Nuclear Hypocrisy in the Middle East The internet is loaded these days with reports of the inevitability of a U.S., or a U.S.-Israeli, attack on Iran. Some writers allege that the attack is imminent. Others, including the writers of this article, argue only that the attack will happen sometime before January 2009, when the Bush administration leaves office. Many of these stories have by now been picked up by the
Today, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the anti-war talk show host Scott Horton for his daily show on KAOS 95.5 radio in Austin, Texas. Our conversation covered topics such as the Israel/Neocon Lobby in the USA, its role in getting the US in wars in the Middle-East, its struggle against what I call the “Old Anglo Guard” and Russia’s relationship to the developments in Iran. Please click
When Wishful Thinking Replaces Resistance By Jean Bricmont Many people in the antiwar movement try to reassure themselves: Bush cannot possibly attack Iran. He does not have the means to do so, or, perhaps, even he is not foolish enough to engage in such an enterprise. Various particular reasons are put forward, such as: If he attacks, the Shiites in Iraq will cut the US supply lines. If he attacks,
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
Al-Manar TV reports that the former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was elected head of Iran’s Assembly of Experts on Tuesday. Rafsanjani becomes the second head of the Assembly of Experts – the body which supervises the work of the supreme leader – after the death of previous chairman Ayatollah Ali Meshkini who led the body for its 27 years of existence. The ex-president polled 41 votes from fellow members
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
By Gisoo Misha Ahmadi, Press TV, Tehran Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari dismisses the allegations made against the Islamic Republic that Tehran is meddling in Iraq’s affairs. On the sidelines of a ministerial meeting of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Zebari told the Press TV correspondent that the good relations between the governments of Iran and Iraq has prompted Tehran to step up its efforts to secure and stabilize the war ravaged-country.
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
by Paul Ingram and Mehrnaz Shahabi (CASMII) Paul Ingram is Senior Analyst at the British American Security Information Council. His subject areas include nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament (with a focus on Iran and the UK); defence economics, particularly subsidies of exports in the UK; and transatlantic security. He is the Chair of Crisis Action, and co-teaches systems thinking and practice on the Top Management Programme at the National School of
Pakistani security forces have secured the release of 21 Iranians taken hostage by gunmen, and arrested 18 terrorists in armed clashes. Armed bandits opened fire at vehicles in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province on Sunday and took civilians hostage, according to a report by Pakistan’s private TV One from Quetta, the capital of Pakistan Baluchistan province. Pakistani security forces managed to secure the release of the Iranian hostages early Monday in
Tehran – Iran is threatening to strike the U.S. with “stronger punches” while Hezbollah vows it is ready to become “dismembered limbs to keep Iran strong and dignified.” This will likely leave Lebanon in the crossfire. The Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Gen. Rahim Safawi (left in picture), who met Hizbullah’s deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem (right in picture) at a religious conference in Tehran, has threatened the United States
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) – The leaders of Russia, China and Iran said Thursday that Central Asia should be left alone to manage its stability and security — an apparent warning to the United States to avoid interfering in the strategic, resource-rich region. The veiled warning came at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and on the eve of major war games between Russia and China. The SCO was created
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
