www.juancole.com/2013/01/obamas-inaugural-danger.html>http://www.juancole.com/2013/01/obamas-inaugural-danger.html

AHMADINEJAD ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS

"... Ahmadinejad scoffed at the notion of an Iranian nuclear buildup. "A nuclear weapon? For what? For what purpose?" Ahmadinejad said in an interview with the Associated Press. "Why would we do that? What would we use it for?"

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/ahmadinejad-u-n-assembly-speech-video-155849849.html

IRAN CLARIFIES MEANING OF "WIPE OFF MAP"

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made clear what he meant when he said Israel should be "wiped off" the map... asked in response to whether Israel should be "wiped off" the face of the map, as he once said... (he replied)... "So when we say 'to be wiped,' we say for occupation to be wiped off from this world. For war-seeking to (be) wiped off and eradicated, the killing of women and children to be eradicated.... The path is to recognize the right of the Palestinians to self-governance."
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/24/world/meast/iran-ahmadinejad-interview/index.html

IRAN SAYS STRIKE WOULD TRIGGER WW III


"Israel is stepping up threats of carrying out a unilateral strike against Iran’s nuclear energy facilities before the US presidential election on November 6... Israeli threats are based on the unsubstantiated claims that the peaceful nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic have been diverted to the acquisition of military nuclear capability...
"A senior Iranian military commander has warned that an Israeli strike on the Islamic Republic could trigger the World War III... "the situation would spin out of control and management; this war is likely to degenerate into the World War III. It means that some countries might enter the war in favor of or against Iran,” Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said on Al-Alam television."



http://presstv.com/detail/2012/09/23/263155/cmrdr-warns-of-wwiii-if-iran-attacked/

ATTACK ON POWER LINES TO IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES

"... power lines between the holy city of Qom and the underground Fordow nuclear centrifuge facility were blown up with explosives on Aug. 17.... the power lines leading to Iran’s Natanz facilities were blown up as well.... power cut off is one of the ways to break down centrifuge machines... U.S. Special Forces have trained for sabotage missions inside Iran for years. “From the first reports, this attack looks like something from our guys..."

http://news.yahoo.com/sabotaging-iran-nukes-084500157--politics.html

ISRAEL SAYS NO WAR IMMANENT

"... Amos Gilad, top aide to Defence Minister Ehud Barak... signaled on Saturday that there would be no unilateral attack on Iran in the coming weeks... (saying) "... it looks like it will be quiet... it seems to me that even the Iranians understand... and are not crossing the line .. of implementing and building a nuclear bomb..."

http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-official-signals-no-war-imminent-iran-174202360.html>http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-official-signals-no-war-imminent-iran-174202360.html

IRAQ HELPING IRAN SUPPLY ARMS TO SYRIA

"Iran has resumed shipping military equipment to Syria over Iraqi airspace... to the frustration of American officials... the flights have enabled Iran to provide supplies to the Syrian government despite the efforts Syrian rebels have made to seize several border crossings where Iranian aid has been trucked in... Iraq could take several steps to stop the flights, including insisting that cargo planes that depart from Iran en route to Syria land for inspection in Baghdad or declaring outright that Iraq’s airspace cannot be used for the flights..."
"The Iranians have even provided a cargo plane that the Syrian military can use to ferry men and supplies around the country... (and) Iraqi Shiite militia fighters... are now making their way to Syria to help the Assad government.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/world/middleeast/iran-supplying-syrian-military-via-iraq-airspace.html?_r=2

U.S. DISOWNS ISRAEL IF IT STRIKES IRAN

"... the US would not be “complicit” in an Israel strike against Iran... The Obama administration has put Israel on harsh notice that an attack on Iran to disrupt or delay its nuclear armament will be refused US missile backup - both in the course of the operation and to cover Israel’s back in the event of a counter-strike widening into a general Middle East conflict. The Netanyahu government will bear full and exclusive responsibility for the consequences of attacking Iran."
http://www.debka.com/article/22324/

IF ISRAEL ATTACKS IRAN, IRAN WILL ATTACK U.S. BASES

"Iran could hit U.S. bases in the Middle East in response to any Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities even if American forces played no role in the attack, the leader of Lebanon's Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah said... "A decision has been taken to respond and the response will be very great," Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said..."
http://news.yahoo.com/iran-could-strike-u-bases-israel-attacks-hezbollah-055101337.html

KHAMENEI SAYS IRAN HAS NO INTEREST IN NUCLEAR WEAPONS

"Iran has no interest in nuclear weapons but will keep pursuing peaceful nuclear energy, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told heads of state from developing countries in Tehran. Iran... host(ed) a summit of the 120-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)..."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/ayatollah-khamenei-iran-nuclear-designs_n_1842039.html

IAEA REPORT: IRAN PROGRAM MAY BE BEYOND ISRAEL'S TO ABILITY STOP

"... the International Atomic Energy Agency... report has put Israel in a corner, documenting that Iran is close to... the capability to produce nuclear weapons in a location invulnerable to Israeli attack... (there) seems to be a consensus that Iran’s program may soon be beyond the reach of Israel’s military capability... Military professionals concede the potential effectiveness of an Israeli strike is decreasing as Iran moves more of its operations underground."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/world/middleeast/report-on-iran-nuclear-work-puts-israel-in-a-box.html?_r=2