By Christopher Torchia Parliament authorized the government Wednesday to carry out a cross-border attack on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, approving an offensive that would put Turkey at odds with the U.S. There was no sign of an imminent invasion. Washington and Iraq have pressured Ankara to show restraint and Turkish leaders signaled that they would not immediately give the order to send in the 60,000 troops, armor and attack
(PRESS-TV) – The US plans to build an air base in northern Lebanon, in an area which borders Syria and is hardly 140 km from Damascus, sources say. The American air base will also be located 22 air miles (40 km) from Tartous, Syria’s main naval base and the Russian Mediterranean fleet’s command center. “According to US plan six military bases will be set up, three in Iraq, one in
(Al-Manar TV) — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in Ankara on Wednesday that Damascus would back a possible Turkish incursion into northern Iraq to crack down “against terrorist activities” there. “We support the decisions the Turkish government has put on its agenda against terrorism and terrorist activities,” Assad told reporters after talks with Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul. “We see this as Turkey’s legitimate right,” he said. He was speaking shortly
(PRESS TV) — Israeli War Minister Ehud Barak and his US counterpart Robert Gates have discussed Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West in the Pentagon. The talks, which took place on Tuesday, were mainly focused on the Iranian nuclear issue. Barak’s office confirmed that the minister had spoken with Gates about the necessity of a multilayered missile defense system for Israel. The two were joined by senior officials for the
Russia’s lower house of parliament has called on Turkey not to launch a cross-border offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. Issuing a resolution on Tuesday the Russian lawmakers have called the US invasion of Iraq “gross violation of international law. AP reported that in their resolution, lawmakers in the State Duma – which is dominated by the Kremlin-backed party United Russia – said the 2003 invasion had “inflicted irreparable
Leadership Void By Cindy Sheehan “They are advocates. We are leaders.”House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in regards to “Anti-war activists.” People of America, this is truly the problem with what was once a Representative Republic and now is a country run by “elected” officials who believe that they, individually and collectively, are above any accountability and are not answerable to their constituents. Our public servants erroneously believe that they are the
by Jeremy Brecher & Brendan Smith Sometimes history–and necessity–make strange bedfellows. The German general staff transported Lenin to Russia to lead a revolution. Union-buster Ronald Reagan played godfather to the birth of the Polish Solidarity union. Equally strange–but perhaps equally necessary–is the addressee of a new appeal signed by Daniel Ellsberg, Cindy Sheehan, Ann Wright and many other leaders of the American peace movement: “ATTENTION: Joint Chiefs of Staff and
by Scott Ritter Iran has never manifested itself as a serious threat to the national security of the United States, or by extension as a security threat to global security. At the height of Iran’s “exportation of the Islamic Revolution” phase, in the mid-1980’s, the Islamic Republic demonstrated a less-than-impressive ability to project its power beyond the immediate borders of Iran, and even then this projection was limited to war-torn
By Webster Tarpley Supporters of the August 26 Kennebunkport Warning welcome the statement issued by David Swanson entitled ” Leading Americans Ask U.S. Military to Refuse Orders to Attack Iran, (http://www.dontattackiran.org) and signed by a group of well-known personalities. The massive evidence of this danger which existed at the end of August has become still more massive over the past five weeks, and we are glad that these signers have
by General Fabio Mini Anyone who thought that the green light for the Israeli-American attack against Iran would come from the American Congress, was wrong. Equally wrong were those who thought that a president like Bush, so frustrated by the Iraqi chaos, the Afghan deadlock and the industrial lobbies’ pressures, would wind up making the decision on his own. The attack against Iran will take place thanks to the newly-appointed
“It Doesn’t Get Any Worse Than That, Ray” By William Cook Ray Suarez (PBS News Hour Reporter, October 2, 2007): “You’re saying that the national legislature of this country, rather than doing the will of the citizens of the United States, passed that Iran resolution, sanctioning the Republican Guard, because of the American-Israeli Political Action Committee?” Mike Gravel (Democratic Presidential Candidate): “Wait a second. They’ll (sic) be some information coming
By Andrew Gray Iraq’s national security adviser said on Friday he strongly opposed any military attack on Iran and, in contrast to the Bush administration’s policy, said the option should not even be considered. “Attacking Iran? I say a big fat no. It’s a fatal mistake,” Mowaffak al-Rubaie said. “It should never be an option at all.” The United States accuses Iran of using its nuclear program to develop atomic
LONDON, — Iran will help the US stabilize Iraq if Washington sets out a timetable for withdrawing its troops, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator says.Ali Larijani told Britain’s Financial Times newspaper that if the Americans “have a clear definition of a timetable we’ll help them materialize it“, Alalam.ir reported.Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, added that US failures in Iraq should deter the Bush government from considering any
TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- We all support the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), former Iranian Parliament Speaker Mehdi Karroubi said, underlining solidarity of Iran’s left and right camps against the US efforts to label the IRGC as a terrorist group. Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, the secretary general of the leftist E’temad Melli (National Trust) Party underlined Iranians’ national solidarity in the face of enemy threats despite the existing
DEBKAfile reports (caveat emptor!): DEBKAfile’s military sources report the package, discussed by US Pentagon and Israel defense ministry officials, aims at replenishing the seriously depleted Israel Air Force stocks of missiles, bombs and fuel to their level prior to the 2006 Lebanon war, ready for any potential war contingency. Some of these items will be delivered shortly; others over a five-year period. They include thousands of missiles, tens of thousands
Seymour Hersh was interviewed today by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez on DemocracyNow! JUAN GONZALEZ: The Bush administration is approaching its last year in the White House. As the clock ticks toward 2008, speculation grows over whether President Bush and Vice President Cheney will indeed launch a widely feared attack on Iran. The latest report from the investigative journalist Seymour Hersh says war planning is intensifying. Writing in the New
By Simon Walters Britsh MPs visiting the Pentagon to discuss America’s stance on Iran and Iraq were shocked to be told by one of President Bush’s senior women officials: “I hate all Iranians.” And she also accused Britain of “dismantling” the Anglo-US-led coalition in Iraq by pulling troops out of Basra too soon. The all-party group of MPs say Debra Cagan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Coalition Affairs to Defence Secretary
Actually, while Hersh reported that Bush does not give a rat’s ass about what will happen to the GOP at the next elections, it would have been more to the point to say that the Neocons do not give a rat’s ass. The reason is simple: since they equally control both factions of the War Party or, as Mumia Abu-Jamal calls it, the two factions of the “Republicrat Party” it
The Jerusalem Post reports that Iran threatened Monday to attack some 170 American targets in the Middle East and around the world if it is attacked by Israel or the US, Israel Radio reported. A high-ranking officer from the country’s Revolutionary Guards told the force’s official journal, The Guards, that Teheran succeeded, after extended and comprehensive work, to identify hundreds of strategic American targets in the Middle East and around
by Chris Weigant There’s a raging debate within the Bush administration, the punditocracy, and the blogosphere about whether or not it is time to bomb Iran. While this conversation scares small children (and other sane people), most of the focus has been on (1) whether President… oh, excuse me… Vice President Cheney truly is moonbat-crazy enough to do so, and (2) whether anyone else in America (including the military) would
