By Nader Bagherzadeh and Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich Ali Larijani , who is the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council responsible for nuclear discussions with the West, has called nuclear negotiations a “diplomatic chess.” Perhaps he is implying that like a good chess player he plans a few moves ahead of his opponent. After receiving two sanctions, Larijani had taken the position that as long as the Security Council (SC) refuses
by Chris Hedges The most effective diplomats, like the most effective intelligence officers and foreign correspondents, possess empathy. They have the intellectual, cultural and linguistic literacy to get inside the heads of those they must analyze or cover. They know the vast array of historical, religious, economic and cultural antecedents that go into making up decisions and reactions. And because of this—endowed with the ability to communicate and more able
Iran’s Press TV reports that Iran’s former IRGC Commander says 200,000 US troops are in weak positions in the Middle East and Iran has identified all their locations. Senior Advisor to the Leader for Military Affairs, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, made the remark Monday in a meeting with Imam Hussein University faculty in Tehran. Safavi said recent incidents have turned the region into the hub of political and security
First, there was this piece in the (otherwise highly unreliable) Debka file website: ——-DEBKAfile: USS Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group takes up position opposite Lebanese coast amid trepidation over September presidential election Our military sources report that aboard the Kearsarge group’s vessels are members of the 22nds Marine special operations-capable Expeditionary Unit, ready to execute landings on Lebanese beaches. Wednesday, Aug. 29, Adm. William Fallon, chief of US Central Command and
By Robert Fisk “The Independent” — – Stories that just don’t seem to make it into print. Did you know that the Hizbollah “Party of God” has installed its own private communications network in the south of Lebanon, stretching from the village of Zawter Sharqiya all the way to Beirut? And why, I wonder, would it be doing that? Well, to safeguard its phones in the event that the Israelis
by Sarah Baxter “The Times” – The Pentagon has drawn up plans for massive airstrikes against 1,200 targets in Iran, designed to annihilate the Iranians’ military capability in three days, according to a national security expert. Alexis Debat, director of terrorism and national security at the Nixon Center, said last week that US military planners were not preparing for “pinprick strikes” against Iran’s nuclear facilities. “They’re about taking out the
By RAY McGOVERNFormer CIA Analyst Why do I feel like the proverbial skunk at a Labor Day picnic? Sorry; but I thought you might want to know that this time next year there will probably be more skunks than we can handle. I fear our country is likely to be at war with Iran-and with the thousands of real terrorists Iran can field around the globe. It is going to
by Muriel Mirak-Weissbach President Bush’s most recent ranting, in which he accused Iran of threatening to unleash a “nuclear holocaust,” must be seen, for sure, in the context of the drumbeat for military aggression against the Islamic Republic. Within the space of a few days, several articles appeared in the mainstream press, indicating that the Cheney project for launching a new war is on the front burner. Most explicit was
Gregory Elich for Global Research Much attention has been given to the Bush Administration’s preparations for possible war against Iran as well as its drive to impose sanctions. Meanwhile, a less noticed policy has been unfolding, one that may in time prove to have grave consequences for the region. There is a covert war underway in Iran, still in its infancy, but with disturbing signs of impending escalation. In the
by Glenn Greenwald George Bush, speaking before yet another military audience, yesterday delivered what might actually be the most disturbing speech of his presidency, in which he issued more overt war threats than ever before towards Iran: The other strain of radicalism in the Middle East is Shia extremism, supported and embodied by the regime that sits in Tehran. Iran has long been a source of trouble in the region.
CASMII UK Press Release 29 August 2007 Brown Must Now Publicly Oppose Bush’s War Drive On Iran “I have authorized our military commanders in Iraq to confront Tehran’s murderous activities” George Bush’s address to war veterans in Nevada on 28th August was a carefully choreographed and unambiguous declaration of war on Iran. Bush accused the Iranian government of being behind the insurgency in Iraq as well as assisting the Taliban
Filed by Larisa Alexandrovna and Muriel Kane The United States has the capacity for and may be prepared to launch without warning a massive assault on Iranian uranium enrichment facilities, as well as government buildings and infrastructure, using long-range bombers and missiles, according to a new analysis. The paper, “Considering a war with Iran: A discussion paper on WMD in the Middle East” – written by well-respected British scholar and
A Global Justice Movement By BILL CHRISTISONFormer CIA Analyst George W. Bush has once again thrown down the gauntlet. The Mideast wars of the United States, he announced to the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention on August 22, must end only with a U.S. victory. He has not wavered in this position since September 11, 2001. The unspoken but real purpose of his efforts has been and will be
ESFAHAN, Iran, Aug 17 — The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said Friday that his country is after the establishment of peace and stability in the Middle East.“We trust on our strong military power but Iran has a defensive strategy and we are after the establishment of peace and stability in the Middle East”, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi said. The US has launched a fresh round of war-on
BAGHDAD, Aug 17 –Washington’s envoy to Iraq has claimed that pulling US troops out of the country could open the door to a “major Iranian advance” that would threaten US interests in the region. Ambassador Ryan Crocker also accused Tehran of seeking to weaken the Iraqi government so that it could “by one means or another control it”. Crocker’s allegations clash head-on with Tehran’s public support for Iraq’s government. Washington
By GARY LEUPP Hamid Karzai, hand-picked by Washington to pose as president of the broken country of Afghanistan, says his government has “very, very good, very, very close relations [and] will continue to have good relations with Iran.” He declares on CNN, “So far, Iran has been a helper” in fighting terrorism. Nuri al-Maliki, favored by Washington as the most viable prime minister to pretend to lead the bleeding country
How reporters trumped up a story about Iranians killing Americans in Iraq by Gareth Porter On July 2 and 3, The New York Times and the Associated Press, among other media outlets, came out with sensational stories saying that either Iranians or Iranian agents had played an important role in planning the operation in Karbala, Iraq last January that resulted in the deaths of five American soldiers. Michael R. Gordon
Where is the War on Terror heading?By Bita Ghaffari, Press TV, TehranRecent remarks by the US presidential hopeful Tom Tancredo have shed more light on the absolute chaos governing American politics. The Republican long shot said last week the best way to ward off a nuclear assault on American soil is to threaten to bomb Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina. The brash assertion even sparked a reaction from
Larouche reports that Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, the Congressman from the 14th CD of Texas, would not back down in an interview today with Murdoch’s Fox TV News, about the fact that the White House would use a “Gulf of Tonkin” incident to launch war against Iran. This is also the view of Lyndon LaRouche, who has identified this danger, calling it “Gulf of Tonkin II.” In a straightforward
by Gordon Prather Last week the Christians United For Israel organization held its annual show-of-force in our Nation’s Capital and Max Blumenthal recorded for posterity – if, God Willing, there is to be one – this most “politically extreme, outrageous” spectacle. “Founded by San Antonio-based megachurch pastor John Hagee, CUFI has added the grassroots muscle of the Christian right to the already potent Israel lobby. Hagee and his minions have
