Murder of nuclear scientist has enraged Iranians and their religious leaders
Anti-US Chants as Slain Iran Nuclear Expert Buried, abc News, By ALI AKBAR DAREINI TEHRAN, Iran January 13, 2012 (AP) Thousands of mourners chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” on Friday during the funeral of a slain nuclear expert whom Iranian
officials accuse the two nations of killing in a bomb blast this week as part of a secret operation to stop Iran’s nuclear program. Continue reading
A bunker buster bomb on Iran’s nuclear site – not the answer
military action against Iran’s nuclear work would be their last and worst option. Not only would this risk civilian casualties, but Iran would seek to retaliate against Western targets in the region, raising the risk of a regional war and risking global economic turmoil.
A strike, furthermore, would only delay, not destroy, an Iranian nuclear program whose known sites are widely dispersed and fortified against attack….
Iran nuclear sites may be beyond reach of “bunker busters”, LONDON Jan 12, 2012 (Reuters) – With its nuclear program beset as never before by sanctions, sabotage and assassination, Iran must now make a new addition to its list of concerns:
One of the biggest conventional bombs ever built. Boeing’s 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), an ultra-large bunker buster for use on underground targets, with Iran routinely mentioned as its most likely intended destination, is a key element in the implicit U.S. threat to use force as a last resort against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The behemoth, carrying more than 5,300 pounds of explosive, was delivered with minimal fanfare to Whiteman U.S. Air Force Base, Missouri in September. It is designed for delivery by B-2 Stealth bombers. Continue reading
Ahmadinejad points out that Iran has done nothing wrong
Ahmadinejad says Iran has done nothing wrong By Jeff Franks, HAVANA | Wed Jan 11, 2012 (Reuters) – Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flashed the victory sign and said Iran had done nothing to warrant enmity from its enemies after he arrived in Cuba on Wednesday amid heightened international tensions.
He said nothing about the bomb attack that killed an Iranian nuclear scientist in Tehran earlier in the day, which his government blamed on Israel and the United States, the leaders of international opposition to Iran’s nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad was to meet with President Raul Castro later, but shortly after arrival in the Cuban capital he told students in veiled remarks at the University of Havana that Iran was being “punished” for no good reason.
“Have we assaulted someone? Have we wanted more than we should have? Never, never. We have only asked to speak about and establish justice,” Ahmadinejad said……
USA-North Korea – food in exchange for nuclear shutdown?
North Korea says US offered food for nuclear shutdown, Business Recorder, JANUARY 12, 2012 North Korea said Wednesday that the United States had offered food aid and a suspension of sanctions if it halted its uranium enrichment programme.
The comments by a foreign ministry spokesman to Pyongyang’s official news agency were the first by the North on the issue.
Before the sudden death of the North’s leader Kim Jong-Il on December 17, there were several media reports that such an agreement was imminent.
At talks in July last year, Washington “proposed to take confidence-building steps such as suspension of sanctions, as well as food aid” in return for a “temporary suspension” of uranium enrichment, the North’s spokesman said.
Experts say the uranium programme disclosed in November 2010 could give the communist state a second way to make nuclear weapons. The disclosure spurred efforts to revive stalled six-party nuclear disarmament negotiations. http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/single/599/172/1141775/
Threats make Iran more anxious to have nuclear weapons
The ultimate irony, of course, is that the more the West tries to punish Iran for pursuing
nuclear weapons, the more they prove to the Iranian leadership the necessity of acquiring them.
A nuclear-armed state doesn’t get pushed around by bigger bullies,
Standoff Over Iran’s Oil and Nuclear Program Isn’t Going Away, Atlantic Wire, DASHIELL BENNETT 6 Jan 12, Iran promises more military action in the Strait of Hormuz, as western
nations try turn up the economic pressure in an attempt to stop the country’s nuclear program. After the Iranians conducted 10 days of drills near the all-important entrance to the Persian Gulf and threatened to close the Strait altogether if the U.S. and Europe impose more oil sanctions … Europe and the U.S. decided to consider more sanctions.
So Iranian naval officials announced a new set of war games that would take place in February. Meanwhile, Israel is talking about having its own missile defense exercise and the European Union is openly talking about a near total ban on Iranian oil imports, ratcheting up tensions instead of deflating them. Continue reading
Iran’s latest nuclear claim does not mean it is closer to the bomb
Analysis: Nuclear fuel test won’t hasten Iran bomb: experts By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA Jan 4, 2012 (Reuters) – Iran’s latest claim of a breakthrough in its nuclear program seems unlikely to bring it any closer to having atomic bombs soon, but serves rather as another defiant message to the West. This week’s announcement that Iran has successfully made and tested fuel rods for use in nuclear power plants appeared designed to show that sanctions are failing to halt its technical advances and to strengthen its hand in any renewed negotiations with the major powers.
Spent fuel can be reprocessed to make plutonium, potential bomb material, but Western worries about Iran’s nuclear program are focused on its enrichment of uranium, which can also provide the core of nuclear weapons if refined much more.
“The (fuel rod) development itself doesn’t put them any closer to producing weapons,” said Peter Crail of the Arms Control Association, a U.S.-based research and advocacy group.
It could be a way of telling Tehran’s foes that time is running out if they want to revive an atomic fuel swap deal that collapsed two years ago but is still seen by some experts as offering the best chance to start building badly needed trust.
Diplomats believe Iran has in the past overstated its nuclear progress to gain leverage in its standoff with Western capitals, and the testing of domestically made fuel does not mean the country is about to start using it to run reactors…….. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/04/us-nuclear-iran-fuel-idUSTRE8030ND20120104
Obama govt doing a balancing act with sanctions on Iran
Sanctions against Iran a balancing act for U.S. FINANCIAL POST, Reuters Jan 2, 2012 By Andrew Quinn WASHINGTON – The United States has armed itself with some of the toughest sanctions yet targeting Iran but must carefully assess how to avoid catching energy-importing allies such as Japan, South Korea and India in the crossfire.
President Barack Obama signed the law on Saturday imposing sanctions on financial institutions that deal with Iran’s central bank, the main clearinghouse through which OPEC’s No. 2 oil exporter deals with clients around the world. Continue reading
Reuters reports on diplomatic dance – USA and Iran on nuclear development
However, Obama asked for scope to apply the measures flexibly, and will have discretion to waive penalties. Senior U.S. officials said Washington was consulting foreign partners to ensure the new measures did not harm global energy markets.
Despite its missile tests, war games and threats to close the Hormuz Strait, Iran has also made conciliatory gestures, saying it wants to resume talks with major powers, stalled for a year, about its nuclear research programme…..
Iran reports nuclear progress as sanctions loom Jan 1, 2012
* Missile test and fuel rod breakthrough challenge West
* Obama signs sanctions targeting Iran’s oil exports
* Tehran offers fresh nuclear talks in letter to EU
By Parisa Hafezi TEHRAN, Jan 1 (Reuters) – – Iran announced a nuclear fuel breakthrough and test-fired a new radar-evading medium-range missile in the Gulf on Sunday, moves that could further antagonise the West at a time when Tehran is trying to avert harsh new sanctions on its oil industry. Continue reading
Sanctions and diplomacy a much wiser action than attacking Iran
open nuclear war between Israel and Iran is very unlikely. Israel knows that the consequences would be grave and in Iran’s case, the regime knows that it would result in their demise.
Iraq’s fledgling democracy is also likely to be negatively affected by war with Iran. And Saudi Arabia is also likely to be targeted, too. Syria may need to crackdown even more repressively on its internal protesters in order to support Iran.
there is no guarantee that an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites would eliminate all of Iran’s nuclear sites,
war with Iran is likely going to unite the people behind an unpopular government. This should be avoided.
The Standoff With Iran: Challenges and Options, Huffington Post, PAUL HEROUX , 31 Dec 11 War is said to be the result of political failure. The tense standoff with Iran is heating up again since Iran has threatened to shot down the 34-mile-wide Strait of Hormuz. 15 million barrels of oil are shipped through the Strait every day, which makes up about 1/3 of the world’s sea shipped oil. Continue reading
Iran ready for diplomatic solution to nuclear question
With Israel and Washingtonkeeping open the possibility of pre-emptive strikes on Iran to stop it getting nuclear weapons, negotiations are a possible way of avoiding what analysts say would be military action that could inflame the Middle East.
‘Iran ready to renew nuclear talks with powers’ Jerusalem Post, 12/30/2011 Iranian FM Salehi says Tehran prepared to reenter negotiations with P5+1 nations based on Russian “step by step” plan.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said that the Islamic Republic is prepared to renew talks with the P5+1 group of world powers over its controversial nuclear program, the Tehran Times reported on Friday.
Speaking with Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zhai Jun in Tehran, Salehi said that Iran was prepared to reenter negotiations with the group made up of the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany based on the “step by step” plan proposed by Moscow in July. The plan calls for a gradual easing of sanctions against Iran in exchange for the Islamic Republic disclosing details about its nuclear program…..
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told US President Barack Obama in July of Moscow’s “step-by-step” approach under which Iran could address questions about its nuclear program and be rewarded with a gradual easing of sanctions.
Salehi’s comments came amid increased tensions between Iran and the West, particularly the United States. Iran has threatened to close shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf if the West imposes sanctions on its oil exports. The US Fifth Fleet responded on Wednesday that it would not allow any disruption of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a strip of water separating Oman and Iran.
Also on Thursday, the US announced that it will sell $29.4 billion in fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, in a deal the White House said would help reinforce regional security in the Gulf amid mounting tension with Iran. http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=251599
A military strike on Iran could be more catastrophic than accepting a nuclear Iran
The Gathering Storm: A pessimistic prognosis for 2012 A military attack on Iran, by either Israel or the U.S., might lead to no less catastrophic consequences than a nuclear-armed regime in Tehran. Haaretz, By Chemi Shalev, 30 Dec 11 “….. with Israel and Iran’s nuclear programs, it is a clear and present danger visible to all, discussed and dissected day
in and day out in newspapers, think tanks and intelligence forums throughout the world. Therefore, let’s dispense with looking back at 2011, and concentrate on the day of reckoning that will arrive, by all indications, over the course of 2012……..
Israel and the U.S. will soon be called upon to decide between a preemptive military strike and coming to terms with Iran as the world’s tenth nuclear power….. Continue reading
Conflict between Iran, USA, Israel unlikely, despite sabre rattling
Iran’s nuclear issue escalates, but unlikely into conflict, On Dec. 14, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a massive defense bill, which requests new sanctions on Iran, targeting foreign financial institutions that do business with the Islamic republic’s central bank. BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) –– Iran’s nuclear issue has escalated again recently with the West mulling sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank and its crude exports, but the seeming saber-rattling on the part of both sides is unlikely to evolve into an imminent conflict. Continue reading
Threat to cut off oil exports- Iran – if there are more sanctions over its nuclear development
Iran threatens to cut off oil exports if sanctions imposed over nuclear activity Reuters Dec 27, 2011 By Ramin Mostafavi TEHRAN — Iran threatened on Tuesday to stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz if foreign sanctions were imposed on its crude exports over its nuclear ambitions, a move that could trigger military conflict with economies dependent on Gulf oil.
Western tensions with Iran have increased since a November 8 report by the UN nuclear watchdog saying Tehran appears to have worked on designing an atomic bomb and may still be pursuing research to that end. Iran strongly denies this and says it is developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Iran has defiantly expanded nuclear activity despite four rounds of UN sanctions meted out since 2006 over its refusal to suspend sensitive uranium enrichment and open up to UN nuclear inspectors and investigators…..
Countries in the 27-member European Union take 450,000 barrels per day of Iranian oil, about 18 percent of the Islamic Republic’s exports, much of which go to China and India. EU officials declined to comment on Tuesday….. http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/27/iran-threatens-to-cut-off-oil-exports-if-sanctions-imposed-over-nuclear-activity/
The political realities of Iran and the nuclear issue
Concerns built around the fiery anti-western and anti-Israeli rhetoric of Ahmadinejad and his clerical contemporaries again seem to be purposefully ignoring the realities of political theatre,
US troops have been deployed along two of its major borders for more than a decade. Perhaps it is because, despite assisting coalition forces against the Taliban in 2001, Iran was singled out as one of the major targets of George W Bush’s infamous 2002 ‘Axis of Evil’ speech. Perhaps, with an unrivalled number of American-backed and led regime changes in the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa over the past 10 years, Tehran is getting even more wary of the impact of US exceptionalism in the region. Perhaps Tehran knows that, had Saddam actually possessed nuclear weapons in 2003 there is no way in hell the US would have pulled a blitzkrieg on Baghdad.
Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear arsenal makes perfect sense from a defensive and deterrence standpoint.
Stop worrying and learn to love the Iranian bomb, The Drum, Ben Rich 28 Dec 11, Prominent figures within the Israeli and US governments are beating the war drum over the issue of Iran’s progress towards nuclearisation. Regardless of whether or not Iran will actually seek to weaponise its nuclear program, the chances of it utilising WMDs for anything more than posturing remain next to zero.
Critics of Iran’s nuclear program loudly contend that Tehran is irrational and will not operate within the accepted nuclear paradigm of modern states. This claim is at best, obtuse conjecture, and in all likelihood, purposeful disinformation.
Iranian foreign policy has traditionally been cautious, and post-revolutionary Iran has never initiated a conventional conflict. Claims that Tehran’s willingness to engage in clandestine operations demonstrate an inherent irrationality and hold little credibility when held up against the plethora of other states, many of them Western, who engage in the same activities and are still considered wholly rational. Continue reading
Pakistani and Indian experts co-operate in nuclear weapons safety talks
Pakistan, India Call for Extending Agreement on Preventing Nuclear Accidents Voice of America, December 27th, 2011 Pakistan and India say officials from both sides have called for
extending an agreement on reducing the risk of nuclear accidents relating to their countries’ atomic weapon stockpiles. Pakistani and Indian government experts discussed nuclear confidence-building measures in Islamabad on Tuesday, the second day of a two-day dialogue between the nuclear-armed rivals. The talks are part of a peace process that resumed in February following a two-year break.
In a joint statement, Pakistan and India said the experts agreed to advise their foreign ministries to prolong the existing agreement on preventing nuclear weapon-related accidents by five years. The statement described the talks as “cordial” and “constructive.”
In Monday’s talks, Pakistan proposed that both sides relocate their heavy weaponry at least 30 kilometers away from the Line of Control, a de facto border that divides Pakistani- and Indian-controlled Kashmir. India made no immediate public response to the idea of demilitarizing the Line of Control….. http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/12/27/pakistan-india-call-for-extending-agreement-on-preventing-nuclear-accidents/
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