Mullen to Israel: Don't bomb Iran now
Mon, 25 May 2009 07:49:52 GMT
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Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen warns of serious unintended consequences of military strikes on Iran.
As Israel seeks to win Washington's support for waging war on Iran, the top US military officer warns of serious unintended consequences of military strikes on the country at the present time.
"I think the unintended consequence of a strike against Iran right now would be incredibly serious, as well as the unintended consequences of their achieving a weapon," Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a Sunday interview with ABC television.
The new government of Barack Obama says it wants to open dialogue with Iran to resolve the country's nuclear issue but has simultaneously followed in the Bush administration's footsteps by insisting that he will not take military options off the table in dealing with Iran.
Despite promising a new beginning with Iran Washington has threatened Tehran with 'very tough, crippling sanctions' if the US failed to obtain its desired results during the talks.
"That's why this engagement, dialogue is so important," Mullen added.
The US and Israel accuse Iran of seeking military objectives in its pursuit. Tehran -- a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - insists its nuclear program is aimed at civilian purposes and refuses to relinquish its 'inalienable' rights to achieve the nuclear know-how according to NPT regulations.
Mullen, however, claimed that Iran is clearly moving toward acquiring a nuclear weapons capability and stressed the United States 'would approach Iran with all options on the table.'
"So that would leave a pretty narrow space in which to achieve a successful dialogue and a successful outcome, which from my perspective means they don't end up with nuclear weapons," he said.
"Certainly from what I've seen in recent years, Iran is on a path to develop nuclear weapons," he said.
Mullen's remarks come after a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington. Israel, the possessor of the sole Middle East nuclear arsenal, seeks to portray Iran as a regime hell-bent on starting an imminent nuclear war.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=95 ... =351020104
Mullen to Israel: Don't bomb Iran now
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Mullen to Israel: Don't bomb Iran now
by insan » Tue May 26, 2009 2:22 am
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Iran tests new surface-to-surface missile Story Highlights
by insan » Tue May 26, 2009 2:38 am
Iran tests new surface-to-surface missile Story Highlights
Iran says it fired a Sajil missile, which uses solid fuel and travels long distances
Missiles have range that can reach Russia, Greece and southern Italy, Iran says
U.S. official: Iran looking to increase sophistication of its missile program
Israel: "It is now clear that the Iranians are playing with fire"
May 20, 2009 -- Updated 2114 GMT (0514 HKT)Next Article in World »
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran announced Wednesday that it successfully tested another "Sajil" missile, a surface-to-surface missile with a range that makes it capable of reaching parts of Europe.
Image purportedly shows the test launch of Iran's new Sajil surface-to-surface missile.
1 of 2 A similar test was carried out in November.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he understood Wednesday's test of the missile, with an approximate range of 1,200 miles, was successful.
State media reported that the missile, a Sajil-2, was launched Wednesday morning from the northern Iranian city of Semnan and reached its target. The report did not say where it landed.
The missile was test-fired successfully, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a group of residents in Semnan province, state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Ahmadinejad said the missile "met the predetermined target," according to the news agency.
Gates said he could not confirm that it had hit the intended target.
A White House official said the test is noteworthy.
"I think it is a significant technical development," said Gary Samore, special assistant to the president on nonproliferation, in a Washington speech Wednesday.
"Of course, this is just a test, and obviously there is much work to be done before it can be built and deployed. But I see it as a significant step forward in terms of Iran's capacity to deliver weapons," Samore said.
"And I think it actually helps us in terms of making a case to countries like Russia, which were skeptical in the past whether Iran actually poses a threat. This is a very clear demonstration that Iran is moving in the direction of longer-range missiles."
An Israeli official, meanwhile, said the test should be more of a concern to Europe than to Israel, since previous missiles tested by Iran could already reach the Jewish state.
"If anyone had any doubt, it is now clear that the Iranians are playing with fire," Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Wednesday in an interview on Kol Israel Radio. "We know that the Iranians are developing capabilities of thousands of kilometers, that could reach the coasts of the United States."
"The Iranian clock is ticking fast and it must be stopped," Ayalon said.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Obama "expressed ... his great concern, his continued concern, about Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons capability and nuclear weapons technology."
The Sajil is a new generation of surface-to-surface Iranian-made missiles that "demonstrates a significant leap in Iran's missile capabilities," Uzi Rubin, the former director of Israel's Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, told Jane's Information Group after the November test.
"Regardless of the success of the test, this missile places Iran in the realm of multiple-stage missiles, which means that they are on the way to having intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities," he said.
Sajil missiles are powered by solid fuel, which uses smaller containers and helps the rockets travel longer distances, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the semiofficial Fars News Agency.
Iran says the missiles have a range of almost 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles). If that is true, the missile brings Moscow, Russia, Athens, Greece, and southern Italy within striking distance from Iran, according to Jane's, which provides information on defense issues.
Gates said the missile was probably "on the low end of that range."
After the November launch, the United States restated its objection to such tests, saying they violate Iran's obligations under United Nations Security Council resolutions.
U.S. officials have cast doubt on the success of past missile test launches by Iran, including a rocket launch in August and a series of missile tests in July.
Wednesday's reported test comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. officials in Washington to discuss how to deal with the potential of a nuclear-armed Iran. He met Tuesday with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader John Boehner.
Obama, who met with Netanyahu on Monday, stuck by his refusal to commit to an "artificial deadline" for Iranian negotiations on its nuclear program. But he also warned that he would not allow such talks, which he expects to accelerate after the Iranian presidential election in June, to be used as an excuse for delay.
He said the United States is not "foreclosing a range of steps, including much stronger international sanctions, in assuring that Iran understands that we are serious."
Netanyahu wanted a time limit for negotiations relating to such ambitions, with the threat of military action if no resolution is reached.
Asked if the missile launch will dampen Obama's efforts to reach out diplomatically to Iran, Gibbs said, "The president and the prime minister [Netanyahu] both agreed on Monday that engaging the people and the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, something that hasn't been tried for the past many years, is something that makes sense."
Both Israel and the United States believe that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy program; Tehran denies the accusation. Israeli leaders have pointed to Ahmadinejad's calls for the end of Israel as a Jewish state, and argue that quick action is needed.
Netanyahu called Iran the biggest threat to peace in the region.
"If Iran were to acquire nuclear weapons, it could give a nuclear umbrella to terrorists, or worse, could actually give [them] nuclear weapons. And that would put us all in great peril," he said.
Obama is considered to have a more conciliatory approach to the Arab and Muslim world than Netanyahu.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast ... index.html
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Who will surrender? Israel or Iran? Or we will all surrender to ww3?
Iran says it fired a Sajil missile, which uses solid fuel and travels long distances
Missiles have range that can reach Russia, Greece and southern Italy, Iran says
U.S. official: Iran looking to increase sophistication of its missile program
Israel: "It is now clear that the Iranians are playing with fire"
May 20, 2009 -- Updated 2114 GMT (0514 HKT)Next Article in World »
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran announced Wednesday that it successfully tested another "Sajil" missile, a surface-to-surface missile with a range that makes it capable of reaching parts of Europe.
Image purportedly shows the test launch of Iran's new Sajil surface-to-surface missile.
1 of 2 A similar test was carried out in November.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he understood Wednesday's test of the missile, with an approximate range of 1,200 miles, was successful.
State media reported that the missile, a Sajil-2, was launched Wednesday morning from the northern Iranian city of Semnan and reached its target. The report did not say where it landed.
The missile was test-fired successfully, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a group of residents in Semnan province, state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Ahmadinejad said the missile "met the predetermined target," according to the news agency.
Gates said he could not confirm that it had hit the intended target.
A White House official said the test is noteworthy.
"I think it is a significant technical development," said Gary Samore, special assistant to the president on nonproliferation, in a Washington speech Wednesday.
"Of course, this is just a test, and obviously there is much work to be done before it can be built and deployed. But I see it as a significant step forward in terms of Iran's capacity to deliver weapons," Samore said.
"And I think it actually helps us in terms of making a case to countries like Russia, which were skeptical in the past whether Iran actually poses a threat. This is a very clear demonstration that Iran is moving in the direction of longer-range missiles."
An Israeli official, meanwhile, said the test should be more of a concern to Europe than to Israel, since previous missiles tested by Iran could already reach the Jewish state.
"If anyone had any doubt, it is now clear that the Iranians are playing with fire," Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Wednesday in an interview on Kol Israel Radio. "We know that the Iranians are developing capabilities of thousands of kilometers, that could reach the coasts of the United States."
"The Iranian clock is ticking fast and it must be stopped," Ayalon said.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Obama "expressed ... his great concern, his continued concern, about Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons capability and nuclear weapons technology."
The Sajil is a new generation of surface-to-surface Iranian-made missiles that "demonstrates a significant leap in Iran's missile capabilities," Uzi Rubin, the former director of Israel's Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, told Jane's Information Group after the November test.
"Regardless of the success of the test, this missile places Iran in the realm of multiple-stage missiles, which means that they are on the way to having intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities," he said.
Sajil missiles are powered by solid fuel, which uses smaller containers and helps the rockets travel longer distances, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the semiofficial Fars News Agency.
Iran says the missiles have a range of almost 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles). If that is true, the missile brings Moscow, Russia, Athens, Greece, and southern Italy within striking distance from Iran, according to Jane's, which provides information on defense issues.
Gates said the missile was probably "on the low end of that range."
After the November launch, the United States restated its objection to such tests, saying they violate Iran's obligations under United Nations Security Council resolutions.
U.S. officials have cast doubt on the success of past missile test launches by Iran, including a rocket launch in August and a series of missile tests in July.
Wednesday's reported test comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. officials in Washington to discuss how to deal with the potential of a nuclear-armed Iran. He met Tuesday with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader John Boehner.
Obama, who met with Netanyahu on Monday, stuck by his refusal to commit to an "artificial deadline" for Iranian negotiations on its nuclear program. But he also warned that he would not allow such talks, which he expects to accelerate after the Iranian presidential election in June, to be used as an excuse for delay.
He said the United States is not "foreclosing a range of steps, including much stronger international sanctions, in assuring that Iran understands that we are serious."
Netanyahu wanted a time limit for negotiations relating to such ambitions, with the threat of military action if no resolution is reached.
Asked if the missile launch will dampen Obama's efforts to reach out diplomatically to Iran, Gibbs said, "The president and the prime minister [Netanyahu] both agreed on Monday that engaging the people and the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, something that hasn't been tried for the past many years, is something that makes sense."
Both Israel and the United States believe that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy program; Tehran denies the accusation. Israeli leaders have pointed to Ahmadinejad's calls for the end of Israel as a Jewish state, and argue that quick action is needed.
Netanyahu called Iran the biggest threat to peace in the region.
"If Iran were to acquire nuclear weapons, it could give a nuclear umbrella to terrorists, or worse, could actually give [them] nuclear weapons. And that would put us all in great peril," he said.
Obama is considered to have a more conciliatory approach to the Arab and Muslim world than Netanyahu.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast ... index.html
---------------------------0000000000000000000000-----------------------
Who will surrender? Israel or Iran? Or we will all surrender to ww3?
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Venezuela and Bolivia are supplying Iran with uranium
by insan » Tue May 26, 2009 2:56 am
Last update - 22:58 25/05/2009
Secret document: Venezuela, Bolivia supplying Iran with uranium
By The Associated Press
Tags: Iran, venezuela, Israel news
Venezuela and Bolivia are supplying Iran with uranium for its nuclear program, according to a secret Israeli government report.
The two South American countries are known to have close ties with Iran, but this is the first allegation that they are involved in the development of Iran's nuclear program, considered a strategic threat by Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088087.html
Secret document: Venezuela, Bolivia supplying Iran with uranium
By The Associated Press
Tags: Iran, venezuela, Israel news
Venezuela and Bolivia are supplying Iran with uranium for its nuclear program, according to a secret Israeli government report.
The two South American countries are known to have close ties with Iran, but this is the first allegation that they are involved in the development of Iran's nuclear program, considered a strategic threat by Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088087.html
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insan - Main Contributor
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- Location: Somewhere in ur network. ;]
End of the road?
by insan » Tue May 26, 2009 3:02 am
'If Israel doesn't remove Iranian threat, no one will'
By Haaretz Staff
Tags: Barack Obama, Israel News
If Israel does not eliminate the Iranian threat, no one will, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.
"Israel is not like other countries," Netanyahu told his Likud faction in a meeting which came one week after his meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House. "We are faced with security challenges that no other country faces, and our need to provide a response to these is critical, and we are answering the call."
"These are not regular times. The danger is hurtling toward us?The real danger in underestimating the threat," Netanyahu said, addressing the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. "My job is first and foremost to ensure the future of the state of Israel ... the leadership's job is to eliminate the danger. Who will eliminate it? It is us or no one."
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"Our relationship with the United States is of great importance," Netanyahu said. "Our situation today is different from our situation between 1996 and 1999. Our priorities must be inline with national security needs and we must unite in order to deflect the danger. The Defense Minister and I are working in coordination; he is not conducting an independent policy."
Netanyahu added that he reached understandings Obama, among them that the most important goal for both countries is preventing Iran from attaining a nuclear military capability. Netanyahu told Likud members that Israel received a number of key pieces of defense aid from the Americans.
Addressing the differing Israeli and American approaches to the issue of West Bank settlements, Netanyahu said the issue resembled a disagreement between good friends.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088065.html
By Haaretz Staff
Tags: Barack Obama, Israel News
If Israel does not eliminate the Iranian threat, no one will, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.
"Israel is not like other countries," Netanyahu told his Likud faction in a meeting which came one week after his meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House. "We are faced with security challenges that no other country faces, and our need to provide a response to these is critical, and we are answering the call."
"These are not regular times. The danger is hurtling toward us?The real danger in underestimating the threat," Netanyahu said, addressing the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. "My job is first and foremost to ensure the future of the state of Israel ... the leadership's job is to eliminate the danger. Who will eliminate it? It is us or no one."
Advertisement
"Our relationship with the United States is of great importance," Netanyahu said. "Our situation today is different from our situation between 1996 and 1999. Our priorities must be inline with national security needs and we must unite in order to deflect the danger. The Defense Minister and I are working in coordination; he is not conducting an independent policy."
Netanyahu added that he reached understandings Obama, among them that the most important goal for both countries is preventing Iran from attaining a nuclear military capability. Netanyahu told Likud members that Israel received a number of key pieces of defense aid from the Americans.
Addressing the differing Israeli and American approaches to the issue of West Bank settlements, Netanyahu said the issue resembled a disagreement between good friends.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088065.html
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insan - Main Contributor
- Posts: 9044
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'Israel will face terror, missiles in future war'
by insan » Tue May 26, 2009 3:03 am
'Israel will face terror, missiles in future war'
By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Terror, Israel News, IDF
Israel is likely to face simultaneous missile strikes and terror attacks across the country in the event of a war breaking out, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said Monday.
Vilnai made the comments during a session of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, in which he said the Home Front Command would simulate defending against such an assault as part of a large-scale drill to be held next week.
"This isn't an imaginary situation. This isn't detached from reality and if there is a war, it's very likely that this is what will happen," said the deputy minister.
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The Israel Defense Forces drill, codenamed "Turning Point 3, has been billed as the largest exercise ever in Israel's history.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088053.html
By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Terror, Israel News, IDF
Israel is likely to face simultaneous missile strikes and terror attacks across the country in the event of a war breaking out, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said Monday.
Vilnai made the comments during a session of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, in which he said the Home Front Command would simulate defending against such an assault as part of a large-scale drill to be held next week.
"This isn't an imaginary situation. This isn't detached from reality and if there is a war, it's very likely that this is what will happen," said the deputy minister.
Advertisement
The Israel Defense Forces drill, codenamed "Turning Point 3, has been billed as the largest exercise ever in Israel's history.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088053.html
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insan - Main Contributor
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"The nuclear issue is a finished issue for us,"
by insan » Tue May 26, 2009 3:05 am
Iran rejects Western proposal for freezing Nuclear program
By Agencies
Tags: Ahmadinejad
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday rejected a Western proposal for Tehran to "freeze" its nuclear work in return for no new sanctions and ruled out any talks with major powers on the issue.
The comments by the conservative president, who is seeking re-election in a June 12 presidential vote, are likely to further disappoint the United States administration of President Barack Obama, which is seeking to engage Iran diplomatically.
The United States, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain said in April they would invite Iran to a meeting to try and find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear row.
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The West accuses Iran of secretly developing atomic weapons. Iran, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, denies the charge and says it only wants nuclear power to generate electricity.
Breaking with past U.S. policy of shunning direct talks with Iran, Obama's administration said it would join such discussions with Tehran from now on.
"Our talks [with major powers] will only be in the framework of cooperation for managing global issues and nothing else. We have clearly announced this," Ahmadinejad said.
"The nuclear issue is a finished issue for us," he told a news conference.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088069.html
By Agencies
Tags: Ahmadinejad
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday rejected a Western proposal for Tehran to "freeze" its nuclear work in return for no new sanctions and ruled out any talks with major powers on the issue.
The comments by the conservative president, who is seeking re-election in a June 12 presidential vote, are likely to further disappoint the United States administration of President Barack Obama, which is seeking to engage Iran diplomatically.
The United States, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain said in April they would invite Iran to a meeting to try and find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear row.
Advertisement
The West accuses Iran of secretly developing atomic weapons. Iran, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, denies the charge and says it only wants nuclear power to generate electricity.
Breaking with past U.S. policy of shunning direct talks with Iran, Obama's administration said it would join such discussions with Tehran from now on.
"Our talks [with major powers] will only be in the framework of cooperation for managing global issues and nothing else. We have clearly announced this," Ahmadinejad said.
"The nuclear issue is a finished issue for us," he told a news conference.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088069.html
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insan - Main Contributor
- Posts: 9044
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What if moderates win? Could they?
by insan » Tue May 26, 2009 3:14 am
Ahmadinejad slams rivals for wanting 'detente' with the West
By Reuters
Tags: israel news, iran
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused his moderate rivals in Iran's June presidential vote of trying to weaken the Islamic state by wanting a policy of "detente" with the West, Fars news agency reported on Friday.
Ahmadinejad's critics, including reformists and some of his conservative backers, say his fiery anti-Western speeches and his denial of the Holocaust have isolated Iran, which is at odds with the West over its disputed nuclear work.
Tehran says its nuclear work is for peaceful purposes only but the West fears Iran is pursuing a secret military program.
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"The previous government [of moderate Mohammad Khatami] which followed a detente policy de facto eradicated the goals of the nation and intended to accept a status which others [West] had planned to impose on us," Ahmadinejad said in his first official campaign speech in a sports hall in downtown Tehran.
Ahmadinejad, fighting for re-election in the June 12 vote, will compete against two moderate candidates: former premier Mirhossein Mousavi, former parliament speaker Mehdi Karoubi and conservative former Revolutionary Guards head Mohsen Rezai.
The candidates were approved by a constitutional watchdog on Wednesday after being screened for their allegiance to Iran's Islamic government system and "absolute obedience" to the country's top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei has called on people to vote for an anti-Western candidate.
"They [reformists] co-operated with them [the West] on Afghanistan and Iraq but the enemies said Iran supported terrorism and called it an axis of evil," Ahmadinejad told thousands of his supporters, who chanted "Death to America."
"All of this happened when Iran was following the policy of detente," Ahmadinejad said, in a clear reference to moderate former president Mohammad Khatami's policy of dialogue and interaction with the West during his 1997 to 2005 presidency.
Khatami has voiced his support for Moussavi and asked all his supporters to vote for the former prime minister.
"I will not make any compromise on Iran's internationally acknowledged rights to pursue civil nuclear technology," said Ahmadinejad, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005 vowing to share out oil wealth more fairly and a return to Islamic revolutionary values.
Critics say Ahmadinejad's economic policy, including handing out the country's petrodollars have increased inflation.
The hardline president has also been accused of introducing tighter social restrictions. His only conservative rival, Rezai, has said Ahmadinejad would "drag the country over a cliff" if re-elected.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1087497.html
By Reuters
Tags: israel news, iran
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused his moderate rivals in Iran's June presidential vote of trying to weaken the Islamic state by wanting a policy of "detente" with the West, Fars news agency reported on Friday.
Ahmadinejad's critics, including reformists and some of his conservative backers, say his fiery anti-Western speeches and his denial of the Holocaust have isolated Iran, which is at odds with the West over its disputed nuclear work.
Tehran says its nuclear work is for peaceful purposes only but the West fears Iran is pursuing a secret military program.
Advertisement
"The previous government [of moderate Mohammad Khatami] which followed a detente policy de facto eradicated the goals of the nation and intended to accept a status which others [West] had planned to impose on us," Ahmadinejad said in his first official campaign speech in a sports hall in downtown Tehran.
Ahmadinejad, fighting for re-election in the June 12 vote, will compete against two moderate candidates: former premier Mirhossein Mousavi, former parliament speaker Mehdi Karoubi and conservative former Revolutionary Guards head Mohsen Rezai.
The candidates were approved by a constitutional watchdog on Wednesday after being screened for their allegiance to Iran's Islamic government system and "absolute obedience" to the country's top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei has called on people to vote for an anti-Western candidate.
"They [reformists] co-operated with them [the West] on Afghanistan and Iraq but the enemies said Iran supported terrorism and called it an axis of evil," Ahmadinejad told thousands of his supporters, who chanted "Death to America."
"All of this happened when Iran was following the policy of detente," Ahmadinejad said, in a clear reference to moderate former president Mohammad Khatami's policy of dialogue and interaction with the West during his 1997 to 2005 presidency.
Khatami has voiced his support for Moussavi and asked all his supporters to vote for the former prime minister.
"I will not make any compromise on Iran's internationally acknowledged rights to pursue civil nuclear technology," said Ahmadinejad, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005 vowing to share out oil wealth more fairly and a return to Islamic revolutionary values.
Critics say Ahmadinejad's economic policy, including handing out the country's petrodollars have increased inflation.
The hardline president has also been accused of introducing tighter social restrictions. His only conservative rival, Rezai, has said Ahmadinejad would "drag the country over a cliff" if re-elected.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1087497.html
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In any case, inevitable?
by insan » Tue May 26, 2009 3:25 am
Last update - 02:44 26/05/2009
Jerusalem and Tehran / Netanyahu is preparing the people
By Aluf Benn
Tags: Israel News
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers the lifting of the Iranian nuclear threat his life's mission. Before coming to power, he had mentioned that such an operation might cost thousands of lives, but the price was justified in view of the threat's severity. His comments yesterday at the meeting of Likud's Knesset faction put to rest Ariel Sharon's doctrine that Iran is not just Israel's problem but the entire world's problem, and Israel must not be at the forefront of the struggle. Israel is now at the forefront.
The leaders of Iran and Israel escalated the verbal confrontation yesterday. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said discussions on the nuclear issue are over, which means Iran does not intend to give up enriching uranium. Netanyahu said that if Israel does not lead the defense against the Iranian threat and bring in the United States and other countries, no one else will.
In both cases, in Tehran and Jerusalem, it's possible to justify the leaders' comments by citing domestic political needs. But even if the immediate motive is domestic politics, the strategic implications cannot be ignored.
Netanyahu reiterated that he has come to an understanding with U.S. President Barack Obama on preventing Iran from acquiring a military nuclear capability. Unlike the dispute between Netanyahu and the United States on the Palestinian question, the Americans have not denied his statements on understandings reached on Iran.
A senior source close to the Obama administration has said that the dialogue Obama has offered Iran will come to nothing and that the U.S. will not strike Iran unless something unusual and unexpected happens. If this turns out to be the case, the Netanyahu government may have to decide whether to attack Iran's nuclear installations.
Three arguments are normally made to reject the likelihood of an Israeli military option: the complexity of the mission, the U.S. veto and opposition in the government. It is usually assumed that Israel will seek to repeat the 1981 bombing of the nuclear reactor in Iraq. This is only one scenario and not a likely one.
There are other possibilities to consider: a war in the north that drags Iran in, or a strike against a valuable target for the Iranian regime, which leads Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Ahmadinejad to take action against "the Zionist regime." If Iran attacks Israel first, the element of surprise will be lost, but then Israel's strike against the nuclear installations will be considered self-defense.
The second argument, regarding American opposition to a strike, depends on the circumstances. It's hard to imagine that Obama will order the interception of Israeli aircraft on the way to Natanz if all other ways of stopping the centrifuges have failed. Clearly the administration will have to chastise Israel, and let's not forget the statements by CIA chief Leon Panetta, who warned against any operation not coordinated with the United States. But no one knows how Obama will behave in the moment of truth. He told Newsweek that he will not tell Israelis what their defense requirements are. Netanyahu liked this very much.
The third claim, about political opposition at home, is entirely mistaken. In talks on going to war, the ministers and officers compete over who is more patriotic, not who is wiser or more rational. At decision time, no one will dare go down in history as having reservations and risk being portrayed as a coward. If the Second Lebanon War is anything to go by, all the "heroes" who criticized the war in retrospect had voted to go to war. This will be the case if Netanyahu brings to the cabinet a plan to attack Iran, and the Israel Defense Forces will say that it can.
A war with Iran is not inevitable. But the prime minister took another step yesterday toward preparing the general public for the possibility that it might break out.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088184.html
Jerusalem and Tehran / Netanyahu is preparing the people
By Aluf Benn
Tags: Israel News
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers the lifting of the Iranian nuclear threat his life's mission. Before coming to power, he had mentioned that such an operation might cost thousands of lives, but the price was justified in view of the threat's severity. His comments yesterday at the meeting of Likud's Knesset faction put to rest Ariel Sharon's doctrine that Iran is not just Israel's problem but the entire world's problem, and Israel must not be at the forefront of the struggle. Israel is now at the forefront.
The leaders of Iran and Israel escalated the verbal confrontation yesterday. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said discussions on the nuclear issue are over, which means Iran does not intend to give up enriching uranium. Netanyahu said that if Israel does not lead the defense against the Iranian threat and bring in the United States and other countries, no one else will.
In both cases, in Tehran and Jerusalem, it's possible to justify the leaders' comments by citing domestic political needs. But even if the immediate motive is domestic politics, the strategic implications cannot be ignored.
Netanyahu reiterated that he has come to an understanding with U.S. President Barack Obama on preventing Iran from acquiring a military nuclear capability. Unlike the dispute between Netanyahu and the United States on the Palestinian question, the Americans have not denied his statements on understandings reached on Iran.
A senior source close to the Obama administration has said that the dialogue Obama has offered Iran will come to nothing and that the U.S. will not strike Iran unless something unusual and unexpected happens. If this turns out to be the case, the Netanyahu government may have to decide whether to attack Iran's nuclear installations.
Three arguments are normally made to reject the likelihood of an Israeli military option: the complexity of the mission, the U.S. veto and opposition in the government. It is usually assumed that Israel will seek to repeat the 1981 bombing of the nuclear reactor in Iraq. This is only one scenario and not a likely one.
There are other possibilities to consider: a war in the north that drags Iran in, or a strike against a valuable target for the Iranian regime, which leads Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Ahmadinejad to take action against "the Zionist regime." If Iran attacks Israel first, the element of surprise will be lost, but then Israel's strike against the nuclear installations will be considered self-defense.
The second argument, regarding American opposition to a strike, depends on the circumstances. It's hard to imagine that Obama will order the interception of Israeli aircraft on the way to Natanz if all other ways of stopping the centrifuges have failed. Clearly the administration will have to chastise Israel, and let's not forget the statements by CIA chief Leon Panetta, who warned against any operation not coordinated with the United States. But no one knows how Obama will behave in the moment of truth. He told Newsweek that he will not tell Israelis what their defense requirements are. Netanyahu liked this very much.
The third claim, about political opposition at home, is entirely mistaken. In talks on going to war, the ministers and officers compete over who is more patriotic, not who is wiser or more rational. At decision time, no one will dare go down in history as having reservations and risk being portrayed as a coward. If the Second Lebanon War is anything to go by, all the "heroes" who criticized the war in retrospect had voted to go to war. This will be the case if Netanyahu brings to the cabinet a plan to attack Iran, and the Israel Defense Forces will say that it can.
A war with Iran is not inevitable. But the prime minister took another step yesterday toward preparing the general public for the possibility that it might break out.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088184.html
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insan - Main Contributor
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2012?
by insan » Tue May 26, 2009 3:27 am
U.S. Chief of Staff: Iran within 3 years of nuclear weapon
By Reuters
Tags: Mike Mullen, Israel News
Iran could be within one to three years from developing a nuclear weapon and time is running out for diplomacy to defuse the problem, the top U.S. military officer said on Sunday.
The assessment from Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, matched that of some independent analysts but appeared to go further than recent official statements from the U.S. government.
"Most of us believe that it's one to three years, depending on assumptions about where they are right now. But they are moving closer, clearly, and they continue to do that," Mullen said on ABC's "This Week."
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Since coming to power in January, President Barack Obama has made some diplomatic overtures to Iran that have so far been rebuffed. He said last week he would not pursue this policy indefinitely and would like to see some progress on the nuclear issue by the end of this year. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful and intended to produce electricity.
Iran last week successfully tested a missile that analysts said could hit Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf, a major source of crude oil for the United States.
Serious Consequences
Mullen said a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities could have grave consequences -- but so would a nuclear-armed Iran.
"The unintended consequences of a strike against Iran right now would be incredibly serious," he said. In congressional testimony last week, he used the word "calamitous" to describe the same scenario.
Israel has said it could not accept a nuclear-armed Iran while the United States has also refused to rule out military action. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly stated the Jewish state should not exist.
"That's why this engagement in dialogue is so important. I think we should do that with all options on the table as we approach them," Mullen said.
"And so that leaves a pretty narrow space in which to achieve a successful dialogue and a successful outcome, which from my perspective means they don't end up with nuclear weapons," he added.
His words went further than recent statements by Defense Secretary Robert Gates who said of Iran on March 1: "They're not close to a stockpile, they're not close to a weapon at this point and so there is some time."
Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair told the U.S. Congress in February: "We continue to assess Iran probably has imported at least some weapons-usable fissile material but still judge it has not obtained enough for a nuclear weapon."
The United States and other Western powers are concerned that Iran could combine elements of its uranium enrichment and missile programs to create a nuclear weapon, although Tehran denies it intends to do this.
A recent report by the joint U.S.-Russian think-tank EastWest Institute said Iran could develop a basic nuclear device in 1-3 years and a missile-borne nuclear warhead five years after that.
Mullen did not respond when asked if it was possible to take out Iran's nuclear program militarily at an acceptable cost.
"I won't speculate on what we can and can't do. Again, I put that in the category of my very strong preference ... to not be put in a position where we -- where someone -- where Iran is struck," he said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1087793.html
2012?
By Reuters
Tags: Mike Mullen, Israel News
Iran could be within one to three years from developing a nuclear weapon and time is running out for diplomacy to defuse the problem, the top U.S. military officer said on Sunday.
The assessment from Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, matched that of some independent analysts but appeared to go further than recent official statements from the U.S. government.
"Most of us believe that it's one to three years, depending on assumptions about where they are right now. But they are moving closer, clearly, and they continue to do that," Mullen said on ABC's "This Week."
Advertisement
Since coming to power in January, President Barack Obama has made some diplomatic overtures to Iran that have so far been rebuffed. He said last week he would not pursue this policy indefinitely and would like to see some progress on the nuclear issue by the end of this year. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful and intended to produce electricity.
Iran last week successfully tested a missile that analysts said could hit Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf, a major source of crude oil for the United States.
Serious Consequences
Mullen said a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities could have grave consequences -- but so would a nuclear-armed Iran.
"The unintended consequences of a strike against Iran right now would be incredibly serious," he said. In congressional testimony last week, he used the word "calamitous" to describe the same scenario.
Israel has said it could not accept a nuclear-armed Iran while the United States has also refused to rule out military action. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly stated the Jewish state should not exist.
"That's why this engagement in dialogue is so important. I think we should do that with all options on the table as we approach them," Mullen said.
"And so that leaves a pretty narrow space in which to achieve a successful dialogue and a successful outcome, which from my perspective means they don't end up with nuclear weapons," he added.
His words went further than recent statements by Defense Secretary Robert Gates who said of Iran on March 1: "They're not close to a stockpile, they're not close to a weapon at this point and so there is some time."
Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair told the U.S. Congress in February: "We continue to assess Iran probably has imported at least some weapons-usable fissile material but still judge it has not obtained enough for a nuclear weapon."
The United States and other Western powers are concerned that Iran could combine elements of its uranium enrichment and missile programs to create a nuclear weapon, although Tehran denies it intends to do this.
A recent report by the joint U.S.-Russian think-tank EastWest Institute said Iran could develop a basic nuclear device in 1-3 years and a missile-borne nuclear warhead five years after that.
Mullen did not respond when asked if it was possible to take out Iran's nuclear program militarily at an acceptable cost.
"I won't speculate on what we can and can't do. Again, I put that in the category of my very strong preference ... to not be put in a position where we -- where someone -- where Iran is struck," he said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1087793.html
2012?
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insan - Main Contributor
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