Analysis: Iran moves to ditch U.S. dollar

Published: Sept. 10, 2007 at 6:07 PM

By DEREK SANDS
UPI Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Faced with U.S. economic sanctions and a weak dollar, Tehran is demanding foreign energy companies do business in yen and euros, despite increasingly desperate need for investment.

In a deal announced last week, Japan’s Nippon Oil agreed to buy oil from Iran using yen instead of the traditional U.S. dollars. The agreement comes after years of Iranian efforts to shift its petroleum exports away from dollars and toward yen and euros.

With refineries in need of investment and vast natural gas deposits in need of foreign companies for development, Iran is trying every avenue to extricate itself from U.S. sanctions.

“In general, a key motivation is the U.S. informal sanctions pressure that the Treasury, and Undersecretary Levey in particular, put on banks not to do financial transactions with Iran. And increasingly designating banks with ties to certain Iranian entities as unable to perform the U-turn transactions for dollar-denominated transactions,” according to David Kirsch, the manager for market intelligence at the international energy consultancy PFC Energy.

U.S. Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey has been in charge of coordinating U.S. sanctions against Iran since 2004. In recent months the U.S. Treasury has increased pressure on foreign banks not to deal with Iran, including so-called U-turn transactions, which “allow U.S. banks to process payments involving Iran that begin and end with a non-Iranian foreign bank,” according to the U.S. Treasury.

Shifting to euros and yen allows Iran some relief.

“Overall it does lower some of their exposure to this successful yet informal pressure from the U.S.,” Kirsch said.

Iran has the world’s second-largest reserves of crude oil, is the world’s fourth-largest exporter of oil, at 2.5 million barrels per day, and depends on export revenue for almost half of its government revenue, estimated at about $46.9 billion in 2006. Japan is Iran’s largest customer for oil.

Iran’s turn to the yen or euro may help in some ways, but U.S. sanctions are still a danger.

“For them, I think it will make it easier, simply because the banks that it deals with won’t be under the threat of the U.S. prohibiting turn-around transactions. They may still be under threats. Of course, the U.S. has successfully put some pressure on some European-based banks to stop transactions with Iran. That still remains a threat,” Kirsch said.

The United States began sanctions against Iran after U.S. diplomats were held hostage during the 1979 revolution and has ratcheted up sanctions in recent years due to Tehran’s alleged support of terrorism, as well as its efforts to enrich uranium -- efforts that the United States sees as a covert attempt to develop nuclear weapons.

Under U.S. sanctions, American gas and oil companies are severely limited in how much they can invest in Iran, and most other companies are banned from doing business in Iran. However, the United States has little control over foreign companies, and until very recently the U.S. government has chosen not to sanction foreign companies that deal with Iran.

But this has changed. The U.S. Treasury has stepped up pressure on European banks and the State Department has taken a harder line, warning foreign companies that operate in the United States to avoid business with Iran.

The economic consequences of sanctions are not Iran’s only motivation. The declining value of the dollar has also made the euro and yen attractive, if not for sales, than at least for saving.

“There is also another key issue that you are seeing, not just in Iran, but in other oil producers, especially Gulf oil producers, is given the depreciation of the dollar, it is better to hold their reserves at least in euros, it is a better store of wealth. Some of the other Gulf producers will accept payment in euros. They won’t price their oil in euros or yen, and even if they are receiving payments in dollars, most likely they are converting a substantial share of that every month into other currency,” Kirsch said.

Holding cash reserves in euros and yen may be a trend for the region, according to Kirsch, but a large-scale market conversion away from dollars in unlikely.

“I think the producing states are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how they hold their foreign currency. But in terms of whether, is oil formally going to be priced in yen, renminbi, or the euro, I don’t think that is going to happen. Simply because you would have to establish a whole new contract and an exchange for that, and that can be quite costly. It is also, you have to find a contract that the investment community is willing to embrace, and until you need to do that, I think they will be satisfied sticking with the contracts from the NYMEX and the International Petroleum Exchange,” Kirsch said.

Much of the world’s oil is sold through the New York Mercantile Exchange, NYMEX, or the International Petroleum Exchange in London, both of which trade in U.S. dollars. Tehran has for years planned an oil exchange that would operate in euros but has yet to realize the scheme.

A strengthened European economy has impacted trade in other Persian Gulf countries as well.

“Throughout the Gulf, they are also seeing an increasing amount of their trade conducted with the European Union, so with increasing amounts of their imports coming from the euro zone, why not hold larger stakes in their reserves in that currency,” Kirsch said.

Whether Iran’s oil is sold in euros, yen or dollars, the United States will likely not be affected by Tehran’s decision.

“I think it is going to have minimal impact on the dollar and minimal impact on the U.S. energy situation,” Kirsch said.

http://www.upi.com/International_Sec...90/print_view/
............................................benny

Maybe now we will understand what all the fuss from the Syrians was about. They were hollaring so loud and long that it seemed like more than just a flyover violation.


'IAF attacked Iranian targets in Syria'

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Sep 11, 2007

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...cle%2FShowFull

Israel's alleged incursion into Syrian skies last week included a strike on what was likely to have been Iranian arms transferred to the country, CNN reported on Tuesday afternoon. According to the news network, a ground operation was also part of the overall foray. Neither Jerusalem nor Damascus has confirmed the report.

CNN claimed that the operation, largely aerial but also had comprised of ground components, left "a great hole in the desert." Although CNN did not cite a specific source, the network gave credence to "US government officials." The report said the IAF targets were likely to be weaponry delivered by Syria which was intended for the use of Hizbullah.

Further, the report said the US was pleased with the alleged sortie, which it said, sent a "clear message" to the region.

Earlier Tuesday, a planned visit by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al Moallem to Saudi Arabia has been cancelled, Israel Radio reported.

Syrian sources told the Hizbullah owned TV station Al Manar that "a visit was never planned, and therefore its cancellation makes no sense."

Reportedly, the Syrian foreign minister was expected to give King Abdullah in Jeddah a missive from the Syrian president.

It was unclear whether Moallem was invited by Saudi Arabia and the invitation was withdrawn, or whether Syria initiated a meeting with the Persian Gulf state.

On Sunday, Moallem visited Turkey where he presented "evidence" of the alleged IAF foray; the planned visit to Riyadh - flatly denied by Damascus - could have been planned for a similar purpose.

Saudi Arabian-Syrian relations cooled off since the Second Lebanon War, when the Saudis condemned Hizbullah, backed by Syria, for hijacking IDF soldiers - the event that led Israel to retaliate.

..................................................benny

Israel targeted Iranian weapons in Syria - report

CNN says incident in which Israeli planes reportedly invaded Syrian airspace was actually an attack on Iranian weapons transferred to Syria; operation apparently included ground forces, report says

Ynet Published
09.11.07
Israel News

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...448687,00.html

CNN news network reported Tuesday that the incident in which Israeli planes reportedly invaded Syrian airspace was actually an attack on Iranian weapons transferred to Syria.

According to the report, the incident involved an aerial operation that also included ground forces that were meant to mark targets or inspect the damage caused by the attack.

Ominous Autumn

Israel tried to attack ground targets in Syria, says Bishara / Roee Nahmias

Former MK says IAF's infiltration of Syrian airspace was meant to take out anti-aircraft missile facilities, ground targets. 'This was a full blown aerial operation and we are treading on dangerous ground,' he says

It was also reported that the operation left "a great hole in the ground" in the Syrian desert. The report was based mainly on sources in the American government and CNN said that Israel was satisfied with the operation's results.

The report said Israel apparently targeted a type of weapon transferred through Syria to Hizbullah from Iran.

Sources told CNN reporter Christiana Amanpour that weapons have been transferred in this way for the past three or four years uninterruptedly.

Hours before CNN report was broadcast, Syria appealed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council, and warned Israel of "the consequences of this outrageous aggression."

In the message sent to the United Nations, Syria said that "the continuing silence of the international community vis-à-vis Israel's illegal act will place the region as well as the peace and security of both countries in the face of uncontrollable tragedies".

The Syrian letter to the UN argued that Israel "is determined to choose aggression instead of peace and by doing so it reveals its true intentions that it tries to hide using fake claims of seeking peace in the region".

On Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan demanded Israel explain the discovery of unmarked fuel tanks near Turkey's border with Syria.

"This is an unacceptable development," Babacan said in a joint news conference with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem, who was visiting Turkey.

"All countries in the region must show respect to all countries' sovereignty and carefully avoid acts that lead to tensions," Babacan said. "Otherwise, tensions would be fueled and peace and stability in the region might be harmed."

..............................................benny

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/...cle2953462.ece

The 'proxy war': UK troops are sent to Iranian border

12 September 2007 05:04

The 'proxy war': UK troops are sent to Iranian border
British soldiers return to action as tensions between US and Iran grow

British forces have been sent from Basra to the volatile border with Iran amid warnings from the senior US commander in Iraq that Tehran is fomenting a "proxy war".

In signs of a fast-developing confrontation, the Iranians have threatened military action in response to attacks launched from Iraqi territory while the Pentagon has announced the building of a US base and fortified checkpoints at the frontier.

The UK operation, in which up to 350 troops are involved, has come at the request of the Americans, who say that elements close to the Iranian regime have stepped up supplies of weapons to Shia militias in recent weeks in preparation for attacks inside Iraq.

The deployment came within a week of British forces leaving Basra Palace, their last remaining base inside Basra city, and withdrawing to the airport for a widely expected final departure from Iraq. Brigadier James Bashall, commander of 1 Mechanised Brigade, based at Basra said: "We have been asked to help at the Iranian border to stop the flow of weapons and I am willing to do so. We know the points of entry and I am sure we can do what needs to be done. The US forces are, as we know, engaged in the 'surge' and the border is of particular concern to them."

The mission will include the King's Royal Hussars battle group, 250 of whom were told at the weekend that they would be returning to the UK as part of a drawdown of forces in Iraq.

The operation is regarded as a high-risk strategy which could lead to clashes with Iranian-backed Shia militias or even Iranian forces and also leaves open the possibility of Iranian retaliation in the form of attacks against British forces at the Basra air base or inciting violence to draw them back into Basra city. Relations between the two countries are already fraught after the Iranian Revolutionary Guards seized a British naval party in the Gulf earlier this year.

The move came as General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq, made some of the strongest accusations yet by US officials about Iranian activity. General Petraeus spoke on Monday of a "proxy war" in Iraq, while Mr Crocker accused the Iranian government of "providing lethal capabilities to the enemies of the Iraqi state".

In an interview after his appearance before a congressional panel on Monday, General Petraeus strongly implied that it would soon be necessary to obtain authorisation to take action against Iran within its own borders, rather than just inside Iraq. "There is a pretty hard look ongoing at that particular situation" he said.

The Royal Welsh battle group, with Challenger tanks and Warrior armoured vehicles, is conducting out regular exercises at the Basra air base in preparation for any re-entry into the city. No formal handover of Basra to the Iraqi government has yet taken place and the UK remains responsible for maintaining security in the region.

The Iraqi commander in charge of the southern part of the country, General Mohan al-Furayji, said he would not hesitate to call for British help if there was an emergency.

While previous US military action has been primarily directed against Sunni insurgents, it is Shia fighters, which the US accuses Iran of backing, who now account for 80 per cent of US casualties.

For the British military the move to the border is a change of policy. They had stopped patrols along the long border at Maysan despite US concerns at the time that the area would become a conduit for weapons into Iraq.

The decision to return to the frontier has been heavily influenced by the highly charged and very public dispute with the United States. British commanders feel that they cannot turn down the fresh American request for help after refusing to delay the withdrawal from Basra Palace. They also maintain that the operation will stop Iranian arms entering Basra.

Brigadier Bashall said: "We are not sitting here idly at the air bridge. The security of Basra is still our responsibility and we shall act where necessary. We are also prepared to restore order in Basra City if asked to do so."

The US decision to build fortifications at the Iranian border, after four years of presence in Iraq, shows, say American commanders, that the "Iranian threat" is now one of their main concerns.

Maj-Gen Rick Lynch, commander of the US Army's 3rd Infantry Division, said 48 Iranian-supplied roadside bombs had been used against his forces killing nine soldiers. "We've got a major problem with Iranian munitions streaming into Iraq. This Iranian interference is troubling and we have to stop it," he told The Wall Street Journal this week.

Meanwhile at a conference in Baghdad on regional co-operation, Iran claimed the US was supporting groups mounting attacks from Iraqi territory in the Kurdish north.

Said Jalili , Iran's deputy foreign minister, last night said: "I think [the US and its allies] are going to prevaricate with the truth because they know they have been defeated in Iraq and they have not been successful. And so they are going to put the blame on us, on the other side."
...............................................benny

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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has tested the world's most powerful vacuum bomb, which unleashes a destructive shockwave with the power of a nuclear blast, the military said on Tuesday, dubbing it the "father of all bombs".

The bomb is the latest in a series of new Russian weapons and policy moves as President Vladimir Putin tries to reassert Moscow's role on the international stage.

"Test results of the new airborne weapon have shown that its efficiency and power is commensurate with a nuclear weapon," Alexander Rukshin, Russian deputy armed forces chief of staff, told Russia's state ORT First Channel television. The same report was later shown on the state-sponsored Vesti channel.

"You will now see it in action, the bomb which has no match in the world is being tested at a military site."

It showed a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber dropping the bomb over a testing ground. A large explosion followed.

Pictures showed what looked like a flattened multi-storey block of flats surrounded by scorched soil and boulders. "The soil looks like a lunar landscape," the report said.

"The defense ministry stresses this military invention does not contradict a single international treaty. Russia is not unleashing a new arms race."

Such devices generally detonate in two stages. First a small blast disperses a main load of explosive material into a cloud, which then either spontaneously ignites in air or is set off by a second charge.

This explosion generates a pressure wave that reaches much further than that from a conventional explosive. The consumption of gases in the blast also generates a partial vacuum that can compound damage and injuries caused by the explosion itself.

"The main destruction is inflicted by an ultrasonic shockwave and an incredibly high temperature," the reports said. "All that is alive merely evaporates."

Rukshin said: "At the same time, I want to stress that the action of this weapon does not contaminate the environment, in contrast to a nuclear one."

"FATHER OF ALL BOMBS"

The Tu-160 supersonic bomber that dropped the bomb, widely known under its NATO nickname of "Blackjack", is the heaviest combat aircraft ever built.

Putin, who has overseen the roll-out of new tactical and anti-aircraft missiles and combat aircraft, has ordered "Blackjacks" and the Tu-95 "Bear" bombers to patrol around the world.

The report said the new bomb was much stronger than the U.S.-built Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb -- MOAB, also known under its name "Mother of All Bombs". "So, Russian designers called the new weapon 'Father of All Bombs'," it said.

Showing the orange-painted U.S. prototype, the report said the Russian bomb was four times more powerful -- 44 metric tons of TNT equivalent -- and the temperature at the epicenter of its blast was two times higher.

In 1999 Russian generals threatened to use vacuum bombs to wipe out rebels from the mountains during the "anti-terrorist operation" in its restive Chechnya province.

New York-based Human Rights Watch then appealed to Putin to refrain from using fuel-air explosives. It remains unclear if weapons of this type were used during the Chechen war.

U.S. forces have used a "thermobaric" bomb, which works on similar principles, in their campaign against al Qaeda and Taliban forces in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.

"It (the bomb) will allow us to safeguard our state's security and fight international terrorism in any circumstances and in any part of the world," Rukshin said.



© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.


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.........................................benny

Iran warns over 'US weak points' in Iraq, Afghanistan



TEHRAN (AFP) — The new head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned the United States Tuesday that Tehran has identified its "weak points" in Iraq and Afghanistan and would launch a crushing response to any attack. .... ...

Source / More at:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5...iwC.............benny





JPost.com » Israel » Article


Sep 11, 2007 18:31 | Updated Sep 11, 2007 18:31
'IAF targeted Iranian weapons in Syria'
By YAAKOV KATZ
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Talkbacks for this article: 101


The Israel Air Force jets that allegedly infiltrated Syrian airspace early last Thursday apparently bombed an Iranian arms shipment that was being transferred to Hizbullah, CNN reported Tuesday.


A graphic showing the Syrian foreign minister's version of events.
Photo: Rendering by Jonathan Beck
RELATED
'Israel was gathering intel on suspected nuclear facilities'
A ground operation may also have been part of the foray, according to the network. Neither Jerusalem nor Damascus have confirmed the report. But Damascus has denied the presence of any Israeli ground forces on its territory.

CNN said the operation involved ground forces and that the aerial strike left "a great hole in the desert." Although it did not name a specific source, the network cited "US government officials." The jets have been identified by the Turkish authorities as IAF F15Is, Israel's long-range bomber, after fuel tanks were found in Turkish territory.

The CNN report said the IAF's targets were likely weaponry delivered to Syria that was possibly intended for use by Hizbullah.

CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, delivered the report and quoted sources saying that Israel was "very happy" with the results of the operation.

Damascus complained to the United Nations about an "aggression and violation of sovereignty," saying Israeli warplanes dropped "military munitions" in Syria, the country's ambassador to the UN said Tuesday.

A US military official described the Israeli incursion as an air strike "deep into Syria" that succeeded in hitting a target. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because it was an intelligence issue, said he did not know what that target was.

Syria has called the incursion a "hostile act," but has been largely silent on the details of what happened. Israeli officials have refused to comment.

Syria's UN ambassador, Bashar al-Jaafari, said Damascus made its complaint in two letters to the UN secretary general and the president of the Security Council. The letters said the Israeli action violated a 1974 agreement reached after the Yom Kippur War.

On Thursday, Syria said its air defense systems had fired on IAF aircraft that had infiltrated its airspace near the coastal city of Latakia.

The government, including the Prime Minister's Office and the IDF, maintained their policy of refusing to comment on the incident following the CNN report.

Syria has been known to be transferring weapons of its own, as well as arms from Iran, to Hizbullah.

During the Second Lebanon War, the IDF discovered a wide range of antitank missiles and short-range rockets being used by Hizbullah that had originated in Syria. Several Iranian-made missiles were also in Hizbullah hands before the war, but these were mostly destroyed by the IDF before being fired at Israel.

Over the upcoming holidays, the IDF will continue to maintain a high level of alert along the Syrian border amid fears that Damascus will respond to the alleged flyover. Defense officials said earlier this week that tensions between the countries had begun to subside, but that there was a need to maintain a high alert "just in case."

Jerusalem Post staff and AP contributed to this report


................................................benny

Report: Israel spots nuclear installations in Syria

Published: 09.12.07, 08:15 / Israel News
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...448828,00.html

Israel believes that North Korea is supplying Syria and Iran with nuclear materials, a Washington official told the New York Times. “The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what little they have left,” he said.


The official added that recent Israeli reconnaissance flights over Syria revealed possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials believed might have been supplied with material from North Korea. (Ynetnews)
.............................................benny

Sep 13, 2007 6:50 | Updated Sep 13, 2007 6:50
Report: US to attack Iran in 8-10 months
By JPOST.COM STAFF
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Talkbacks for this article: 38


Germany's unwillingness to impose further sanctions on Iran has pushed the United States closer towards a decision on a military strike, FOX News reported on Wednesday.


A satellite image showing the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant.
Photo: AP [file]
RELATED
Livni pushes UN to get tougher with Iran
According to the report, Germany's decision has spurred senior US army officials to try and convince US Foreign Secretary Condoleezza Rice to abandon once and for all the diplomatic route of preventing a nuclear Iran. The report further stated that the date of preference for an attack against Iran is in eight to 10 months - after the US presidential candidates for both the Democrats and the Republicans have been chosen, but before the major presidential campaign kicks off.

The report stated that the attack would be comprised of two main strategies: cutting off the Iranian gas supply, which the US hopes would pressure the Iranian people towards action against their government, and an aerial bombing campaign, which would be meant to paralyze Iranian defenses and allow American bombers to destroy the nuclear facilities.

Opponents to a military strike claim that an attack would require at least one week of intense bombing, and that it would only set the Iranian nuclear program back a few years, the report said. Two other claims of the opponents is that an American strike would provoke Iran into attacking Israel, and that abandoning diplomatic action would negatively impact Iraq and the US troops stationed there.

........................................benny

Report: U.S. suspects Syria may be building nuclear facility
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/903635.html

This would help explain all the "zip lip" information disimenation responses from both sides and the "big hole in the desert" reports we've read about.

You just couldn't write a fiction novel this complicated and interwoven. World events over there in the ME with NK and Russia tie-ins are intrigue at its best.

Most of the world is sitting around with a vague feeling that something seems a little "out of balance" in the world today, and its kind of a dangerous out there.

http://www.kommersant.com/p803074/r_...ign_relations/

Politics Russian President Vladimir Putin made United Arab Emirates President Khalifa Bin Zaid Al-Nahayyan a number of interesting proposals in exchange for the $500 million Russia owes his country








Sep. 11, 2007
Home Vladimir Putin Props Up Arab Defenses

// Part of Russian debt to the United Arab Emirates will be paid in weapons
Russian President Vladimir Putin completed his visit to the United Arab Emirates yesterday. Kommersant special correspondent Andrey Kolesnikov notes that he began the visit by talking about the sword of the Zulfiqar with the Emirate minister of culture and proceeded to a discussion of modern Russian weapons with the emir.
At the beginning of his visit, Putin viewed the Treasures of the Moscow Kremlin exhibit in the hotel where he was staying. It's a wonder they didn't hold the exhibit in his room. There would have been enough space for it. The presidential suite at the Emirates Palace is 650 sq. m. It would have been even more logical for the president of Russia to view an exhibit called the Treasures of the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow. But, it was not that simple.

There were mainly objects from the vaults of the Moscow Kremlin museum. All the objects – helmets, shields, chain mail, saddles – had some relation to the East. Putin saw a replica made in Turkey in the 17th century of holy sword Zulfiqar, won by the Russians in a fair battle.

“But we took it from the Poles, not from the Arabs,” the Russian president explained to the Emirate minister of culture. “It fell into dependable hands.”

“The main thing is that it has been preserved,” the minister observed.

Putin was clearly unwilling to compromise bilateral relations over meaningless details before the negotiations even begin, all the more since the negotiations would be even more delicate.

According to information received by Kommersant, Putin proposed during his conversation with Emirates President Khalifa Bin Zaid Al-Nahayyan an interstate agreement on cooperation in the use of the Russian GLONASS satellite navigation system. That agreement, I learned from a member of the Russian delegation, is already being prepared, and the UAE is mostly interested in using GLONASS for military purposes. They were told that they could. That will be recorded in a closed appendix to the agreement.

Interestingly, Putin suggested that part of the Russian supplies to the UAE be made against the Russian debt to that country. Russia now owes the UAE about $500 million. Deputy Finance Minister of Russia Sergey Storchak signed an agreement yesterday on settling that debt, and that agreement also has a closed section that concerns of Russian military deliveries.

“Yes,” Storchak confirmed, “we will give back part of the debt in products of heavy industry, including heavy equipment and you-know-what.”

Also, I learned that Putin argued in the negotiations for a contract to create an air defense system for the UAE. That is not simply the delivery of weapons complexes, but a multifunctional, multistage defense system of facilities and forces. That system is to include close- middle- and long-range means. The value of the contract is estimated at $4 billion.

That was the most difficult part of the negotiations and no agreement was reached on it. It could not be reached because the UAE is now choosing between proposals made by Russia, the United States and a French-Italian project, and the decision will be made later. But the presentation of the Russian project was made at the highest level.

In the evening negotiations, the Russian president also lobbied for the inclusion of Russian oil companies in a project to develop the Emirate's capital, Abu Dhabi. The Emirates president, a native of that emirate. All the presidential family lives there, 4000 people in self-containment. The family members guard each other, cook for each other, photograph each other… The Emirates president is jealous of the rapid growth of the emirate of Dubai and intends to make Abu Dhabi a competitor of that city. To do that, he needs money, which means radically increasing oil production. Putin holds that Russian companies help increase the region's oil production from 2 million barrels to 4 million barrels a day. His ideas were carefully heard.

The Russian president did not speak about any of that at the press conference after lunch at the presidential palace. Instead, he said that restrictions on Russian investments in the U.S. and Europe are worrying him more and more and “if it goes farther like that, we too will be forced to take measures of a restrictive character.”

All the same, Putin has not lost hope of influencing U.S. plans to place a missile defense system in Europe.

“The chances are not lost and we have a certain amount of optimism,” he said, and that meant that the chances are lost and there was no optimism ever.

He confirmed his invitation to U.S. President George W. Bush to go fishing in Russia. “We have a lot of places for fishing – Lake Baikal, Siberia, the north of the European part of the country… George Bush loves to fish and I am sure he will enjoy it.”

Prince Albert of Monaco's trip to Tyva is beginning to fade before this big story…

When asked if he intended to “work at the same pace as now” (or slow down and think a little) after the end of his presidential term in March 2008, Putin responded, “Almost everyone in our country's favorite sport is hockey. We know that professional plays to the last second. I will work that way myself and do everything possible so that the ministers and administration also worked that way.”

That doesn't mean that nonprofessionals can't be fired at any second, however.
........................................................benny

Israel believes N. Korea selling nuke material to Syria Wed Sep 12, 5:11 AM ET



WASHINGTON (AFP) - Israel recently carried out reconnaissance flights over Syria, taking pictures of possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials believed might have been supplied with material from North Korea, The New York Times reported Thursday.

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A US administration official said Israeli officials believed that North Korea might be unloading some of its nuclear material on Syria, the Times reported.

"The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what little they have left," the unidentified official was quoted as saying.

A US defense official confirmed Tuesday that Israel carried out an air strike well inside Syria last week, apparently to send Damascus a message not to rearm Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not know the target of the strike, which was conducted Thursday, but said the US military believed it was to send a message to the Syrians.

"The Israelis are trying to tell the Syrians: 'Don't support a resurgence of Hezbollah in Lebanon.'"

Israel fought a devastating 34-day war in July and August 2006 against Hezbollah, whose missile firepower and use of sophisticated weaponry surprised the Israelis.
.....................................................benny

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8ad_1189667546......Iran And War World Three....................."Video"......part one.........................................................................................benny

Israeli PM vows to "Wipe Iran off the Map"

Tel Aviv, Israel— Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared Tuesday that Iran is a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the map" and banished from the pages of time.

Olmert's speech to participants at a "World without Islam" conference set a hard-line foreign policy course that continues the saber-rattling of his predecessor, Ariel Sharon.

Olmert pledged to continue on in the hallowed tradition of the Stern Gang who set siege to the Palestinian city of Acre in 1948, going so far as to poison the town's drinking water to kill off the inhabitants.

"The world should know, thundered Olmert, that Israel will take any steps necessary to bring about our goals, including invoking the Sampson Option."

Olmert also condemned Iran's neighbors which seek to break new ground in their relations with Iran. "Anybody who does business with Iran will burn in the fire of Yahweh's fury," state-run television quoted him as saying.

The White House issued a press release stating that Israel should use any means at its disposal to keep the land stolen from the indigenous Palestinians.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) California, was unavailable for comment due to her being hospitalized for a reaction to using extreme amounts of Botox.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, (D), Las Vegas, was also unavailable for comment due to his month long tour of Israel sponsored and paid for by AIPAC.



http://www.wakeupfromyourslumber.com/node/3498
..................................................benny

Are Syria and Israel Preparing for War?
JRMI News Commentary
by Jerry Robinson
Posted: 9/13/07


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tensions continue to mount between Syria and Israel after Israeli jets entered Syria's airspace from the Mediterranean Sea before dawn and launched a pre-emptive attack on a Syrian airbase last week. The Israeli jets were intercepted by Syrian air defense systems near the Turkish border. In a letter condemning Israel’s actions and calling for international action by the U.N., Syria warned that “the continuing silence of the international community vis-à-vis Israel's illegal act will place the region as well as the peace and security of both countries in the face of uncontrollable tragedies."

In the letter sent to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Syria warned that the "outrageous aggression" by Israel will have serious and "tragic consequences." But in a new report released this week, Israel has claimed that during possible nuclear installations were discovered during recent Israeli reconnaissance flights over Syria. A Washington official and the Israeli government are estimating that the nuclear materials may have been supplied by North Korea. According to the Nazareth-based Israeli Arab newspaper, The Assennara, anonymous Israeli sources stated that the Israeli aircrafts "bombed a Syrian-Iranian missile base in northern Syria that was financed by Iran." The anonymous sources added, "it appears that the base was completely destroyed." In addition to the ominous letter sent to the U.N., Syria has initiated a large call-up of reserve soldiers in preparation for a possible military confrontation with Israel, according to a Lebanese newspaper. The Syrians also appear to be appealing to the Islamic Turkish government for political and strategic support.

As the tensions mount between these two countries, the words of the Hebrew prophet Isaiah are brought to mind.


“The burden against Damascus. ‘Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap.’” – Isaiah 17:1 (NKJV)

Damascus is the capital of Syria and is the oldest city still in existence on earth. The prophecy regarding Syria is clear: Their capital city, Damascus, and their very existence as a global player, will be snuffed out. This direct Biblical prophecy regarding Damascus has never been fulfilled. The fulfillment of Biblical prophecy leading up to Christ’s return hinges upon the state of Israel, Syria, Iran, and several other countries in the region known as the Middle East. JRMI continues to monitor the events unfolding in the Middle East as they relate to Biblical prophecy. God has raised up JRMI as a “watchman on the wall.” It is a responsibility that this ministry takes very seriously. (Titus 2:11-13) God has ordained that many specific events should happen in the last days prior to the return of His Son. The Bible contains, with amazing accuracy, the details of these events so that we can “watch” and be ready as that day nears. (Mark 13:35)

One thing is certain in this day and hour: Christ’s return is at the door.

..................................................benny

The Continuing Threat Of Iran

According to recent intelligence sources, Iran has been launching Shahab-3 missiles from a container ship in the Caspian Sea then detonating them in the atmosphere. This “testing” implies the Iranians may be planning on some form of an E.M.P. attack. An E.M.P. is generated when a nuclear weapon is detonated 25 to 250 miles above the earth.

The nuclear blast interacts with the earth’s atmosphere (the ionic and magnetic field) to produce an intense E.M.P. The blast would have an impact on electricity and electronic systems. This includes electrical power, telecommunications, transportation, and banking services. Any major loss of power in a major city would immediately impact fuel (since the pumps work with electricity), water (because of the water pumps and purification plants), and the transportation of food into the effected areas. It would impact the area from 6 months to 1 year, thus destroying the economy, jobs and health of those in the impacted area. According to a July 2004 commissioned study, if an E.M.P was exploded 400 kilometers over the center of the United States, the magnetic pulse would impact the entire United States.

It has been suggested that there are several coastal areas, especially on the east coast, where a missile from a container ship or fishing vessel could be fired. The container ship would not need to be Iranian, since Iran is linked with Russia, China, and North Korea and these ships are continually sailing in Atlantic waters.

The Iranian President has also publicly stated that if Iran is attacked by either Israel or the United States, that he has 40,000 suicide bombers ready to attack American interest around the world. (Most of them are actually living in Iran and do not have direct access to get to the United States). It is believed, however, that Iran has about 50 sleeper cells in America that could conduct terror operations upon a given signal. A recent report from the New York counter-terror leadership said there are dozens of men being watched that have the potential to conduct terror attacks on American soil. Some counter –terror units believe that some within the group may have certain chemical and biological weapons. They are given the code name, “Judgment Day.”

Recently it has been leaked out of Iraq that the Iraqis have two deadly weapons in their arsenal. The first is anthrax and are believed to have up to 300 gallons. I recall it was alleged prior to the war that Saddam Hussein had 500 gallons of anthrax that has never been accounted for. Early rumors were that Iran was able to seize a certain portion of Saddam’s WMD arsenal (the majority of Saddam’s arsenal went to Syria according to former Iraqi General George Sadda).

The second weapon is less known but has been reported in the upper level intelligence community in Israel and in the United States. A scientist in Iran has developed a deadly chemical that can be placed in a major water supply. It has the potential, if distributed properly, to kill up to two million people. The Iranian scientist who has worked on this project has already tested the chemical on animals and on people.

Iran is without a doubt the most dangerous nation on earth to America and Israel’s security. The Iranian president, Ahmadinejab, has publicly stated that he will eventually destroy both Israel and America. A stolen laptop revealed plans to place nuclear warheads on Iran’s Shahab missiles.

With the liberal – anti-war politicians now holding the government in their grip, how could the president retaliate against a major destructive attack on America soil?

Trust me, American liberals may force the president to restrain himself in retaliating against a future terror attack with massive casualties, but these liberals would be outnumbered and overwhelmed by the fury of the American people who would demand the leadership in Washington to respond to fanatics in the homeland.

I do believe the terrorist are planning a major attack – soon. There are two opinions. The first believes the terrorists are attempting one more attack before Bush leaves office, to embarrass and humiliate him. The second opinion is that terrorists know President Bush would retaliate and the fanatics are waiting for the next president before initiating their “Judgment Day” scenario. This belief is enforced by confessions among recently captured terrorist. They believe the liberals will take control of the White House in 2008, and will not be strong on terror and war because their political base is anti-war.

Many are concerned about Israel’s survival. Trust me, if Iran wishes to take on the Lion of Judah they will open up the wrath of the Hebrew God and the Hebrew people. Israel has weapons in their arsenal that have never been used, and should the Iranians attempt to attack within the next two years, the Jews WILL survive and the Persians will not.

As Christians, we should pray that terrorist and their plans will be exposed (over 38 planned attacks have already been planed). We should pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalms 122:6) and at the same time prepare our home and families for things that may occur within the next 24 to 36 months.

Remember, our God is a man of war (Exodus 15:3). He can and will fight the battle for His children (1 Samuel 17:47).

- Perry Stone, Jr.
...............................................benny

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U.S.: Syria on nuclear watch list By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 5 minutes ago



ROME - A senior U.S. nuclear official said Friday that North Koreans were in Syria and that the government in Damascus may have had contacts with "secret suppliers" to obtain nuclear equipment.

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Andrew Semmel, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for nuclear nonproliferation policy, did not name the suppliers, but said there were North Koreans in Syria and that he could not exclude that the network run by the disgraced Pakistan nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan may have been involved.

Semmel was responding to questions about an Israeli airstrike in northern Syria last week. Neither side has explained what exactly happened, but a U.S. government official confirmed that Israeli warplanes were targeting weapons from Iran and destined for Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that Israel had gathered satellite imagery showing possible North Korean cooperation with Syria on a nuclear facility.

Semmel, who is in Italy for a meeting Saturday on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, said Syria was certainly on the U.S. "watch list."

"There are indicators that they do have something going on there," he said. "We do know that there are a number of foreign technicians that have been in Syria. We do know that there may have been contact between Syria and some secret suppliers for nuclear equipment. Whether anything transpired remains to be seen."

"So good foreign policy, good national security policy, would suggest that we pay very close attention to that," he said. "We're watching very closely. Obviously, the Israelis were watching very closely."

Asked if the suppliers could have been North Koreans, he said: "There are North Korean people there. There's no question about that. Just as there are a lot of North Koreans in Iraq and Iran."

Asked if the so-called Khan network, which supplied nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea, could have been involved, he said he "wouldn't exclude" it.

............................................benny

'Bush will be tried just like Saddam'
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
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US President George W. Bush will one day be tried in court just like deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein for his involvement in the Iraq tragedy, said Iran's supreme leader Friday.


Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 2nd left, and Iran's army commander Ataollah Salehi, right, in Tehran.
Photo: AP
Speaking to thousands of worshippers during the first Friday prayer of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Bush will be called to account for the US-led invasion of Iraq.

"A day will come that the current US president and officials will be tried in an international supreme court for the catastrophes they caused in Iraq," he said.

"Americans will have to answer for why they don't end occupation of Iraq and why waves of terrorism and insurgency have overwhelmed the country," he added. "It will not be like this forever and some day they will be stopped as happened to Hitler, Saddam and certain other European leaders."

Khamenei mocked the US, describing the recent congressional testimony of the top US officials in Iraq as a sign of weakness and the failure of American policy in the war torn country.

"More than four years have past since the occupation of Iraq and today everyone knows that American has failed and is frantically looking for a way out," he said.

In their testimony Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker raised allegations of Iranian meddling in Iraq by financial and military supporting militias and insurgent groups, warning that the US was already embroiled in a proxy war with the Islamic republic.

Despite UN sanctions and efforts to isolate Iran internationally, the country is flourishing, maintained Khamenei.

"Today we are in a better political position compared to four to five years ago," he said. "We have moved forward economically and the spiritual preparedness and happiness of our nation has improved."

"A nation like ours, without an atomic bomb and not as wealthy as these other powerful governments, has foiled a whole series of their conspiracies and forced them to give up and withdraw," he added.

The US accuses Iran of secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons and has called for further international sanctions against the country.

Iran and the US have not had diplomatic relations since Washington cut its ties with Tehran after Iranian students stormed the US embassy there in 1979.
..................................................benny

Rice concerned over Syrian nukes


In TV interview, US secretary of state addresses reports of possible nuclear facilities in Syria, says, 'We have to have policies that prevent the world's most dangerous people from having the world's most dangerous weapons'

Ynet Published: 09.14.07, 11:39 / Israel News





US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in an interview on Fox New's Sean Hannity Show Thursday night expressed concern following reports that Syria may be building nuclear facilities, saying, "We have to have policies that prevent the world's most dangerous people from having the world's most dangerous weapons."

Helping Out

Turkish intelligence assisted IDF in attack on Syria – report / Roee Nahmias

Kuwaiti newspaper says Turkish intelligence provided Israel with information on targets Air Force allegedly attacked last week without Turkish government's authorization
Full Story






Rice did not mention any possible attack on Syria, but said the United States was working with its allies to "shut down activities".



"That's why we have a Proliferation Security Initiative that tries to intercept dangerous cargos. So this is something that's been at the highest point of the President's agenda since he came into power and we work every day and we watch it every day and we're vigilant about it and we're determined," Rice explained.



When asked about her political plans for the 2008 presidential election, specifically if she would run for vice president, the secretary of state said, "It's not for me."



"I'm going to do everything I can to help carry out the President's agenda and to press forward on issues like the Middle East peace and disarming some of these more dangerous states and worrying about -- making sure that we fulfill our commitments to our Iraqi allies and our Afghanistan allies. And then I'm going to happily go back to Stanford."



In recent days news agencies around the world have published reports that the Israel Air Force operated in Syria last week.



On Thursday The Washington Post reported that Intelligence gathered by the United States over the past six months points to possible cooperation between North Korea and Damascus on building a nuclear facility on Syrian land.



The report said the evidence for the claim came primarily from Israel, including satellite images that led US officials to believe the facility could be used to produce material for nuclear weapons.



On Wednesday, a New York Times report quoting a US official said that recent Israeli reconnaissance flights over Syria revealed possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials estimate might have been supplied with material from North Korea.



The US secretary of state will visit the Middle East next week to press Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts amid doubts from some Arab states about the usefulness of an international meeting she plans to host in the fall, the State Department said Wednesday.

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Rice will make stops in Israel and the Palestinian territories on Sept. 19 and 20 to urge Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Mahmoud Abbas to build on recent positive steps and lay the groundwork for the upcoming meeting that President Bush announced in July, spokesman Sean McCormack said.



Her visit will follow an agreement reached between the two sides this week to set up senior negotiating teams with an eye toward reaching a general outline of a peace deal in time for the conference, which has yet to be scheduled but is expected in November.

...............................................benny

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...ow_article= 1

British jets intercept Russian bombers

Sep 14 07:14 AM US/Eastern

Putin Sends Military Signals at Recent Russian Air Show

Norwegian and British fighter jets were scrambled to intercept Russian bombers over the north Atlantic, the latest in a series of such incidents, Norway's military command said Friday.
Two Russian Tupolev-160 bombers or "Blackjacks" were detected by the NATO allies flying along the Norwegian coast before passing by northern Scotland, a military spokesman told AFP.

"We dispatched two F-16s from Bodoe airbase (in the north of Norway) to identify them," Lieutenant-Colonel Jon Inge Oegland said, adding that Britain had also sent aircraft.

"It conforms with the declarations of (Russian) president (Vladmir) Putin and we are expecting more such flights in the future.

"It was nothing dramatic but we are of course keeping a close eye on things," Oegland said.

Putin announced the resumption of long-range flights in international air space while he attended military exercises on August 17.

Even in the weeks before his statement, Britain and Norway had to scramble jets to intercept Russian planes near their airspace. Russian bombers had also been making increasingly frequent flights near US territory.

Such flights were standard during the Cold War standoff with the United States and its western European allies, but were abandoned in 1992 amid financial difficulties that followed the Soviet collapse.

Russia's head of strategic aviation General Pavel Androsov has said the aircraft will not carry nuclear weapons and that the main aim of the flights was to improve training for pilots.

But the flights come against a background of increasing tension between Russia and some Western powers. Observers also see it as a sign of renewed Russian self-confidence on the international stage.

Russia has objected strongly to US plans to place anti-missile defence facilities in the Czech Republic and Poland, countries that were ruled from Moscow during the Cold War but are now members of NATO.

Earlier this month, Russian and Chinese special forces held a joint counter-terrorism exercise dubbed "Friendship 2007" in Moscow, underlining the two neighbours' growing security ties.
............................................benny

INTL - Israel allegedly gets Turkish army’s OK for flights targeting Iran

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Israel allegedly gets Turkish army’s OK for flights targeting Iran

Source:Israel and Turkey

As the mystery continues over Syrian allegations that Israeli F-15 jets flew over its territory on Sept. 6, bombing some cities near the Turkish border, there has been increased speculation in Ankara that Tel Aviv received secret permission from the Turkish military for the fight by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) fighters.

"Israeli pilots conducted a training mission using a longer route while equipped with auxiliary fuel tanks, dropping them on their way in order to also test their maneuvering without the tanks. I am sure Israel informed the Turkish military about the mission and that it needed to enter into Turkish airspace. During the Sept. 6 event Israeli pilots were on a training mission to test their ability to reach Iran," speculated Ankara-based Western military sources.

Those speculations may also explain the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s relatively low-profile position on the issue, so far refraining from issuing a statement through which it could have sought official explanation from Israel.

Instead, unnamed ministry sources have given verbal explanations to the Turkish press, saying a swift response had been sought from Israel over its alleged violation of Turkish airspace and that fuel tanks allegedly dropped by an Israeli fighter or fighters were found on Turkish soil in the Hatay area, near the Syrian border.

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Israel informed Turkey that its entry into Turkish airspace was a pilot error. Israel has so far declined to comment on the alleged incidents.

However Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, hosting his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem on Sept. 10, described the Israeli act as “unacceptable” and stated that Ankara has been waiting for an explanation.

Using unnamed diplomatic sources instead of releasing an official statement could be seen as a clue that the Turkish military has again failed to coordinate its actions with political authorities.

For its part, Syria recently complained about Israel to the UN Security Council, but has not yet come up with proof that Israeli fighters actually bombed a Syrian site.

Syria said its air defenses opened fire on Israeli warplanes that had violated Syrian airspace and dropped munitions.

The Turkish and Israeli militaries have strong ties, staging regular training exercises over Turkey’s vast airspace under a military cooperation agreement signed between the two countries in 1997.

‘Target was Iran’

Having limited airspace for training purposes, Israel reportedly used a longer Mediterranean route on Sept. 6 to test its pilots’ ability to fly with and without auxiliary tanks.

According to a retired Turkish general, Israel was testing its ability to reach Iran, a country that has been failing to convince the international community that its ultimate target is to obtain an atomic bomb.

“Syria is very close to Israel and you likely don’t need auxiliary tanks for a flight to a neighboring country. To train pilots for a long-distance flight you also need pilots to test auxiliary fuel tanks. Using this long flight equipped with tanks, Israel tested its ability to fly to Iran,” said a retired Turkish general.

“During the training mission pilots dropped auxiliary fuel tanks to see the difference between flying with or without them,” the same source said.

With this long-distance flight, Israel also sent a message to Iran, saying, “Do not develop atomic bombs,” said a Western military source.

During its massive bombardment of Hezbullah targets in Lebanon last year, Israel faced the problem of being unprepared for urban warfare, said the same source, adding, “To be successful in war you have to be trained.”

Seeking to balance ties with all of its Middle Eastern neighbors, the Turkish government has been acting as a facilitator between Israel and Syria so the two countries can start a dialogue to resolve their dispute over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

http://www.turkishweekly.net/printer...=news&id=48567
__________________
..........................................benny

September 15, 2007
Did Isaiah see this coming?
by Michael G. Mickey
(9-15-07)

When I took off to Virginia for a brief visit to see my mom, I never dreamed that my isolation from both cell phone towers and the worldwide web would cause my jaw to hit the floor this morning when I discovered, potentially, why Damascus was accusing Israel of "aggression" last week after reports surfaced that Israel had dropped ordinance on Syrian soil.

As seen in an Associated Press article, North Koreans have been seen in Syria. Not only that, Syria, according to the United States, is now on its nuclear watch list as a result! Fox News is echoing the AP article.

What, exactly, were these individuals from a nation we are being led to believe is disarming itself of nuclear weapons technology and, potentially, actual nuclear weapons doing there? Apparently something of grave concern to both the United States and Israel!

While American Andrew Semmel, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for nuclear nonproliferation policy, is saying he doesn't know if the contacts between North Korea and Syria produced any results, a Ynetnews.com article indicates that a Washington official is saying Israeli surveillance has detected a possible Syrian nuclear installation stocked by North Korea! In addition, the article documents that an Arab Israeli newspaper is indicating that the target of the aforementioned Israeli Air Force attack of last week targeted a Syrian missile base financed by Iran! And to think that some, including myself, were beginning to think North Korea was at least toying with the idea of removing itself from what President Bush once called an "Axis of Evil." So much for that passing thought!

With every passing day, the prophetic scenario foretold by the Bible becomes increasingly clear. In Isaiah 17:1, Isaiah predicts that Damascus is going to be taken away from being a city and be left a ruinous heap!

I wonder if this is at least part of what Isaiah saw coming thousands of years ago that is bringing us ever closer to that event becoming a reality? Could be!

Keep your eyes on the skies, Church! Jesus Christ is Lord, God's prophetic Word is true, and soon we are going home!

...........................................benny

Be Afraid of a Game of US-Iranian Chicken in the Gulf

September 15, 2007
The Daily Star
David Ignatius
http://www.iranvajahan.net/cgi-bin/n...&am...mp;d=15&a=1

Overarching the Middle East like a dark canopy is the growing confrontation between the United States and Iran. The test of wills is sometimes obscured by the daily war news from Iraq, but it has become the main event in the region - carrying dangers of wider war and also some new opportunities for creative diplomacy.

The spillover of US-Iranian tension was evident this summer when Israeli intelligence detected signs that Syria was mobilizing its military forces. The Israelis put their own forces on heightened alert. They also contacted Damascus through intermediaries to warn against miscalculation.

The surprising return message from Damascus was that the Syrians feared a chain of escalation that would begin with a US attack on Iran. Damascus anticipated that Iran would retaliate by ordering its Lebanese proxy, Hizbullah, to launch rocket attacks on Israel; the Israelis in turn would attack Syria, which provides military and political support for Hizbullah. Israeli officials are said to have concluded that Damascus' war mobilization, while worrisome, was basically defensive.

Israel's concerns about Syria deepened with reports that on September 6, the Israelis had bombed targets in northeastern Syria, possibly because they suspected the Syrians were importing nuclear materials from North Korea.

The most dangerous flashpoint is still Iraq. Military forces are engaged - America's openly, Iran's clandestinely - in a battle for influence over the shattered remnants of the Iraqi state. Indeed, now that the United States has co-opted Iraq's Sunnis, the new American priority is to prevent Iranian hegemony over Iraqi Shiites. US officials say they have tried to reassure Iraqis they won't fight a proxy war against Tehran on Iraqi territory. But that's precisely what has been happening in recent months.

This intensifying US-Iranian confrontation was highlighted by General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker in interviews at The Washington Post last week. Petraeus said US troops had captured Qais Khazali, a leader of the "Special Groups" of the Mehdi Army, which is trained by the elite Al-Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. According to Petraeus, when interrogators asked Khazali if he could have conducted his deadly attacks without Iranian support, the Shiite fighter responded, "Of course not!" Crocker said he has warned Iran's ambassador to Baghdad that "No Quds Force officer is going to be safe in Iraq."

So what are the diplomatic opportunities that might defuse this growing state of tension? I count four, and each of them would require the Bush administration to conduct more aggressive diplomacy in the Middle East:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb

First, Lebanon. The moment may finally be ripe for a bargain that ends the year-long standoff between Hizbullah and the US-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. The opportunity for compromise would be agreement on a new president to replace Emile Lahoud. US officials agree with most Lebanese that the right choice would be someone who isn't closely identified with Syria or with the United States. But it will take some deft maneuvering (and American help) to identify the right candidate and close the deal.

Second, the Palestinian issue. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice heads back to the Middle East this week to coax Israelis and Palestinians toward agreement on a basic framework for a Palestinian state. The two sides are tantalizingly close, but they will need a strong push from Rice - probably in the form of an American draft document that summarizes points of potential agreement. In taking that step, Rice would upset the Israelis, but if she can produce an agreement in principle that could be ratified at a regional conference in November, she would disarm Iran's most potent propaganda weapon.

Third, Syria. Petraeus and Crocker indicated this week that security assistance from Syria in recent weeks has cut the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq by nearly half. Many top US military officers think the time to engage Syria is now; so do some senior Israeli officials. The Bush administration should be talking with Damascus, quietly.

Fourth, the Persian Gulf. America's top military commanders in the Gulf favor an "incidents at sea" agreement with Iran that would reduce the danger of a confrontation. The big problem isn't the regular Iranian Navy, but the naval forces of the Revolutionary Guards. An unexpected opportunity for discussion occurred last weekend, when the US Central Command naval commander, Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgriff, appeared on a panel with the brother of the commander of the Revolutionary Guards. This chance encounter at a Geneva meeting of the International Institute for Strategic Studies should be pursued.

The United States and Iran are playing a game of "chicken" in the Middle East. A collision would be ruinous for both. Each side needs to be careful to avoid miscalculation and act in ways that avert a crackup.
............................................benny

US strikes on Iran predicted as tension rises over arms smuggling and nuclear fears

Julian Borger and Ian Black
Saturday September 15, 2007
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2169797,00.html

The growing US focus on confronting Iran in a proxy war inside Iraq risks triggering a direct conflict in the next few months, regional analysts are warning.

US-Iranian tensions have mounted significantly in the past few days, with heightened rhetoric on both sides and the US decision to establish a military base in Iraq less than five miles from the Iranian border to block the smuggling of Iranian arms to Shia militias.


The involvement of a few hundred British troops in the anti-smuggling operation also raises the risk of their involvement in a cross-border clash.

US officers have alleged that an advanced Iranian-made missile had been fired at an American base from a Shia area, which if confirmed would be a significant escalation in the "proxy war" referred to this week by General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq.

"The proxy war that has been going on in Iraq may now cross the border. This is a very dangerous period," Patrick Cronin, the director of studies at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said.

Iran's leaders have so far shown every sign of relishing the confrontation. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared yesterday that American policies had failed in the Middle East and warned: "I am certain that one day Bush and senior American officials will be tried in an international court for the tragedies they have created in Iraq."

In such circumstances, last week's Israeli air strike against a mystery site in northern Syria has triggered speculation over its motives. Israel has been silent about the attack. Syria complained to the UN security council but gave few details. Some say the target was Iranian weapons on their way to Hizbullah in Lebanon, or that the sortie was a dry run for a US-Israeli attack on Syria and Iran. There is even speculation that the Israelis took out a nuclear facility funded by Iran and supplied by North Korea

The situation is particularly volatile because the struggle for influence threatens to exacerbate a confrontation over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

The US has called a meeting of major powers in Washington next Friday to discuss Iran's defiance of UN resolutions calling for its suspension of uranium enrichment. It comes amid signs that the Bush administration is running out of patience with diplomatic efforts to curb the nuclear programme. Hawks led by the vice-president, Dick Cheney, are intensifying their push for military action, with support from Israel and privately from some Sunni Gulf states.

"Washington is seriously reviewing plans to bomb not just nuclear sites, but oil sites, military sites and even leadership targets. The talk is of multiple targets," said Mr Cronin. "In Washington there is very serious discussion that this is a window that has to be looked at seriously because there is only six months to 'do something about Iran' before it will be looked at as a purely political issue."

US presidential elections are due in November 2008, and military action at the height of the campaign is usually seen by voters as politically motivated.

Vincent Cannistraro, a former CIA counter-terrorism chief who is now a security analyst, said: "The decision to attack was made some time ago. It will be in two stages. If a smoking gun is found in terms of Iranian interference in Iraq, the US will retaliate on a tactical level, and they will strike against military targets. The second part of this is: Bush has made the decision to launch a strategic attack against Iranian nuclear facilities, although not before next year. He has been lining up some Sunni countries for tacit support for his actions."

US and British officials have complained to Iran about the use by Shia militias in Iraq of what they say are Iranian-made weapons. The main concern is the proliferation of roadside bombs that fire a bolt of molten metal through any thickness of armour, which the officials say must have been made in Iran.

A US military spokesman in Baghdad, Major General Kevin Bergner, raised the stakes when he said the 240mm rocket that hit the US military headquarters outside Baghdad this week, killing an American soldier and wounding 11, had been supplied to Shia militants by Iran.

Gen Bergner used to work in the White House, where he was aligned with administration hawks, and his dispatch to Baghdad was seen by some as a move to increase pressure on Iran.

"There are an awful lot of lower level officers who are very angry about the deaths from explosively formed projectiles said to come from Iran. There is a certain amount of military pressure to do something about this," said Patrick Clawson, the deputy director for research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "That said, it is very difficult for us to do anything without much better evidence. In that respect, border control is a sensible solution."

Any US decision to attack Iran would force Gordon Brown to choose between creating a serious rift in the transatlantic alliance and participating in or endorsing American actions. British officials insist that Washington has given no sign it is ready to abandon diplomacy and argue that UN sanctions are showing signs of working. They point to the resurgence in Iran of Hashemi Rafsanjani, seen as a pragmatic counterweight to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Hopes that a new war could still be avoided have also been boosted by Gen Petraeus's claim that Iran's covert Quds force alleged to be supporting Shia attacks on coalition forces had been pulled out of Iraq. If true, it could be that in the stand-off between the US and Iran, Iran has blinked first.
.............................................benny

HomeNewsWorld NewsMiddle East NewsMy ProfileOffersSitemapFrom The Sunday TimesSeptember 16, 2007

Israelis ‘blew apart Syrian nuclear cache’
Secret raid on Korean shipmentUzi Mahnaimi in Tel Aviv, Sarah Baxter in Washington and Michael Sheridan
IT was just after midnight when the 69th Squadron of Israeli F15Is crossed the Syrian coast-line. On the ground, Syria’s formidable air defences went dead. An audacious raid on a Syrian target 50 miles from the Iraqi border was under way.

At a rendezvous point on the ground, a Shaldag air force commando team was waiting to direct their laser beams at the target for the approaching jets. The team had arrived a day earlier, taking up position near a large underground depot. Soon the bunkers were in flames.

Ten days after the jets reached home, their mission was the focus of intense speculation this weekend amid claims that Israel believed it had destroyed a cache of nuclear materials from North Korea.

The Israeli government was not saying. “The security sources and IDF [Israeli Defence Forces] soldiers are demonstrating unusual courage,” said Ehud Olmert, the prime minister. “We naturally cannot always show the public our cards.”

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The Syrians were also keeping mum. “I cannot reveal the details,” said Farouk al-Sharaa, the vice-president. “All I can say is the military and political echelon is looking into a series of responses as we speak. Results are forthcoming.” The official story that the target comprised weapons destined for Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shi’ite group, appeared to be crumbling in the face of widespread scepticism.

Andrew Semmel, a senior US State Department official, said Syria might have obtained nuclear equipment from “secret suppliers”, and added that there were a “number of foreign technicians” in the country.

Asked if they could be North Korean, he replied: “There are North Korean people there. There’s no question about that.” He said a network run by AQ Khan, the disgraced creator of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, could be involved.

But why would nuclear material be in Syria? Known to have chemical weapons, was it seeking to bolster its arsenal with something even more deadly?

Alternatively, could it be hiding equipment for North Korea, enabling Kim Jong-il to pretend to be giving up his nuclear programme in exchange for economic aid? Or was the material bound for Iran, as some authorities in America suggest?

According to Israeli sources, preparations for the attack had been going on since late spring, when Meir Dagan, the head of Mossad, presented Olmert with evidence that Syria was seeking to buy a nuclear device from North Korea.

The Israeli spy chief apparently feared such a device could eventually be installed on North-Korean-made Scud-C missiles.

“This was supposed to be a devastating Syrian surprise for Israel,” said an Israeli source. “We’ve known for a long time that Syria has deadly chemical warheads on its Scuds, but Israel can’t live with a nuclear warhead.”

An expert on the Middle East, who has spoken to Israeli participants in the raid, told yesterday’s Washington Post that the timing of the raid on September 6 appeared to be linked to the arrival three days earlier of a ship carrying North Korean material labelled as cement but suspected of concealing nuclear equipment.

The target was identified as a northern Syrian facility that purported to be an agricultural research centre on the Euphrates river. Israel had been monitoring it for some time, concerned that it was being used to extract uranium from phosphates.

According to an Israeli air force source, the Israeli satellite Ofek 7, launched in June, was diverted from Iran to Syria. It sent out high-quality images of a northeastern area every 90 minutes, making it easy for air force specialists to spot the facility.

Early in the summer Ehud Barak, the defence minister, had given the order to double Israeli forces on its Golan Heights border with Syria in anticipation of possible retaliation by Damascus in the event of air strikes.

Sergei Kirpichenko, the Russian ambassador to Syria, warned President Bashar al-Assad last month that Israel was planning an attack, but suggested the target was the Golan Heights.

Israeli military intelligence sources claim Syrian special forces moved towards the Israeli outpost of Mount Hermon on the Golan Heights. Tension rose, but nobody knew why.

At this point, Barak feared events could spiral out of control. The decision was taken to reduce the number of Israeli troops on the Golan Heights and tell Damascus the tension was over. Syria relaxed its guard shortly before the Israeli Defence Forces struck.

Only three Israeli cabinet ministers are said to have been in the know � Olmert, Barak and Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister. America was also consulted. According to Israeli sources, American air force codes were given to the Israeli air force attaché in Washington to ensure Israel’s F15Is would not mistakenly attack their US counterparts.

Once the mission was under way, Israel imposed draconian military censorship and no news of the operation emerged until Syria complained that Israeli aircraft had violated its airspace. Syria claimed its air defences had engaged the planes, forcing them to drop fuel tanks to lighten their loads as they fled.

But intelligence sources suggested it was a highly successful Israeli raid on nuclear material supplied by North Korea.

Washington was rife with speculation last week about the precise nature of the operation. One source said the air strikes were a diversion for a daring Israeli commando raid, in which nuclear materials were intercepted en route to Iran and hauled to Israel. Others claimed they were destroyed in the attack.

There is no doubt, however, that North Korea is accused of nuclear cooperation with Syria, helped by AQ Khan’s network. John Bolton, who was undersecretary for arms control at the State Department, told the United Nations in 2004 the Pakistani nuclear scientist had “several other” customers besides Iran, Libya and North Korea.

Some of his evidence came from the CIA, which had reported to Congress that it viewed “Syrian nuclear intentions with growing concern”.

“I’ve been worried for some time about North Korea and Iran outsourcing their nuclear programmes,” Bolton said last week. Syria, he added, was a member of a “junior axis of evil”, with a well-established ambition to develop weapons of mass destruction.

The links between Syria and North Korea date back to the rule of Kim Il-sung and President Hafez al-Assad in the last century. In recent months, their sons have quietly ordered an increase in military and technical cooperation.

Foreign diplomats who follow North Korean affairs are taking note. There were reports of Syrian passengers on flights from Beijing to Pyongyang and sightings of Middle Eastern businessmen from sources who watch the trains from North Korea to China.

On August 14, Rim Kyong Man, the North Korean foreign trade minister, was in Syria to sign a protocol on “cooperation in trade and science and technology”. No details were released, but it caught Israel’s attention.

Syria possesses between 60 and 120 Scud-C missiles, which it has bought from North Korea over the past 15 years. Diplomats believe North Korean engineers have been working on extending their 300-mile range. It means they can be used in the deserts of northeastern Syria � the area of the Israeli strike.

The triangular relationship between North Korea, Syria and Iran continues to perplex intelligence analysts. Syria served as a conduit for the transport to Iran of an estimated £50m of missile components and technology sent by sea from North Korea. The same route may be in use for nuclear equipment.

But North Korea is at a sensitive stage of negotiations to end its nuclear programme in exchange for security guarantees and aid, leading some diplomats to cast doubt on the likelihood that Kim would cross America’s “red line” forbidding the proliferation of nuclear materials.

Christopher Hill, the State Department official representing America in the talks, said on Friday he could not confirm “intelligence-type things”, but the reports underscored the need “to make sure the North Koreans get out of the nuclear business”.

By its actions, Israel showed it is not interested in waiting for diplomacy to work where nuclear weapons are at stake.

As a bonus, the Israelis proved they could penetrate the Syrian air defence system, which is stronger than the one protecting Iranian nuclear sites.

This weekend President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran sent Ali Akbar Mehrabian, his nephew, to Syria to assess the damage. The new “axis of evil” may have lost one of its spokes.

............................................benny

Sep 16, 2007 11:11 | Updated Sep 16, 2007 11:11
'Pentagon listed 2,000 Iranian targets'
By JPOST.COM STAFF
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US President George W. Bush and his associates are seriously considering declaring war on Iran and have listed specific facilities that would be targeted in such an event, while Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has slowly given up the idea of finding a diplomatic solution to the country's persistence in enriching uranium, a British report said on Sunday morning.


Vice President Dick Cheney, President George W. Bush, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington.
Photo: AP [file] , AP
According to senior US defense and intelligence officials that spoke with the Daily Telegraph, the Pentagon has gathered a list of up to 2,000 targets including a major base run by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Quds Force in the south.

Pentagon and CIA officers said that such a war would come to pass as a result of a "carefully calibrated program of escalation" that would lead to a "military showdown with Iran," the officials told the newspaper.

This scenario could arise once it was apparent that diplomatic efforts with the country were hopeless. When Iran would be internationally denounced for its interference in Iraq, the US could conduct cross border raids on Iranian training camps and bomb factories.

The report said that the raids would provoke a "major Iranian response" that could result in a halt to Gulf oil supplies; this in turn, said experts, would provide legitimacy to strike Iran's nuclear facilities and armed forces.

An intelligence officer noted that the US military had "two major contingency plans" for air strikes on Iran.

"One is to bomb only the nuclear facilities. The second option is for a much bigger strike that would - over two or three days - hit all of the significant military sites as well. This plan involves more than 2,000 targets."

The Pentagon has isolated its main target as the Fajr Garrison in Ahwaz - where it is believed that Iran manufactures self-propelled missiles used against coalition forces in Iraq.

A source told the Telegraph that "a strike will probably follow a gradual escalation. Over the next few weeks and months the US will build tensions and evidence around Iranian activities in Iraq."

Meanwhile, the Telegraph claimed that Rice was prepared to come to an agreement with Vice-President Dick Cheney and consent to military action against Iran.

Rice has been pressured by "senior counter-proliferation officials" to admit that military action may be necessary, a State Department official told the newspaper. She is now working with Cheney to "find a way to reconcile their positions and present a united front to the President."
.............................................benny

Sep 16, 2007 0:54 | Updated Sep 16, 2007 0:54
'Why would NKorea protest Syria strike?'
By DAVID HOROVITZ
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Amid reports in the American media that the alleged Israeli raid into Syria 10 days ago targeted a North Korean-Syrian nuclear facility, John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the UN, told The Jerusalem Post over the weekend that "simple logic" suggested North Korea and Iran could have outsourced nuclear development "to a country that is not under suspicion" - namely Syria. Tellingly, he added: "Why would North Korea protest an Israeli strike on Syria?"


Former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton.
Photo: AP [file]


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Bolton suggested that Syria, which he said has long sought a range of weapons of mass destruction, might have agreed to provide "facilities for uranium enrichment" on its territory for two allied countries which are being closely watched for nuclear development.

Bolton spoke as American newspapers reported that the alleged IAF raid, over which Israel has maintained official silence, was aimed at a facility in northern Syria close to the Turkish border, and that the strike may have been linked to the recent arrival of a shipment from North Korea, labeled as cement, but believed by Israel to contain nuclear equipment.

According to The Washington Post, Israel had been keeping a watchful eye on the facility, which is officially characterized by the Syrians as an agricultural research center. The offending shipment arrived at the Syrian port of Tartus on September 3, three days before the reported IAF raid.

The IAF strike took place "under such strict operational security that the pilots flying air cover for the attack aircraft did not know details of the mission," The Washington Post said Saturday, quoting a top US expert who it said had interviewed Israeli participants. "The pilots who conducted the attack were briefed only after they were in the air," the paper quoted him as saying.

The Syrian ambassador to the US, Imad Moustapha, warned at the weekend that Israel would "pay a price" for the raid. Interviewed in Newsweek, Moustapha dismissed as "ridiculous and untrue" the notion of Syrian-North Korean nuclear cooperation. "There are no nuclear North Korean-Syrian facilities whatsoever in Syria," Moustapha said.

On Friday, Andrew Semmel, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for nuclear nonproliferation policy, told the Associated Press in Rome that North Koreans were in Syria and that Damascus may have had contacts with "secret suppliers" to obtain nuclear equipment. "There are indicators that they do have something going on there," he said.

Asked why Syria would take the risk of hosting part of a North Korean nuclear program, Bolton spoke of "Iranian compensation" and noted that "Syria is very aggressive in pursuing WMD capability." He said such a partnership would indeed be risky for Syria, but such risks might be considered worthwhile "when you're as aligned as seriously as Syria is with Iran."

"It's a diversion game - to carry on even when you are supposed to have halted, as in the case of North Korea. And I'd be surprised if Syria would do anything with North Korea without Iranian acquiescence," said Bolton.

Bolton noted that North Korea had cooperated in the past with both Syria and Iran, on ballistic missile development. For instance, he said, in the late 1990s, after an international outcry, he said, North Korea halted test launches of such missiles, but Iran continued testing and shared the results.

Bolton said he was also struck by the "hesitant way" in which Damascus had complained to the United Nations Security Council. "They have not pushed as hard as I know they know how to do in New York for condemnation. They have still not explained the nature of the attack. If it had been an attack on a Syrian military facility or civilians, they would have no problem explaining."

Bolton said it was still possible that Israel had been targeting an Iranian arms shipment being transported through Syria to Hizbullah, as some initial reports suggested. But he noted that Hizbullah had already heavily rearmed, and thought it unlikely that Israel would therefore resort to the "serious proposition" of an air strike in Syria to stop another such shipment.

Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Ja'afari, meanwhile, said Saturday that nothing in Syria was bombed by the IAF, and nothing was damaged. Reports of such an attack were "ridiculous and not true," Army Radio reported Ja'afari as saying. Ja'afari added that "Syria does not have North Korean nuclear facilities."

On Thursday, The Washington Post reported that the US had been gathering evidence, mainly from Israel, over the past six months that North Korea has been cooperating with Syria on a nuclear facility. This evidence - codenamed "Orchard" - was said to include "dramatic satellite imagery that led some US officials to believe that the facility could be used to produce material for nuclear weapons."

In talks in Beijing in March 2003, The Washington Post further reported, "a North Korean official pulled aside his American counterpart and threatened to 'transfer' nuclear material to other countries. President Bush has said that passing North Korean nuclear technology to other parties would cross the line."

In his comments on Friday, the State Department's Semmel said: "We do know that there are a number of foreign technicians that have been in Syria. We do know that there may have been contact between Syria and some secret suppliers for nuclear equipment. Whether anything transpired remains to be seen.

"So good foreign policy, good national security policy, would suggest that we pay very close attention to that," Semmel went on. "We're watching very closely. Obviously, the Israelis were watching very closely."

Asked if the suppliers could have been North Koreans, Semmel said: "There are North Korean people there. There's no question about that. Just as there are a lot of North Koreans in Iraq and Iran."

Asked if the so-called Khan network, which supplied nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea, could have been involved, he said he "wouldn't exclude" it.


.............................................benny

Gates: US favors diplomacy with Iran
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The nuclear Iranian crisis forces the world "to prepare for the worst" which "is war," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Sunday evening, while emphasizing that negotiations should still be the preferred course of action.


Vice President Dick Cheney, President George W. Bush, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington.
Photo: AP [file] , AP
Kouchner, quoted by French daily Le Figaro, added that "Iran does whatever it pleases in Iraq ... one cannot find in the entire world a crisis greater than this one."

Kouchner's statements came just hours after US Defense Secretary Robert Gates reiterated the Bush administration's commitment, at least for the time being, to using diplomatic and economic means to counter the potential nuclear threat from Iran.

Speculation has persisted about preparations for a military strike against Iran for its alleged support for terrorism and its nuclear program.

Gates, in a broadcast interview, said he would not discuss "hypotheticals" about what President George W. Bush "may or may not do."

"I think that the administration believes at this point that continuing to try and deal with the Iranian threat, the Iranian challenge, through diplomatic and economic means is by far the preferable approach. That's the one we are using," the Pentagon chief said.

"We always say all options are on the table, but clearly, the diplomatic and economic approach is the one that we are pursuing," he added.

The diplomatic approach takes center stage at a conference in Washington on Friday. The US hosts the UN Security Council's four other permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia - plus Germany to press for new penalties against oil-rich Iran.

But earlier Sunday, the Daily Telegraph reported that Bush and his associates were seriously considering declaring war on Iran and have even listed specific facilities that would be targeted in such an event, while Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has slowly given up the idea of finding a diplomatic solution to the country's persistence in enriching uranium.

According to senior US defense and intelligence officials that spoke with the Telegraph, the Pentagon has gathered a list of up to 2,000 targets including a major base run by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Quds Force in the south.

Pentagon and CIA officers said that such a war would come to pass as a result of a "carefully calibrated program of escalation" that would lead to a "military showdown with Iran," the officials told the newspaper.

This scenario could arise once it was apparent that diplomatic efforts with the country were hopeless. When Iran would be internationally denounced for its interference in Iraq, the US could conduct cross border raids on Iranian training camps and bomb factories.

The report said that the raids would provoke a "major Iranian response" that could result in a halt to Gulf oil supplies; this in turn, said experts, would provide legitimacy to strike Iran's nuclear facilities and armed forces.

An intelligence officer noted that the US military had "two major contingency plans" for air strikes on Iran.

"One is to bomb only the nuclear facilities. The second option is for a much bigger strike that would - over two or three days - hit all of the significant military sites as well. This plan involves more than 2,000 targets."

The Pentagon has isolated its main target as the Fajr Garrison in Ahwaz - where it is believed that Iran manufactures self-propelled missiles used against coalition forces in Iraq.

A source told the Telegraph that "a strike will probably follow a gradual escalation. Over the next few weeks and months the US will build tensions and evidence around Iranian activities in Iraq."

Meanwhile, the Telegraph claimed that Rice was prepared to come to an agreement with Vice-President Dick Cheney and consent to military action against Iran.

Rice has been pressured by "senior counter-proliferation officials" to admit that military action may be necessary, a State Department official told the newspaper. She is now working with Cheney to "find a way to reconcile their positions and present a united front to the President."
............................................benny ..................................................................................................p.s....A lot of things have happened in the last 4 to 5 weeks .......For one,Iran claims that it has mastered the nuclear fuel cycle with 3000 centerfuiges.....In case some of you are not aware.....Israel, considers "that" the point of no return!................At this time, it seems that Israel and the palestinians have come to an agreement on border issues.....yet no mention of a 7 year agreement pertaining to security....But something about E. U. and world leaders trying to tie in the "European Neighborhood Policy" into the coming "November Summit"......To explain the "ENP" simply means that the European Union is trying to integregate middle eastern countries under it's umbrella of protection.....I think anyone with any insight can see where this is all heading propheticly.......(Revived Roman Empire and 7 year security agreement) ....But!....Israel will build the third temple!.....Based on the events of last week, it looks like Isaiah 17;1 almost became a reality....But the Lord is in controll and He knows what He is doing................From the looks of things...it seems that it's gotten down to the nitty gritty of the last of the last days as we know it, and that we could all be going home any day. From this point on....anything major can happen.....Look up, for your redemption draweth nigh!..........................

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5...7Bancm0qSSNUTA


Speculation heats up over what Israel hit in Syria

35 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Speculation over the target of an Israeli air strike in Syria has deepened with weekend press reports highlighting a possible North Korean nuclear connection, or a "dry run" for an attack on Iran.

New accounts in US and British newspapers of the September 6 raid went much further than initial claims by US Pentagon officials, that the attack was a warning to Syria against rearming the extremist Hezbollah group in Lebanon.

The Washington Post quoted an unidentified US expert on the Middle East as saying the target was a northern Syrian facility officially described as an agricultural research center on the Euphrates River, near the Turkish border.

After interviewing Israeli participants in the mysterious raid, the expert "reported that the attack appears to have been linked to the arrival three days earlier of a ship carrying material from North Korea labeled as cement."

"The expert said it is not clear what the ship was carrying, but the emerging consensus in Israel was that it delivered nuclear equipment," the Post said Saturday.

Interviewed on Fox News Sunday, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates refused to comment on the raid.

Neither would he confirm the veracity of leaked intelligence reports suggesting that North Korea may be helping Syria build a nuclear weapons facility.

"But all I will say is we are watching the North Koreans very carefully. We watch the Syrians very carefully," he said.

If North Korea were flouting its UN obligations to disarm its nuclear program and Syria were pursuing weapons of mass destruction, "I think it would be a real problem," Gates added.

Syria angrily denied as US "lies" suggestions that it was receiving nuclear material from North Korea, while the Stalinist state for its part said the reports were "groundless."

In London, the Sunday Times quoted an Israeli source as saying the raid destroyed what could have been a "devastating Syrian surprise for Israel."

"We've known for a long time that Syria has deadly chemical warheads on its Scuds (missiles), but Israel can't live with a nuclear warhead," the source told the newspaper.

The New York Times, citing a US administration official, reported that Israel had recently carried out reconnaissance flights over Syria to take pictures of possible nuclear installations staffed by North Korean engineers.

"The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what little they have left," the official said last week, according to the report.

North Korea could either be trying to evade UN inspections of its nuclear weapons program, or the material could be bound for Iran, the Sunday Times said.

Another British paper, the Observer, headlined its account Sunday: "Was Israeli raid a dry run for attack on Iran?"

It said the attack involved a flight through the airspace of Israel's ally Turkey by up to eight aircraft, including cutting-edge F-15s and F-16s equipped with 500-pound (227-kilogram) bombs and Maverick missiles.

Israel had shown that "if Syria's ally, Iran, comes close to acquiring a nuclear weapon, and the world fails to prevent it, either through diplomatic or military means, then Israel will stop it on its own," the Observer said.

In keeping with an official wall of silence on the event, Israel's military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin told lawmakers Sunday he would not address the incident directly.

But he said the Jewish state had now recovered its "deterrent capability" following the 2006 war against Hezbollah, Israeli public radio reported.

................................................benny

Iran's Ahmadinejad defiant amid nuclear warnings Sun Sep 16, 5:03 PM ET



TEHRAN (AFP) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday declared Iran had mastered nuclear technology and would never yield in the face of international pressure over its atomic drive.

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Ahmadinejad's comments in an interview with Iranian television were broadcast hours after French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned the world should brace for war over Iran, although he did not react to those remarks.

"Of course we will not step back," said Ahmadinejad in the interview with Iran's Farsi language international channel Jam-e Jam in response to a call-in question by a viewer.

"We have mastered the technology to enrich uranium and we have arrived at an industrial stage," he added.

"The West are talking about imposing sanctions on us. But they cannot do this," he added.

The Iranian leader repeated a demand for a public debate with US President George W. Bush to "discuss important global issues with the aim of resolving them."

"I had already suggested this the previous year. I am going to New York. Let us sit down together and hold discussions. But not behind closed doors. I have suggested that we discuss these global issues at the UN General Assembly to resolve them.

"Our aim should be to resolve these global issues. I want him to spell out his position and I will outline mine. There, the representatives of the 200 countries can evaluate them," he said.

Ahmadinejad said there could then