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Iran ’roundup’

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Bush authorizes killing of Iranian agents in Iraq
“The president has made clear for sometime that we will take the steps necessary to protect Americans on the ground in Iraq and disrupt activity that could lead to their harm.” 

Israel raises nuclear stakes with Iran
Israeli military officials warned this week that Israel – acting alone or in coordination with the US – could launch preemptive military strikes against Iran before the end of this year.  

Iran to Launch Space Satellite
Iran has converted one of its most powerful ballistic missiles into a satellite launch vehicle. The 30-ton rocket could also be a wolf in sheep’s clothing for testing longer-range missile strike technologies…

Bush denies preparing an attack against Iran
But the US president’s relatively emollient comments are unlikely to quell speculation about the reasons behind the recent escalation of White House rhetoric towards Iran.

A hidden history: Administration’s move towards Iran strike dates back six years

The escalation of US military planning on Iran is only the latest chess move in a six-year push within the Bush Administration to attack Iran, a RAW STORY investigation has found.

While Iran was named a part of President George W. Bush’s “axis of evil” in 2002, efforts to ignite a confrontation with Iran date back long before the post-9/11 war on terror. Presently, the Administration is trumpeting claims that Iran is closer to a nuclear weapon than the CIA’s own analysis shows and positing Iranian influence in Iraq’s insurgency, but efforts to destabilize Iran have been conducted covertly for years, often using members of Congress or non-government actors in a way reminiscent of the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal.

[read the whole article at RawStory]

US furious over Moscow’s sale of antiaircraft missile system to Tehran

Iranian officials said Wednesday that they had received a delivery of advanced Russian air defense systems that are designed to protect its nuclear facilities at Isfahan, Bushehr, Tehran, and eastern Iran from attack, primarily from Israeli or American aircraft. The Associated Press reports that the arrival of the sophisticated systems came just before Iran began three days of military war gaming.

The response from the United States was almost immediate in the wake of the transaction. MosNews reports that Wednesday afternoon US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that the delivery of the Tor-M1 missile system may cause the US to impose new sanctions against Russia, especially since the US had already harshly criticized the contract and “had urged the Kremlin to terminate it.”

[CSMonitor]

N Korea helping Iran with nuclear testing

North Korea is helping Iran to prepare an underground nuclear test similar to the one Pyongyang carried out last year.

Under the terms of a new understanding between the two countries, the North Koreans have agreed to share all the data and information they received from their successful test last October with Teheran’s nuclear scientists.

A senior European defence official told The Daily Telegraph that North Korea had invited a team of Iranian nuclear scientists to study the results of last October’s underground test to assist Teheran’s preparations to conduct its own — possibly by the end of this year.

There were unconfirmed reports at the time of the Korean firing that an Iranian team was present. Iranian military advisers regularly visit North Korea to participate in missile tests.

Intelligence estimates vary about how long it could take Teheran to produce a nuclear warhead. But defence officials monitoring the growing co-operation between North Korea and Iran believe the Iranians could be in a position to test fire a low-grade device — less than half a kiloton — within 12 months.

via::Telegraph(UK)

U.S. warns Iran to back down, Deploys second carrier group

Nicholas Burns, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, ruled out direct negotiations with Iran and said a rapprochement between Washington and Tehran was “not possible” until Iran halts uranium enrichment.

“The Middle East isn’t a region to be dominated by Iran. The Gulf isn’t a body of water to be controlled by Iran. That’s why we’ve seen the United States station two carrier battle groups in the region,” Burns said in an address to the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center, an influential think-tank.

“Iran is going to have to understand that the United States will protect its interests if Iran seeks to confront us,” Burns continued.

via::AP/Yahoo!

Hezbollah-led Protesters Paralyze Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Hezbollah-led protesters paralyzed Lebanon Tuesday by burning tires and cars on major thoroughfares in and around the capital to enforce a general strike that aims to topple the government.

“The opposition is attempting a coup by force … This is not a strike. This is military action, a true aggression and I’m afraid this could develop into clashes between citizens,” a Lebanese cabinent Minister told Al-Arabiya

via::AP/Yahoo!News

Czech gov’t wants to be part of US missile shield; Russia sees move as a threat

The Czech government has announced that it wants to host a large US military site for the Pentagon’s much-criticised missile shield system, confirming for the first time that Washington had asked Prague for permission to build a radar site for the national missile defence programme.

Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolanek referred only to a radar site, a strong indication that the Pentagon is hoping to locate the bigger part of the European project – a large missile interceptor silo that would theoretically fire off rockets to destroy incoming missiles – in neighbouring Poland.

The US has been quietly negotiating with the Czechs and the Poles for four years, while scouting Poland and areas east of the Czech capital, Prague, for suitable missile defence sites. Both centre-right governments in Prague and Warsaw are pro-American.

Lt Gen Vladimir Popovkin, commander of Russia’s space forces, said Moscow would interpret the move as a military threat; “Our analysis shows that the deployment of a radar station in the Czech Republic and a counter-missile position in Poland are an obvious threat to us…”It is very doubtful that elements of the national US missile defence system in eastern Europe were aimed at Iranian missiles, as has been stated.”

via::The Guardian (UK)

see also, “Missile Shield Threatens Russia” (BBC)

Washington ‘snubbed Iran offer’

“Iran offered the US a package of concessions in 2003, but it was rejected, a senior former US official has told the BBC’s Newsnight programme.

Tehran proposed ending support for Lebanese and Palestinian militant groups and helping to stabilise Iraq following the US-led invasion.

Offers, including making its nuclear programme more transparent, were conditional on the US ending hostility.

But Vice-President Dick Cheney’s office rejected the plan, the official said.”

via: BBC/RawStory

US condemns China satellite-killer test

The United States, Australia and Canada have expressed concern to China over Beijing’s successful test in space last week of a satellite-killing weapon, the White House said.
The official confirmed a report in Aviation Week magazine that US spy agencies have concluded that China conducted a successful test of a satellite-killing weapon on January 11, knocking out an aging Chinese weather satellite with a “kinetic kill vehicle” launched on board a ballistic missile.

The impact occurred at more than 500 miles (800 kilometers) above Earth.

via AFP

Wait a second, isn’t the US doing the same thing?

Also see: An Introduction to Space Weapons

UPDATE: Japan, Britain join concern over Chinese Missile Test (washingtonpost)

Saudi Arabia supports ‘surge’ – considers sending troops to Iraq

Saudi Arabia believes the Iraqi government is not up to the challenge and has told the United States that it is prepared to move its own forces into Iraq should the violence there degenerate into chaos, a senior U.S. official told NBC News on Tuesday…

The Saudi government has signaled in the past that it would oppose an early withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, fearing it would leave minority Sunni Muslims at the mercy of Shiite Muslim militias.

via MSNBC

Related:

Is Iran driving the New Saudi Diplomacy? (CSMonitor)

Iraq Punditry: Getting Rich by being Wrong vs. Right but Poor

“Surely those who warned us not to invade Iraq have been recognized and rewarded, and those who pushed for this disaster face tattered credibility and waning career prospects. Could it be any other way in America?

So we selected the four pundits who were in our judgment the most influentially and disturbingly misguided in their pro-war arguments and the four who were most prescient and forceful in their opposition.  Then we did a career check … and found that something is rotten in the fourth estate.”

A long overdue look at the pre-war statements of:

Tom Friedman
Peter Beinart
Fareed Zakaria
Jeffrey Goldberg
Robert Scheer
William S. Lind
Jonathan Schell
Scott Ritter

Article via RadarOnline.com