"Iran's foreign minister said on Sunday he did not believe Israel was in a position to attack his country over its nuclear program, while an Iranian general announced plans to prepare 320,000 graves for enemy soldiers."
I had to laugh when I read this. Talk about empty rhetoric! Ground forces are not involved in bombing raids so who do they plan to bury in 320,000 graves!!??? Starting to sound like that Iraqi official that was denying to the news media that the US had even attacked Iraq after the world was watching it on televisions.
Sounds like desperation on the part of the Iranians. Guess we will see who blinks first.
TEHRAN, Iran - "Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards test-fired nine long- and medium-range missiles Wednesday in war games officials say are in response to U.S. and Israeli threats, state television reported.Gen.
Hossein Salami, a top Guards commander, was quoted as saying the exercise "is to demonstrate our resolve and might against enemies who in recent weeks have threatened Iran with a harsh language." The drill was conducted in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormouz.
The report didn't provide details but said the missiles fired included a new version of the Shahab-3 missile, which officials have said has a range of 1,250 miles.
The report comes less than a day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he sees no possibility of a war with the United States or Israel.
"I assure you that there won't be any war in the future," Ahmadinejad told a news conference Tuesday during a visit to Malaysia for a summit of developing Muslim nations.
Iranian officials have been issuing a mix of conciliatory and bellicose statements in recent weeks about the possibility of a clash with the U.S. and Israel.
Israel's military sent warplanes over the eastern Mediterranean for a large military exercise in June that U.S. officials described as a possible rehearsal for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, which the West fears are aimed at producing atomic weapons.
For months, Ahmadinejad and other Iranian officials have said they don't believe the U.S. will attack because of its difficulties in Iraq, domestic worries and concerns over the fallout in the region.
At the same time, Tehran has stepped up its warnings of retaliation if the Americans — or Israelis — do attack it, including threats to hit Israel and U.S. Gulf bases with missiles and stop oil traffic through the vital Gulf region."
Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 3:34 am Post subject: Re: Iran- Latest News
I get the impression the rest of the world is taking every opportunity to put their fingers in Bush's eye in the final stretch. Chavez selling oil to China, Iran poking the bear now, Russia openly threatening a "military response" to a missile sheild, everyday more smack about the dollar. Looks like they're getting their licks in while ol' George is on the ropes.
TEHRAN, Iran - "Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards test-fired nine long- and medium-range missiles Wednesday in war games officials say are in response to U.S. and Israeli threats, state television reported.Gen.
Hossein Salami, a top Guards commander, was quoted as saying the exercise "is to demonstrate our resolve and might against enemies who in recent weeks have threatened Iran with a harsh language." The drill was conducted in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormouz.
The report didn't provide details but said the missiles fired included a new version of the Shahab-3 missile, which officials have said has a range of 1,250 miles.
The report comes less than a day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he sees no possibility of a war with the United States or Israel.
"I assure you that there won't be any war in the future," Ahmadinejad told a news conference Tuesday during a visit to Malaysia for a summit of developing Muslim nations.
Iranian officials have been issuing a mix of conciliatory and bellicose statements in recent weeks about the possibility of a clash with the U.S. and Israel.
Israel's military sent warplanes over the eastern Mediterranean for a large military exercise in June that U.S. officials described as a possible rehearsal for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, which the West fears are aimed at producing atomic weapons.
For months, Ahmadinejad and other Iranian officials have said they don't believe the U.S. will attack because of its difficulties in Iraq, domestic worries and concerns over the fallout in the region.
At the same time, Tehran has stepped up its warnings of retaliation if the Americans — or Israelis — do attack it, including threats to hit Israel and U.S. Gulf bases with missiles and stop oil traffic through the vital Gulf region."
Joined: Aug 03, 2007 Posts: 3697 Location: Boston Suburbs
Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 4:21 am Post subject: Re: Iran- Latest News
Enough trash talking to put Hulk Hogan to shame.
Or it's like that scene in Bravehea... nope, I won't do it. _________________ Paranoia is demonstrated to be an infectious disease, and stupidity plus the internet its major vector.
Joined: Jun 26, 2007 Posts: 1124 Location: The Canada of America
Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 5:30 am Post subject: Re: Iran- Latest News
anony_mus wrote:
I had to laugh when I read this. Talk about empty rhetoric! Ground forces are not involved in bombing raids so who do they plan to bury in 320,000 graves!!???
It does sound like high-end hyperbole. But, that said, as I recall, Iraq started with a lot of "you can't touch this" bombing raids that were then followed up with thousands of troops swarming into Iraq to secure life, liberty, and the pursuit of rhetoric as they marched joyfully over the rose petals to be strewn in their path by comely virgins darting out from the throngs of weeping, cheering crowds on either side. So judging from that, I'd say Iran could get away with just 5,000 graves, or so. At least for the first few years. _________________ I can has cheezburger?
Joined: Jun 26, 2007 Posts: 1124 Location: The Canada of America
Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 5:47 am Post subject: Re: Iran- Latest News
HKFarmboy wrote:
TEHRAN, Iran - "Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards test-fired nine long- and medium-range missiles Wednesday in war games officials say are in response to U.S. and Israeli threats, state television reported.Gen. Hossein Salami
This is something I think people are tending to forget. Iran isn't Iraq. Not by a long shot. Iraq was essentially defenseless, but Iran isn't. Faced with nuclear-armed invaders, they really can't prevail. But that's not to say they can't put a beating on their assailants the likes of which the US hasn't endured since the Pacific campaigns of the Second World War. I don't think Iran could hold off a truly determined United States. But I do believe they have the capacity to inflict loses on the US military that will be shocking and horrifying to the people of the United States, and reveal the feet of clay upon which even the greatest powers stand... we're all mortal, after all. To me, the single most concerning fact is that the Russians have sold Iran a group of land-based anti-ship cruise missiles that they designed specifically to counter the advantage the US had in carrier fleets. The SS-N-22 Sunburn was intended specifically to be used to defend the coast from an amphibious assault, and it makes the Exorcet look like a toy by comparison. They fly at twice the speed of sound and present an attack profile width only slightly wider than 30 inches. A single one could cripple, and potentially even sink, an aircraft carrier. I don't think anyone knows for sure just how many the Russians sold Iran, aside from Russia and Iran. So while I agree that Iran can't ultimately prevail, at least not alone, in defending its sovereignty, I think people need to keep in mind that an earnest attack on Iran presents potential losses the likes of which no Western country has seen since our grandparents' day. _________________ I can has cheezburger?
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana will visit Tehran on July 19 for talks on Iran's contested nuclear drive, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.
It said Solana will meet Iran's chief negotiator Said Jalili to discuss a package of proposals drawn up by six major world powers aimed at ending the nuclear standoff.
There was no immediate confirmation from the EU or Iranian officials.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, had said on Tuesday that Solana would be despatched to Iran for "in-depth discussions" on differences over the package.
Critics claim mafia 'myth' masks Iran oil power struggle
Quote:
Confronting the "oil mafia" was one of the many promises that Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad made to voters in his 2005 presidential campaign.
It was a message that resonated with the electorate. Many Iranians believe central governments in Iran, whether before or after the 1979 Islamic revolution, have failed to use the country's oil wealth for the benefit of the masses, in some cases siphoning it instead for personal gains.
Mr Ahmadi-Nejad was also seen as an outsider, a stranger to the political elite, so his pledge to fight the alleged corruption seemed to be quite a credible one.
Three years on, however, no trace of the alleged "mafia" in the oil industry, which generated revenues of $70bn in the last Iranian year, has been uncovered. People have been moved out of the oil ministry and replaced but that has been seen more as an attempt by Mr Ahmadi-Nejad to gain influence in the hugely important sector.
A United States war against Iran is conceivable as a final apocalyptic manifestation of Pax Americana, but this would only hasten the decline of the US in terms of power, influence and moral authority
Asia Times _________________ "The age of excess is over. The age of entropy has begun"
Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 2500 Location: Ye Olde Englande
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 11:15 am Post subject: Re: Iran- Latest News
Total chief says too risky to invest in Iran
Quote:
The head of French energy giant Total said in an interview published Thursday that it is too politically risky to invest in Iran, dealing a serious blow to the Islamic republic's key energy sector.
Chief executive Christophe de Margerie's comments virtually cripple Tehran's hopes of boosting its gas exports because Total is the last major western energy group considering a big investment.
"Today we would be taking too much political risk to invest in Iran because people will say: 'Total will do anything for money,'" de Margerie told the Financial Times newspaper
The confrontation between Tehran and Washington seemed to sharpen on Thursday as Iran said it tested missiles for a second day and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States would defend its allies and protect its interests against an attack.
Ms. Rice was speaking in the former Soviet republic of Georgia at the end of a three-day tour of Eastern Europe. Shortly after she spoke, state-run media in Iran began reporting the new missile tests, which followed a warning from an Iranian official earlier this week that Tehran would strike Tel Aviv and United States interests if Washington attacked it first.
OPEC Secretary-General Abdalla El-Badri said oil supplies are sufficient and declined to predict the outcome of the group's production policy-setting meeting scheduled for Sept. 9.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which supplies more than 40 percent of the world's oil, has kept official production targets unchanged since late last year.
Houston Chronicle _________________ "The age of excess is over. The age of entropy has begun"
Yet another article, this time in the Economist, discussing the possibility of a war with Iran. What I find interesting is the statement that Iran's nuclear facility at Bushehr will be operational in October of 2008, because I haven't read that anywhere else.
Quote:
Another is that Iran’s Russian-built reactor at Bushehr is due to start working in October. This is less worrying than the underground enrichment facility at Natanz. But if Israel intends to bomb it, it would be best to do so before it is loaded with nuclear fuel.
Why is that fact important? Because if history is an indicator, it may give a clue about a "trigger point" for attacking the nuclear reactor at Bushehr. Israel attacked the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak before it was loaded with fuel, to prevent possible radioactive contamination of the surrounding area.
Quote:
Although most agreed that Iraq was years away from being able to build a nuclear weapon, the Iranians and the Israelis felt any raid must occur well before nuclear fuel was loaded to prevent radioactive contamination. Further, Israel's Menachem Begin feared that Israel's next elected government would not act until a nuclear weapon was created.
Quote:
It is now known that during the strike preparations, one question affecting its timing was the estimated date on which the reactor would become “live”, after which a strike could cause radiation fallout on nearby civilians. That date was assumed to be just a few weeks later.
Iranian Oil Minister Gholam-Hossein Nozari said that Iran will raise oil export to 3.5 million barrels a day by the end of March 2010, Iran's satellite Press TV reported on Friday.
"Iran's oil export level will be raised to 3.5 million barrels a day from the current 2.4 million barrels a day by the end of the current development plan," Nozari told reporters on Thursday.
He denied an allegation that the country will not be able to export oil because of high internal consumption.
Russia denies Iran is a threat and orders United States to drop missile shield plan
Quote:
Russia has ordered the United States to drop its missile shield proposals after claiming that Iran's recent military exercises proved that Tehran did not have the firepower to attack Europe.
Escalating a war of words with Washington, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said that this week's Iranian missile tests had provided further evidence of an American plot to neuter Moscow's nuclear deterrent.
The White House said despite Iran and Israel flexing muscles back and forth, Tehran and Washington are not close to open a conflict. "I think - Secretary Gates characterized it as sending signals yesterday (Wednesday). That was his take on it. Secretary Gates was right, there is no particular increase," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto to rule out the possibility of a war with Iran.
Fars _________________ "The age of excess is over. The age of entropy has begun"
Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 2500 Location: Ye Olde Englande
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 7:46 pm Post subject: Re: Iran- Latest News
Official says Iran would destroy Israel if attacked
Quote:
Iran would destroy Israel and 32 U.S. military bases in the Middle East if the Islamic Republic was attacked over its disputed nuclear programme, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying on Saturday.
The Islamic Republic and Israel have been embroiled in an escalating war of words in recent weeks, increasing speculation of military confrontation and helping to send global oil prices to record highs.
etroleum giant PTT Plc sees the prospect of world crude prices reaching a previously unthinkable US$300 per barrel if tensions in the Middle East escalate.
Tevin Vongvanich, PTT's senior executive vice-president for corporate strategy and development, said yesterday that Iran's missile tests have had some negative effects on the oil market.
The price of refined oil in Singapore rose by more than US$6 a barrel on Friday, making a decline in local fuel prices unlikely next week as anticipated.
US, European experts believe Iran already has full nuclear capabilities but has chosen to appease international community, suspend uranium enrichment in favor of investing in new centrifuge formation, which in time would allow it to reach its nuclear goals doubly fast
Ynet _________________ "The age of excess is over. The age of entropy has begun"
Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 2500 Location: Ye Olde Englande
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:04 pm Post subject: Re: Iran- Latest News
IRAN: McCain cigarette joke smolders in Tehran
Quote:
U.S. Sen. John McCain made a wisecrack last week describing reports of increased American cigarette exports to Iran as a way of killing off Iranians. It was just a joke, the presumptive presidential candidate insisted immediately afterward.
Today, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed Ali Hosseini responded to the comment, and he was not smiling at all.
Mohammed Ali Hosseini said the Iranian government regarded the comment as ugly and immoral, "especially for someone who intends to lead a country claiming civilization," according to a report carried by the Fars News Agency:
Iranian Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari said on Sunday there was no shortage of crude in the market, the state broadcaster's website reported.
Iranian oil officials, including the minister, have frequently blamed factors such as speculation and geopolitics, as well as the weak U.S. dollar, for driving up the price of oil rather than a lack of supply.
Oil prices have also surged partly on the back of mounting tension surrounding Iran's row with the West over its nuclear ambitions. Big oil consumers like the United States have called for OPEC to increase output, a move Iran opposes.
Iran, at odds with the West over its nuclear work, could reach an accommodation with the United States if its critics accepted that the Islamic Republic is here to stay, according to Tehran's ambitious mayor.
For now, Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2005, focuses his energy on alleviating the traffic congestion, air pollution and sewage problems of his sprawling city, home to 8 million by night, swelling to 11 million by day.
Reuters _________________ "The age of excess is over. The age of entropy has begun"
Joined: Oct 15, 2004 Posts: 2196 Location: Arkansas
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 5:58 am Post subject: Re: Iran- Latest News
For what its worth, I've previously expressed the opinion that an economic depression in the US would precipitate an Israeli strike against Iran, for the simple reason that the Israeli state and war machine is wholly dependent on US economic support. If that ever dries up, or if the dollar becomes worthless, the Israelis would be forced to take military action while they still had bombs and ammo (before they rusted away). This theory may get tested, as the Israeli stock market is showing the first signs of panic over the economic situation in the U.S.
Russian energy giant Gazprom signs deal to develop major Iran oil fields
Quote:
Iran and Russia have signed a energy development deal involving onshore and offshare oil and gas fields
The National Iranian Oil Co. and Russia's Gazprom have signed an agreement to develop Iran's crude oil and natural gas fields, particularly Azadegan, the largest onshore oil field in the country with estimated reserves of 42 billion barrels.
The deal, signed on July 13 in wake of the withdrawal by France's Total, was meant to pave the way for Russia to become a leading foreign contractor in Iran's energy sector.
Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, warned yesterday that any attack on Iran's nuclear programme would have grave consequences for the US, Israel and the whole world.
But Assad, Iran's most important Arab ally, also promised to discuss the issue with Tehran, suggesting that Syria, itself shunned by the US, could mediate in a crisis which has escalated, with Iranian and Israeli sabre-rattling in the last fortnight.
"It will cost the US and the planet dear," he told France Inter radio yesterday during his visit to Paris. "Israel will pay directly the price of this war. Iran has said so. The problem is that when one starts such action in the Middle East, one cannot manage ... reactions that can spread out over years or even decades."
Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said talks with the United States are possible in the near future, according the country's official news agency.
But he said that such talks would not happen at governmental level.
Tension has grown recently amid Iranian missile tests and speculation over a possible Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
The US cut ties with Iran after the 1979 revolution and the seizure of 63 people at the US embassy in Tehran.
BBC _________________ "The age of excess is over. The age of entropy has begun"
I find that interesting, bc over the last several years, it seems Israel has been very concerned about Iran's satellite program. In a nutshell, in the past, Israel has intimated it would strike Iran's nuclear program prior to Iran getting "eyes" in the sky which would give them advance warning of any Israeli attack. Here's a previous post on the issue from years back:
seahorse2 wrote:
The timing of any military attack on Iran probably has more to do with Iran's ability to "see" an attack coming than the state of development of their nuclear program or UN negotiations.
For example, it was previously reported that the end of March was Israel's point of no return for a military option against Iran, and that the timing of the end of March was due to "fears of Irans growing intelligence-gathering capability" through the launch of satellites. According to this article, the Russians launched the first Iranian satellite in October 2005. This was reported on December 11, 2005 by the Times Online, sorry, can't refind the link but think the article is posted previously on this same forum.
It has also been reported that the Iranians will be launching a second satellite in late March 2006. Space Daily
The West apparently fears the Iranian satellite program could be a "trojan horse" for a WMD program, similar to North Korea.
Israel reports these Iranian satellites and missiles are "spy satellites" using technology to foil Israeli defenses that cause Israel a lot of damage.
Haaretz Daily
For an interesting chronology of Iran's missile development program, check this site out and click on whatever year you want to review. NTI
All this to say, it appears that any deadline for a strike against Iran has more to do with two things: (1) striking while the Iranians don't have the satellite capability to detect a preemptive strike; (2) striking before the Iranians get the missile capability to effectively launch a missile counter-strike.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
News
Discussions
Resources
Members
Forum FAQ
Search
Usergroups
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
