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Sanctions against Iran’s central bank may bring about global economic repercussions

What Happened to Obama’s Nuclear Option? In a showdown over how to deal with Iran, it appears that the president has bowed to Congress. Mother Jones. By Hamed Aleaziz  Dec. 16, 2011 Now that the essential Defense Authorization Bill has
passed through the House and Senate, it carries with it a hard-line amendment that would level sanctions against Iran’s central bank. The policy, experts say, could not only inflict pain on Iran for its nuclear weapons ambitions, but also potentially cause global economic
repercussions. The White House has been against the amendment. Congress overwhelmingly voted for it.

If signed into law by President Obama, the new sanctions will be enforced against foreign institutions in Europe and around the world that do business with the Central Bank of Iran. Continue reading →

December 16, 2011 Posted by | Iran, politics, politics international, USA | Leave a comment

USA crashed drone was spying on Iran’s nuclear sites

Crashed drone was looking at Iran nuclear sites CNN By Tim Lister, with reporting by Kathleen Johnston and Pam Benson, 15 Dec 11 The Sentinel drone that crashed in Iran last week was on a surveillance mission of suspected nuclear sites in the country, U.S. military officials tell CNN.

Previously, U.S. and NATO officials had said the drone was on a mission to patrol the Afghan-Iran border and had veered off course. Continue reading →

December 16, 2011 Posted by | Iran, secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

The world might have to learn to live with a nuclear Iran

Iran’s strategic environment is such that it makes the decision by Iran’s policy makers to acquire nuclear weapons appear rational both to themselves and to the wider Iranian public.
Can the world live with a near-nuclear Iran?, By Mohammed Ayoob,  December 14, 2011 — (CNN) –– Some analysts have attributed the recent downing of a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel high-altitude reconnaissance drone in Iran to that nation’s increasingly sophisticated capability to
launch cyber attacks. Others have dismissed the idea that Iran was capable of bringing down an RQ-170, arguing that Iranian air defenses do not have the capability to track an aircraft with radar-evadingtechnology.

Either way, the incident clearly demonstrates American concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear capacity, as the drone was likely sent over Iranian territory to spy on its nuclear program.

I find the argument that Iran is engaged in developing a nuclear weapons program credible. I am also convinced that Iran will not test a device, but rather will acquire the capability to produce a weapon quickly if its strategic environment deteriorates to such an extent
that it feels it must.

I am further convinced that an Israeli or American strike or strikes against its nuclear facilities would put Iran’s nuclear program back by a few years but would not be able to terminate it. In fact, such strikes would provide Tehran with the legitimacy to go ahead and
acquire nuclear weapons capability in full view of the world and with international sympathy.

It is time for world leaders to recognize the inevitability of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons capability, even if it remains untested, with Tehran following the policy and adopting the rhetoric of deliberate ambiguity. Continue reading →

December 15, 2011 Posted by | Iran, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Nuclear sabotage likely, as Iran suffers third explosion

Third explosion fuels talk of nuclear sabotage, N.Z. Herald, By Abraham Rabinovich  Dec 14, 2011 Another mysterious explosion in Iran this week, the third in a month, has stirred speculation that a mysterious hand was once again striking at Iran’s nuclear programme.

The blast on Sunday occurred at a steel plant in the city of Yazd, killing seven people and seriously wounding 12 others. A number of the victims were foreigners, according to Iranian officials….
Ron Ben-Ishai, an Israeli military analyst, wrote yesterday in the newspaper Yediot Achronot that the explosion might have been a simple accident, but in view of the other recent explosions “it is hard toreject the possibility that this was intentional sabotage”.

Ben-Ishai noted that Sunday’s blast had happened at a time not usually considered a work hour and that the mention of foreigners among the dead could have been a reference to North Korean experts who had come to train Iranians in processing the steel.

Ben-Ishai suggested that sophisticated American unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as the one which fell into Iranian hands last week, might be closely tracking all aspects of the Iranian nuclear programme, including this.

A huge explosion at a missile testing base near Tehran on November 12 killed 17 people, including the general heading Iran’s missile
programme….http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10773027

December 14, 2011 Posted by | Iran, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Iran will not build a nuclear bomb says United Arab Emirates leader

(Video) Emirates leader discounts fear of Iranian bomb By the CNN Wire Staff December 6, 2011 – Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — A leader of the United Arab Emirates discounted concerns about a nuclear-armed Iran in a CNN interview Monday, saying Tehran would find the ultimate weapon to be of little use.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Emirates’ prime minister and vice president, told CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront” that he did not believe Iran would build a bomb.

“What can Iran do with a nuclear weapon?” Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, asked. “For example, will they hit Israel? How many Palestinians will die? And you think if Iran hits Israel, their cities will be safe? They will be gone the next day.”

Tehran has long insisted that its development of nuclear technology is strictly peaceful, aimed at producing civilian electricity. But it has refused international demands to halt its production of enriched uranium, bringing it under increasing sanctions in recent years. And the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency reported in November that it has credible information that Iran has carried out work toward developing a nuclear bomb.

The UAE lies just across the mouth of the Persian Gulf from Iran, with barely 80 kilometers (50 miles) separating the two nations.

“Iran is our neighbor,” Al Maktoum said. “They are Muslim, and we lived next to each other for thousands and thousands of years. I don’t believe that Iran will develop a nuclear weapon.” http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/05/world/meast/iran-nuclear-uae/index.html?iref=allsearch

December 9, 2011 Posted by | Iran, MIDDLE EAST, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Iranian people are frightened of military strike, nuclear disaster

Fear, speculation in Iran over military strike, By Parisa Hafezi and Hashem Kalantari TEHRAN   Dec 8, 2011 (Reuters) – The threat of military strikes on Iran has upturned the quiet and comfortable lives once enjoyed by many Iranians, ushering in a new era of struggle and fear.

Like many Iranians, Maryam Sofi says the West and Iran are locked in a dangerous game. “I don’t think we can know just yet if war will break out, but I am concerned for my family and my country,” says university teacher Sofi, 42, a mother of two.

“I cannot sleep at night, thinking about destruction and bloodshed if Israel and America attack Iran.”

The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities Continue reading →

December 9, 2011 Posted by | Iran, psychology - mental health | Leave a comment

USA drone downed by Iran?

Iranians claim to down US drone, BBC News, 4 Dec 11 Iran’s armed forces have shot down an unmanned US spy plane that violated its eastern borders, military sources say.

Iranian media reports said the drone – identified as a type RQ170 – suffered minimal damage and was now in the hands of the armed forces.

The Nato-led Isaf force in neighbouring Afghanistan says the US drone could be one that was lost over western Afghanistan last week…. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16024605

December 5, 2011 Posted by | Iran, weapons and war | 1 Comment

Deliberate explosion damaged Iran’s uranium enrichment facility

‘Blast in Iran struck uranium enrichment facility’, By JPOST.COM STAFF AND YAAKOV KATZ, 11/30/2011  Satellite imagery confirms Isfahan facility rocked by blast was a
nuclear facility, ‘The Times’ reports, citing Israeli intel officials. Satellite imagery “clearly showing billowing smoke and destruction” has proven that an explosion Monday damaged a nuclear facility in the Iranian city of Ifsahan, according to aWednesday Times of London
report .

The report quoted Israeli intelligence officials as saying that there was “no doubt” that the blast damaged a uranium enrichment site, and asserted that it was “no accident.”
Officials from Isfahan have been denying that the city had been hit by an explosion. …http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=247560

December 1, 2011 Posted by | incidents, Iran | Leave a comment

Sabotage, assassinations, cyber attacks on Iran’s nuclear program

Iran Nuclear Sabotage Suspected After Reports of Blasts at Atomic Centers, Bloomberg, By Ladane Nasseri – Nov 28, 2011  Reports of a blast in the province of Isfahan, home to one of Iran’s atomic facilities, adds to a series of unexplained incidents that have raised suspicions of sabotage against the country’s nuclear program. Continue reading →

November 30, 2011 Posted by | Iran, safety, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Explosion near Isfahan, in Iran, possibly near nuclear centre

Blast near Iran nuclear facility Gulf Daily News, , November 29, 2011
TEHRAN: The sound of an apparent explosion was heard from Iran’s Isfahan city yesterday, Gholamreza Ansari, the head of the judiciary in the province said. An important Iranian nuclear facility involved in processing uranium is located near the city, although Iranian media reports did not say whether the explosion was near the nuclear centre. International Atomic Energy Agency spokeswoman Gill Tudor said the UN watchdog was aware of the reports but had no further information.

Iranian media provided contradictory information about the incident, which came less that three weeks after a massive explosion at a military base near Tehran that killed more than a dozen members of the Revolutionary Guard including the head of its missile forces…. http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=318693

November 29, 2011 Posted by | incidents, Iran | Leave a comment

Iran warns it will retaliate on NATO bases if attacked by U.S. or Israel

Iran threatens to bomb Turkey if U.S. or Israel attacks its nuclear installations, By DAILY MAIL REPORTER, 28th November 2011 Iran will bomb Turkey if the U.S. or Israel tries to destroy its nuclear installations, a senior military commander warned today. Continue reading →

November 28, 2011 Posted by | Iran, weapons and war | Leave a comment

A nuclear Iran is likely and acceptable to the world

World will accept Nuclear Iran, says Israeli economist Times of India  Nov 25, 2011, JERUSALEM: A leading Israeli investment firm today said the world is likely to grudgingly accept a nuclear Iran given the high price any military strike on its nuclear facilities is going to exact.

“A sharp rise in the price of oil, the costs of war and the damage to global trade would be too great and deter world powers from taking any serious action,” Amir Kahanovich, chief economist at Clal Finance, one of Israel’s largest brokerage houses, said.

This assessment is in sharp contrast to Israel’s stated official position that Tehran’s nuclear aspirations are unacceptable and that all options are on the table to foil the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions.

In a report titled ‘The Iranian Issue through Economic Eyes’, Kahanovich laid out different courses of action, ranging from additional “light sanctions” to military strikes, and told investors that the world is likely to balk at taking the steps needed to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the Ha’aretz newspaper reported.

Even for Israel the economic cost of a military confrontation that could include retaliatory missile attacks by Tehran and proxies in Gaza and Lebanon would be too high, he predicted.

“Unfortunately, it appears that a nuclear Iran is the most reasonable scenario,” the economist inferred.  His remarks came after President Shimon Peres said earlier this month that an attack on Iran was becoming increasingly more likely.

November 27, 2011 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Iran and Kuwait – the double standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

It would be hard to find a more volatile place [than Kuwait] to build a nuclear installation. Oh, and the land is low lying and subject to silting and shifting.

Nuclear Madness: Iran, Kuwait or the IAEA?, Morning Star,  25 November 2011, by Felicity Arbuthnot As the sabre-rattling against Iran becomes more deafening – with threats of potentially creating a few Chenobyls or a Fukushima by bombing working nuclear power plants – another potential nuclear madness is planned.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) appears to be behaving in a partisan and shameless way regarding Iran, much as it did with Iraq.

With Iraq, accusations abounded that the inspection teams were more about spying than neutral observation. “The way back to the UN was via Tel Aviv,” one former inspector memorably remarked.

Gareth Porter has meticulously and comprehensively trashed the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) latest report on Iran, showing disturbing parallels with the tragic Iraq fiasco. Continue reading →

November 27, 2011 Posted by | Iran, politics international, United Arab Emirates | Leave a comment

Iran is ‘the most threatened country in the world’

few observers believe Iran would dare attack Israel, a suicidal move if ever there was one. And it’s why Israel grasps at excuses to preemptively attack Iran, a far more plausible scenario than an Iranian attack on Israel.

 …Iran is the most threatened country in the world….

Why everybody except Iran can have nuclear weapons, GERALD CAPLAN, Globe and Mail , Nov. 25, 2011 It is deeply regrettable that Iran may one day join the not-so-exclusive club of nations that possess nuclear weapons. It is a potential danger the world doesn’t need. If you’ll forgive an outburst of preposterous idealism, it would be kind of neat to have a world with no nuclear arms whatsoever.

But for the life of me I don’t see how the world convinces Iran it’s not entitled to such weapons when Pakistan, North Korea, Russia, India, China, the United States, France, Britain and Israel all have them. Continue reading →

November 27, 2011 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Agents of USA and Israel targeting Iran’s military and nuclear programs

Although the US Embassy in Beirut initially said there was no substance to the accusations, the Associated Press reports that American officials later conceded that Nasrallah had been telling the truth.
Iran arrests 12 ‘CIA spies’ for targeting nuclear plans BBC News, 24 November 2011 Iran has arrested 12 spies of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the official IRNA news agency reports. Parviz Sorouri, an influential lawmaker, said the agents were targeting Iran’s military and its nuclear programme.

He said they were operating in co-ordination with Israel’s Mossad and other regional agencies…… Mr Sorouri, a member of the powerful National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, did not give the nationality of the alleged agents, nor when they were arrested. Continue reading →

November 25, 2011 Posted by | Iran, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

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