Some very disturbing reports are emerging over the internet about an imminent preemptive nuclear attack on iran by the united states this april/may and that the US has finalized plans to simultaneously attack both iran and pakistan. As a perfect excuse for this new war, a suitable 'false flag' operation is very probable. This might be something like the sinking of a US carrier in the gulf/arabian sea or even an attacck on the pope !!!




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Guys this is a very unsettling news. Do you think it is possible the US might just be planning to knock out pakistan along with the iranians??
Is there anything pakistan can do to ensure the US can't pull off a surprise strike ??

calm down, its bull plop :)

the americans wouldnt dare.....we have 50-100 nukes and they r not sitting looking pretty in their silos

We don't need a enstine to expline to us, it's a known fact the last front line for the west is Pakistan n Iran. Muslim ummah has been paralised, middle east can't do jackall, Islamic African states well lets not talk about them, these two Iran n Pakistan r the last active Islamic states which can harm the west n for them it is the last front line.

Last year I read an article (may have been on PDF) that Russians were reporting an attack coming last April which never came. Now I read the same thing again this year. Also why they be giving PAF F-16s, AMRAAMs, etc if they were planning to attack. Also, Pak is too closely allied with China.

MAy be not full attack but an invasion in NWFP and FATA is very much possible. If that happen our nuclear installations will be under threat to be hit "MISTAKENLY"

All I can say , this report is BS to the best ....these kinda reports generate every few months or so. Let me tell you , US economy is already in a big trouble , they can't take it anymore.

A economic metdown might be enough to trigger another WW3 though, Pakistan could be directly involved init.

Bro, US has this habit of making ground like this as they did in Iraq on WDM issue.

lol.... are u sure they aren't going to take on China too.... lol

Don't worry lads, if the americans come, drop me an email, i'll save ya.

Complete rubbish bro.

yaar, come on ....seriously , the report is just masala. If U.S were to attack Pakistan, they won't do it like that, they plan or if something crazy like 9/11 happens again otherwise they would do it bit by bit...economic sanctions ,they'll try to make our defenses as weak as possible.

and don't forget we are a nation of 165million , half of U.S.A ...too many to handle :D.

Exactly, and on top of it, giving massive aid just announced yesterday.
Why would anyone give anyone money if they were planning to burn them?

Besides, who in their right mind would address whatdoesitmean.com to be a report?
This "report"? http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1086.htm

Absolutely 100% without any doubt the US is going to invade and occupy Pakistan, The question is when?

Pakistan should really start organizing a national peoples militia and an armed youth movement, The entire population must be mobilized in a national spiritual awareness campaign, not only that but we will have to strengthen yet again the conventional forces, and the survivabilty and accuracy of our nuclear detterent, Pakistan should leave the chemical and biological warfare conventions and actively maintain an ABC armoury.

Well if US was to attack Iran--maybe there is a little possibility of it being successful. If US was to attack Pakistan, chances of success are even slimmer. So let me say this with out a doubt--if US attacks Iran and Pakistan simultaneously then these two countries have a much better chance of success in defeating US. In fact I have to say this- US will incur massive losses both in men and material! And I actually wouldn't be surprised if US military strength dwindles after this--not because of technology but because of massive decline in military manpower!!

So decide for yourselves--do u think US is foolish enough to do this??? My answer is NO--but maybe there are some Einsteins here with better logics!!

Just to contribute to this topic.

Following is Live With Talat Program on this very topic.

Talat Hussain in fresh episode of Live with Talat discussing possibilities of change of policy for war on terror, with guests Gen ® Talat, Gen® Asad Durrani and Shamshad Ahmed Khan (Ex- Foreign Secretary).

http://pkpolitics.com/2008/04/16/live-with...-16-april-2008/

Could Israel use submarines against Iran?

HAIFA, Israel (Reuters) - Anticipating a showdown with Iran, Israel decides secretly to deploy a submarine off its arch-foe's coast.
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But how? The quickest route from Israel's Mediterranean coast is via the Suez Canal, which runs through Egypt and which the classified vessels shun. So the submarine is hidden in the belly of a commercial tanker, which delivers it to the Gulf.

Such is the plot of an Israeli thriller, "Undersea Diplomacy." Does it hold water? Perhaps not. Then again, the author, Shlomo Erell, is no mere novelist. He's an ex-admiral with experience in Israel's most sensitive military planning.

"It's pure fiction, but it's informed fiction," he said simply, when asked if his book reflects how the Israeli fleet of Dolphin-class submarines could be used against Iran, whose leadership has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map," stoking international concern over Tehran's nuclear programme.

Israel has three Dolphins, with two more on order from Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, a German shipyard custom-building them at a steep discount as part of Berlin's bid to shore up a Jewish state founded in the wake of the Nazi Holocaust.

The submarines are a subject of deepest secrecy given speculation that they carry nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.

Many analysts believe the Dolphins are Israel's "second strike" weapons, referring to the Cold War theory that a country can deter foes from launching nuclear attacks by maintaining the ability to retaliate, even after its own territory has been laid waste. A nuclear "platform" out at sea is the best guarantee.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, and independent experts say it is years away from any such capability. Some, in turn, think Israel's expanding submarine fleet may be part of preparations to foil the perceived future threat through force.

"There is nothing on the horizon to suggest Iran would have the capability to knock out Israel's nuclear delivery means," said Sam Gardiner, a retired U.S. air force colonel who stages Middle East war games for U.S. government and private clients.

The Dolphins, he said, may be part of "a conventional capability to deal with the number of targets Israel believes would need to be struck in a conventional preemptive attack."

DISTANCE NO OBJECT?

Israel sent jets to bomb Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981 and has hinted it could do the same against Iranian facilities if U.S.-led diplomatic pressure failed to rein in Tehran's plans.

But the Iraqi raid was on a single site, relatively close to Israel's borders. Targets in Iran might be too numerous and distant for Israel's air force, especially as intermediate Arab states or Turkey would likely refuse overflight rights.

Israel is assumed to have ballistic missiles, yet its small size may make surprise launches impossible: an unannounced missile test in January became news within minutes as the startled residents of nearby towns reported the roaring takeoff.

Submarines could bridge the gap, especially if positioned in Iranian waters. That possibility has given rise to speculation that Israel wants five Dolphins in order to allow for at least one to be at sea at all times while others are being serviced.

The question remains of how far they might travel.

Israeli navy sources say the Dolphins do not use the Suez -- to avoid being inspected by Egyptian harbormasters. That means that, to reach the Gulf, Israel would either have to resort to fantastical ruses like the one in "Undersea Diplomacy," or send the submarines around Africa -- a month-long trip at least.

Jason Alderwick, a maritime analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, is skeptical.

"I don't buy the idea of a rotation. These submarines have not been purchased with a view to operating in the Gulf," he said. As Dolphins run on conventional rather than nuclear power so require regular refueling and shore maintenance, he described them as better suited to close Mediterranean missions.

Israel also has access to the Red Sea through Eilat port. But navy sources said there was no plan to dock submarines there because the narrow Red Sea, which is shared with several Arab states, is vulnerable to blockades at the Straits of Tiran.

DETERRENTS NEVER USED

Restricted to the Mediterranean, analysts point out, the Israeli Dolphins could pose a "second-strike" threat to Iran only if they carried nuclear cruise missiles capable of hitting targets as far as 1,500 km (970 miles) away.

Lee Willett of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies noted that Dolphins lacked the vertical tubes used by much bigger Western and Soviet-era submarines to launch ballistic missiles.

Cold War tests showed nuclear warheads are too heavy to be delivered long distances on cruise missiles, so Israel could hit Iran only with conventional warheads if they were fired from the Mediterranean, he said.

A nuclear attack on Iran by a Dolphin, Willett argued, would have to be from the Gulf, which in turn would give away an unsupported submarine's position and probably doom it to being destroyed by surviving Iranian forces.

"The whole point of a deterrent is that it's never used," Willett said. "In designing the Dolphins as a second-strike platform, I imagine the Israelis were thinking 'it's not ideal, but it's the best we've got'."

Israel does not discuss its nuclear capabilities, under an "ambiguity" policy billed as warding off regional enemies while avoiding the kind of provocations that can trigger arms races.

Erell appeared to support such thinking. The message of his book -- which made a modest splash in Israel, and is currently available only in Hebrew -- was "how to use a submarine without resorting to war." "It's about affecting statecraft," he said.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080417/wl_nm/...n_submarines_dc
















British sailors captured by Iran were in disputed waters: report

LONDON (AFP) - Fifteen British troops who were held by Iran for two weeks last year were in disputed waters when they were captured, not in Iraqi waters as the government had publicly claimed, The Times reported Thursday.
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Citing documents released by the defence ministry under Freedom of Information laws, the newspaper said the contingent of Britons was captured because the US-led coalition in Iraq had unilaterally designated a maritime boundary for Iraq and Iran without informing the latter.

The 15 sailors and marines were seized on March 23 near the Shatt al-Arab waterway which divides Iran and Iraq, and were released nearly two weeks later.

Last June, a report by the former head of the Royal Marines, Lieutenant General Sir Rob Fulton, found the capture was down to no individual human error, but a series of shortcomings.

According to The Times, the internal defence ministry briefing papers also showed that the Britons made a last-gasp radio call to their ship asking for a helicopter to be sent to give them cover, and also raised their weapons before the Iranian gunboats that captured them arrived alongside their boat.

The documents, which were addressed to the Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, blamed their capture on the absence of agreed-upon maritime borders between Iraq and Iran, and a failure to co-ordinate any boundaries between Iraq, Iran, and the coalition.

When contacted by AFP, a defence ministry spokeswoman was unable to immediately comment on The Times report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080417/wl_mi...rs_080417033507













Eye on Iran: The fourth option

The Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) has long been recognized as the biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world. It has funded, trained and armed several terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The discovery of Iran's extensive and clandestine uranium enrichment has only added to the international apprehension.

The US has had economic sanctions against Iran for 26 years. It has been a failure. Only Israel and Uzbekistan joined the US in the sanction. But even if other countries were to join, there is little evidence that would change Iran's direction. The suffering that sanctions bring is almost entirely imposed on the Iranian people. The regime will continue to function and will even use the sanctions to oppress the people. It will tighten its economic control even more and the rewards that it bestows on its followers become irresistible. That is what Saddam did that during the years that Iraq was under economic sanctions.

The EU has had a policy of "Constructive Dialogue" with Iran for many years. That too has been a total failure. The EU has made several offers for more advanced nuclear reactors and expanded trade packages. They also guaranteed nuclear fuel delivery at the market rate, which would be 1/3 of what it would cost Iran to make. All these offers have met with Iran's steadfast refusal to halt its uranium enrichment. This leaves little doubt about its real intentions for uranium enrichment.

Using the current methods of carrot by the EU and stick by the US, the West will never be successful in getting the IRI to be less of a menace internationally. These policies have failed because in both cases the unspoken assumption has been that IRI has the best interest of Iranians in mind. The US and the EU are democracies and the democratically elected governments need to be sensitive to the needs and wants of the governed or they won't stay in power. They have instinctively, but erroneously attributed similar motives to IRI. But the IRI is a totalitarian system and such a regime would collapse as soon as it starts caring about its citizens. This simple fact is the key to success in dealing with the IRI.

The West needs allies in dealing with the mullahs' regime. The natural allies are the Iranian people themselves. Iranians have been the biggest victims of the regime. Most Iranians do not support the Islamic regime and want to have good relations with the West. This is the Achilles' heel of the regime. The mullahs know it too. In 2002 when the government's own pollsters asked Iranians if they wanted to have normal relations restored with the US, 74% said yes. But instead of a policy change it got the pollsters arrested. They were sentenced to eight years in prison for "propagating against the Islamic Republic" and "selling intelligence to foreigners". This is a frightened regime that is desperate to hide the depths of its unpopularity.

You might wonder then why do Iranians put up with their government and not elect better leaders. As reported in the Western media, Iran has the usual organs of democracies such as an elected president and congress.

But what is almost never mentioned in the media is that the Iranian people are not allowed to freely elect their presidents or congressmen. Only candidates that are from the ruling circle and proven to be loyal to the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei can run in Iranian elections. They have even codified the pre-vetting process. A committee selected by the Supreme Leader has to approve every candidate for every national election. In the last presidential election over 1000 candidates were rejected and only allowed 4 to run.

Furthermore, the president has no actual powers and can be dismissed by the Supreme Leader at anytime. The same is true for members of congress. Iran has a Potemkin government. It is entirely for show. The power legally and practically belongs to the Supreme Leader and no change to the system is allowed without his approval. So people cannot vote their leaders in or out of office. The actual leaders are the unelected Supreme Leader and his appointees and even the for-show government is pre-selected by the Supreme Leader.

A government that knows it has majority support does not act the way the IRI has been acting from its very inception. IRI treats Iranians as the enemy, not citizens. They have executed over 150,000 political prisoners. They try their opponents in Revolutionary Courts where the accused have no rights. The judge and the prosecutor are often the same and the prisoners are tortured until they confess. They are executed for charges such as "Fighting the Will of God" or "Spreading Corruption on Earth". The regime's assassins have killed hundreds of Iranian dissidents including many exiles in Europe.

The rulers of Iran have closed most information outlets from the citizens. Access to the Internet is limited and thousands of political websites are blocked by the government. Ownership of satellite dishes is illegal. Hundreds of newspapers and magazines have been shut down. Journalists and bloggers are imprisoned, tortured and killed.

Canadian Journalist Zahra Kazemi was photographing a demonstration by the families of political prisoners outside Tehran's Evin prison. She was arrested, brutally raped and tortured. She died from her injuries 19 days later. IRI refused to return her body to her son who lives in Canada. A former staff physician in Iran's Defense Ministry who escaped Iran recently stated that he examined Kazemi in the hospital, four days after her arrest. He said Kazemi showed obvious signs of brutal torture and rape. This is the fate of many dissidents in Iran. Her case was reported in the Western media because she was a journalist and a Canadian citizen.

During the cold war, Soviet bloc dissidents such as Sakharov and Solzhenitsyn received a lot of attention and support from the West. Lech Walesa was a well-known name in the West. He received the Noble Peace Prize and addressed a joint session of the United States Congress. Walesa was a shipyard worker whose first demand was an independent union.

Mansour Ossanlou is a bus driver in Iran. He wants an independent union for the bus drivers. In May he was imprisoned and savagely beaten (They tried to cut his tongue off.). The bus workers had a strike in protest, but over 3000 government-paid thugs attacked the demonstrators and over 500 of the workers were imprisoned. Unlike Walesa's, Ossanlou's detention has received minimal media attention in the West.

Nelson Mandela, the imprisoned leader of the African National Congress (ANC), was a highly respected figure in the West for his opposition to Apartheid. But you have probably not heard about Manouchehr Mohammadi, the secretary general of the National Association of Iranian Students. He is still in prison for his role in student protests of 1999. He was tortured and held in solitary confinement in a 3.5'x6' cell after he went on a hunger strike. He is dedicated to non-violent resistance. His sister and father went to the Ministry of Information, but instead of getting help, they were arrested. On July 31, his brother, Akbar Mohammadi, a student leader, died in prison after his hunger strike. Unlike Mandela, Mohammadi's cause is not celebrated in the world media.

The diplomatic efforts over the past few years to get IRI to limit its nuclear ambition has had the negative effect of giving them a world stage instead of isolating them. For many years the human rights record of Iran was intentionally ignored so as to not detract from Europe's so- called "Constructive Dialogue" which has proven to be a total failure. US and Europe should vigorously and relentlessly ask for an end to human rights violations. That is the soft underbelly of the regime - not the nuclear enrichment.

Many times, the Iranian people have shown their courage in opposing the Islamic regime, but they lack an important element for their success. Hope. It is hard enough to risk one's life and liberty as well as risking the family's well-being, but without hope it is almost too much to ask. People need hope in order to continue risking their lives. Iranians have seen over and over again when a person speaks or writes contrary to the regime's wishes, he is imprisoned and tortured or killed. There have been no consequences to Iranian regime's abuses. The Iranian dissidents feel totally ignored, isolated and forgotten by the world. The regime does not feel isolated. It is time to reverse the situation.

The following are a few suggestions on how to bring attention to IRI's treatment of its own people.

Iran's regime is an outlaw government. It has openly and continually broken multiple international laws by supporting international terrorism. It should be ostracized and isolated internationally. European governments should recall their ambassadors from Tehran and reduce the status of their embassies to interest sections. They should demand the same from the Islamic Republic. There is also a good case for expelling Iran out of the UN. It has broken several of its rules; the most recent one was to call for the destruction of Israel, a UN member country.

Many high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic cannot travel to European countries because of their roles in the assassinations of dissidents. But the ban should be universal and also apply to people they kill inside Iran. Saeed Mortazavi, Tehran's notorious prosecutor, has been implicated in torture and death of several dissident prisoners. This June he led the Iranian delegation to the opening session of UN's Human Rights Council in Geneva. (Ponder for a moment the sick irony of that.) Canada's request for his arrest and extradition for the murder of Zahra Kazemi was unsuccessful.

The Iranian regime is an organized criminal entity and should be treated as such. All members of an organized crime entity should be prosecuted for the group's crimes. Iran's leaders should not be allowed to travel freely around the world. There should be a legal framework created to arrest and prosecute them if they ever leave Iran.

Under Apartheid, South Africa was not allowed to participate in the Olympics and the World Cup for 28 years. Iran is under a gender and religious apartheid regime that is far more vicious. At the very least Iranian sports teams should be banned from the international competitions.

Iran imports many of its tools for censorship and repression from abroad. Iran now uses SmartFilter, US-made software, to censor websites. Iran has also been using imported jamming equipment to prevent people from hearing and seeing radio and television broadcasts from abroad. Every effort should be made to prevent the Iranian regime from receiving such technologies and equipment for censorship.

Finally, there should be more attention paid to Iran's courageous and suffering dissidents. Unfortunately there are many faux reformers who want to tinker with the Islamic Republic system without fundamentally changing it. We do not pay enough attention to dissidents who are genuine believers in a liberal democracy.

Totalitarian systems are more robust than most people realize. They have only collapsed in one of two ways. The first method is what happened to German Nazis and Cambodian Khmer Rouge, military defeat by foreign countries. The other time collapse is when they attempt reforms like the Soviet Union and its bloc. All totalitarian systems are terrorist states. They only stay in power by terrorizing their people. Without terror their collapse is certain.

But such systems only attempt reforms when they experience a crisis of confidence in the leadership. We need to seriously undermine the confidence of the Iranian regime. These measures will help make it harder for them to continue their reign of terror. In the end we want the Iranians to rid themselves of the dictators but we should be willing to give them a helping hand. By allying ourselves with the Iranian dissident democrats we can avoid the costly and perilous military action that might result from the inevitable failure of our current policies. So forget about carrots and sticks.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apa...icle%2FShowFull
















Clinton vows 'massive' U.S. retaliation if Iran attacks Israel

Speaking at the Democratic Presidential debate Wednesday, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton threatened to launch a "massive retaliation" if Iran decided to attack Israel.

"I think that we should be looking to create an umbrella of deterrence that goes much further than just Israel," she responded to a question on this matter. "Of course I would make it clear to the Iranians that an attack on Israel would incur massive retaliation from the United States," the presidential hopeful added.

The Democratic debate was held five days before the crucial primary vote in Pennsylvania, and the two candidates were trying to make a last pitch to the voters. It was a contentious debate, and Clinton's rival, Senator Barak Obama, was getting most of the attention.
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Obama fielded tough questions dealing with past controversies, including the one surrounding controversial remarks made by the pastor of the senator's church, Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

On the question of Iran Obama took a softer stance than his rival, saying "I think it is very important that Iran understands that an attack on Israel is an attack on our strongest ally in the region" and that "I would consider an attack unacceptable, and the United States would take appropriate action."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/976033.html

FALSE FLAG OPPERATION SOON, ISRAEL ATTACKS ITSELF BLAMES IRAN THEN USA ATTACKS IRAN















Iran's president shows off military strength at parade

At a military parade Thursday the Islamic Republic's president told troops that Iran had become a powerful nation and no world authority could threaten its security.

''I am proud to announce that the Iranian nation's power today is so great that no major world power is able or would dare to threaten Iran's national interests,'' Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at a parade marking the country's Army day outside Tehran.

As part of the celebrations around 200 military aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) conducted a flyby of the parade ground. The parade also involved a range of armor and missile launchers, including Iran's long-range Shahab-3 missile, as well as other hardware and equipment.

''The Iranian nation with its courageous army will defend its interests with all its strength,'' the president said, adding that Iran's military would "effectively rebuff the slightest aggression" against it.

A senior Iranian commander warned on Tuesday that his military would wipe Israel off the world map if the Zionists attacked the Islamic Republic.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said Iran is on constant alert due to the presence of "foreign forces" in the region, and is ready to decisively repel any attack."

Six countries mediating in the nuclear dispute with Iran met in Shanghai on Wednesday to discuss new incentives to persuade Tehran to suspend its uranium enrichment program, but failed to reach a consensus on a new package.

The U.S. and the West have repeatedly called on Iran to halt its uranium enrichment, which many countries suspect is a cover for nuclear weapons production, insisting it needs to generate electricity. The country is currently under three sets of UN sanction over its controversial program.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20080417/105325120.html

Syria President Says Nation Ready For War

Syrian President Bashar Assad says his country is ready to go to war in the event of an attack on Lebanon or Iran by Israel and the United States.

Assad told a Lebanese newspaper Thursday that while the likelihood of war was currently low, Syria was wary of U.S. motives.

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breaking...212142680.shtml








China to sign gas deal with Iran



China’s national offshore oil corporation (CNOOC) declared it is willing to finalize talks with Iran on North Pars gas field.

The company said it keeps holding talks with Iran’s national gas company on a gas deal worth $16 billion to put it into practice. The two companies signed a memorandum last year to expand gas reserves of the North Pars gas field where as the $16-billion agreement was postponed to be signed through what called international sensitivities. Under the initial agreement on North Pars gas field contract, the Chinese company was to buy 10 million tons of Iran’s liquefied natural gas per year. “The two sides are still in talks on the issue,” the source said. Under the initial agreement, CNOOC also was to purchase North Pars output for 25 years in the form of liquefied natural gas.

If the deal goes through, it will be the second big oil and gas contract with Iran for energy-scarce China in several months, following a $2 billion agreement by Chinese oil refiner Sinopec to develop the Yadavaran oil field. Beijing has defended its growing business ties with Iran against criticism by the US, which is pushing for China and others to abide by United Nations sanctions aimed at pressuring Iran to rein in its nuclear program. “Cooperation between CNOOC and Iran is a business act between enterprises,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters recently in a routine briefing. “We believe that the actions to address this problem should not undermine normal trade and economic co-operation with Iran,” Liu said. (Alalam, Iran)

http://www.bbj.hu/main/news_38487_china%2B...ith%2Biran.html














US firms seek oil deals in Iran


American oil companies will take place in the 13th International Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Exhibition (IOGPE) in Teheran beginning April 16, Iranian media outlets report.
[A worker in an Iranian oil...]

A worker in an Iranian oil-processing plant.
Photo: AP
Slideshow: Pictures of the week

A total of 860 domestic companies and 505 foreign companies will participate in the IOGPE, including companies from the US, England, Japan and Canada, Exhibition Manager Mohsen Aghajani told the media.

"Coinciding with the 100th birthday anniversary of the oil industry in Iran, the five-day exhibition is planned to open on April 16," added Aghajani.

Iranian officials emphasized that the participation of foreign companies from 30 countries is proving their opposition to the American sanctions.
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* The Media Line News Agency

"This indicated that they are disregarding pressures imposed by the world powers to isolate Iran from economic arenas," Iranian Deputy Minister for Oil Sekhavat Asadi told Iran's Petroenergy Information Network (PIN).

"It is important first of all from the [oil] industry point of view, because with more than 4 million bpd, Iran is an oil-producing country which cannot be dismissed by any company - sellers of equipment, sellers of services and so on," Dr. Manouchehr Takin, a senior petroleum upstream analyst with the Centre for Global Energy Studies in London, told The Media Line.

"From the political point of view, I think the fact that politics has not hindered or stopped the exhibition is a significant point. This means that business takes priority over politics," added Takin.

Until date of publication, The Media Line has not identified the American oil companies that intend to participate in the IOGPE.

According to the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, it is forbidden for "US persons to trade in Iranian oil or petroleum products refined in Iran." Americans are also not allowed to finance such trading, and they "may not perform services, including financing services, or supply goods or technology, that would benefit the Iranian oil industry."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid...icle%2FShowFull















Korean lesson for Iran


Should the China-sponsored Six-Party Talks on the Korean Peninsular nuclear crisis set an example on how to end the standoff over Iran's nuclear program?

When China, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, the United States and the European Union gather in Shanghai today, it could be the beginning of a breakthrough for the deadlocked talks on the Iranian crisis.

The six nations have taken a correct decision by committing themselves to keeping the talks alive.

Today, as the six nations and the EU discuss ways to restart talks with Iran over its nuclear program, they have a challenge before them.

Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei will be the host of the Shanghai gathering. This invitation shows the Chinese government's commitment to seeking dialogue and negotiations for settling Iran's nuclear issue.

The foreign ministers of the six nations told the world of their "serious concerns about the proliferation risks of the Iranian nuclear program" when the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1803 in March. The statement they issued after voting for the resolution leaves the door for an early negotiated solution to the issue ajar.

The US decision to commit itself to negotiation-based diplomacy for the Iranian nuclear program is sensible. The participation of the US in the multilateral talks would be the best way of holding the key Security Council members together and offering Iran the widest range of incentives for responsible behavior.

Iran has maintained however that using uranium enrichment technologies constitutes part of its basic right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Given the wide divisions of opinion, future negotiations will probably be difficult.

Direct dialogue is a better way of easing the diplomatic crisis than the threat of military force.

To find a comprehensive and long-term resolution to the Iranian nuclear crisis, these nations need to show creativity and flexibility.

The Six-Party Talks on Korean Peninsular nuclear issue, which have been running successfully, are believed to display China's wisdom and patience.

We hope that the Shanghai meeting will work out a plan to resolve the Iranian crisis through dialogue.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2008-...ent_6620596.htm











Washington 'speechless' after Ahmadinejad 9/11 comment

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States said Wednesday it was "speechless" after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad voiced doubts about the accepted version of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.
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"I am not sure what you say about a statement like that. It leaves one speechless," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

"It is just misguided, misinformed rhetoric," McCormack said.

"I cannot tell whether or not it is something that he truly believes or if this is just an attempt to try to shake up public opinion in Iran or elsewhere," McCormack said.

Earlier Wednesday, Ahmadinejad called the 9/11 attacks a "suspect event" in a speech at a public rally in the holy city of Qom.

"Four or five years ago a suspect event took place in New York," Ahmadinejad said, in an address carried live on state television.

"A building collapsed and they said that 3,000 people had been killed, whose names were never published."

"Under this pretext they (the United States) attacked Afghanistan and Iraq and since then a million people have been killed," said the Iranian president.

This was the third time in just over a week that Ahmadinejad has publicly raised doubts about the September 11 airborne attacks on New York and Washington carried out by Al-Qaeda militants which killed nearly 3,000 people.

He raised the theme for the first time at a ceremony on April 8, Iran's national day marking its disputed nuclear program, which the West fears could be used to make nuclear weapons.

The president of Iran at the time of the 9/11 attacks, Mohammad Khatami, strongly condemned the assault. Tehran did not oppose the US-led invasion of Afghanistan that toppled the Taliban regime, which was hostile to the Iranian government.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080416/pl_af...QdIJjMBjx.8oKov










‘If’…the end for Israel – Tehran

TEHRAN (Agencies): Iran will respond to any military attack from Israel by “eliminating” the Jewish state, a senior army commander said on Tuesday. Deputy commander-in-chief Mohammad Reza Ashtiani was echoing Iran’s late leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Kho-meini, who said Israel should be wiped off the map. Some analysts have speculated that Israel might attack Iran to stop its nuclear activities, which the West fears are a front for weapons development. Iran, which does not recognise Israel, insists it wants nuclear technology only for electricity. “If Israel wants to take any action against the Islamic Republic, we will eliminate Israel from the scene of the universe,” the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Ashtiani as saying. “Our answer to any military attack against Iran will be strong.” Speaking later, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak did not respond directly to the remarks but said Israel was pressing ahead with its efforts to counter any Iranian nuclear threat.

Barak told reporters at an air base in central Israel that there remained much to do in “intelligence, in prevention and in formulating diplomatic and practical sanctions”. “We have to prepare, and if there’s a need, to take action, not just to talk idly,” he said, in apparent reference to reported remarks last week by cabinet minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer that Israel would destroy Iran if attacked. Opposition to Israel is a fundamental principle in Shi’ite Iran, which backs Palestinian militants opposed to peace with the Jewish state but says it offers only moral support. A 2005 statement by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad saying that “Israel should be wiped off the map” outraged the international community. Washington says it wants a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear dispute but has not ruled out military action if that fails. Tehran insists it will not bow to Western pressure.

Iran, the world’s fourth-largest oil producer, says it has developed ballistic missiles able to hit Israel and US bases in the region. Israel’s Defence Ministry has announced the successful test of the “Blue Sparrow”, a missile that will serve as a target for tests of its Arrow anti-ballistic missile system. Israeli media have reported that the target missile would simulate the ballistic trajectory of Iran’s Shehab-3 missile, which Israel fears could carry a nuclear warhead.

Stakes
Iran says it plans proposals to help end a row over its nuclear ambitions but at the same time it is raising the stakes before world powers meet by expanding work the West fears could produce bombs. The five permanent UN Security Council members — the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain — and Germany are expected to discuss sweetening an incentives package offered in 2006 when their officials meet in Shanghai on Wednesday. Iranian officials have repeatedly ruled out halting the nuclear programme in return for trade and other benefits. “I don’t think it is a bargain Iran will accept,” one Iranian analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity said. “The enrichment programme is the red line at the moment.” President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week further defied UN demands by announcing the start of a major expansion of Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity. Refined uranium can be used as fuel for power plants and also provide material for weapons.

But Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Sunday that Iran would soon unveil proposals with “a new orientation” to help end international and other problems. He gave no details. China and Russia are now pushing for greater incentives, but one European diplomat said he expected no major changes. “I don’t think there’s any particular desire to significantly rewrite the package,” he said. “We feel that Iran really hasn’t taken a close enough look at what is an extremely generous package.” A senior Iranian official told Reuters he expected incentives that were a “bit stronger” from world powers, especially concerning power plants and nuclear fuel supply. “It will be a basis for further talks,” he said without elaborating. He declined to comment on Mottaki’s remarks about drawing up new ideas. The EU diplomat said: “We’ll need to see what Mottaki means before we can judge.” British daily The Independent this week said Iran and the United States have been engaged in secret “back channel” discussions for the past five years on Tehran’s nuclear programme and broader relations between the two old foes, a charge denied by the US.

“The lines of communication with Iran are through established, clear channels,” White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe, said. The five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany will try this week to restart efforts to ensure Iran’s nuclear intentions are peaceful. The talks in China on Wednesday in the commercial hub of Shanghai aim to follow up on a package of political, security and economic incentives offered to in Iran June 2006 in tandem with further sanctions to punish Tehran’s defiance. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said China hoped for an “in-depth discussion on the resumption of the relevant talks so as to find a way for the proper solution of the issue through dialogue.” The one-day meeting intended to “send a positive signal to the world,” Jiang said at a regularly scheduled news conference Tuesday. The US, Russia, Britain and France are also part of the discussions.


http://www.arabtimesonline.com/client/page...480&ccid=11










Iran sanctions having impact says US
Apr 18, 2008 12:42 PM

Defending their approach to thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions, Bush administration officials said US financial sanctions were increasing pressure on Tehran by isolating it from the international business world.

The sanctions have not yet inflicted enough economic pain to pressure Iran to abandon any ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons but the administration is still hoping it would "change the calculus" for Tehran, a senior State Department official told lawmakers.

"Iran is increasingly isolated. Iran has to spend more time to figure out how to do trade, financial transfers. The sanctions are having an effect," Jeffrey Feltman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, said in a hearing of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.

Feltman said Washington is committed to a "diplomatic solution to the range of challenges posed by Iran."

The US Treasury Department has banned Americans from doing business with a number of Iranian state banks and other firms due to their alleged involvement in financing acquisition of nuclear and missile technologies.

The United States also accuses some of the blacklisted companies of helping provide financial support to terrorist groups in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.

Many international banks and companies have opted to observe the US sanctions and shun business with Iran, said US Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary Daniel Glaser, saying the strategy was "having an effect."

But lawmakers on the panel expressed frustration that the Bush administration had not taken strong enough action on Iran and said the sanctions would do little to persuade Tehran to change its ways.

"Having a policy of hope is horse dung. Praise the Lord, but pass the ammunition," said Rep Gary Ackerman, a New York Democrat. He said there wasn't enough pressure on Iran. "What is the 'or else' here? We'll tell the UN?" he asked.

California Rep Edward Royce, a Republican, said Treasury should add Bank Markazi, Iran's central bank, to its sanctions list, calling it the "central bank of terrorism."

Glaser said Bank Markazi was employing deceptive practices to help blacklisted institutions skirt sanctions, such as requesting anonymity in international transactions.

He said that while sanctioning the central bank itself was an option, the US was not yet ready to take that step.

"Taking action against the central bank of Iran is an extraordinary step. It is certainly something that is within our tool box," Glaser said. "But it is important to do this the right way and it's important to work with the international community.

Through co-ordination with the Financial Action Task Force, a multinational anti-money laundering body, Glaser said several countries, including the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Malaysia, have warned their financial institutions of the risks inherent in doing business with Iran.

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1725171








Iran: Turkey’s next door, but far-away, neighbor

The intelligence work to take action against Iran, it seems, has been completed. The trigger for such an attack reportedly includes any confirmation that Iran was developing a nuclear weapon, which it denies.

What is this?

Alternatively, a high-casualty attack on US forces in neighboring Iraq could also trigger a bombing campaign if it were traced directly back to Tehran. Long range B-2 stealth bombers would drop so-called "bunker-busting" bombs in an effort to penetrate the Natanz site, which is buried some 25 meters underground. Such an attack would generate catastrophic consequences. It would backfire badly by likely encouraging the Iranian government to develop a nuclear weapon in the long term.

All reports indicate that the US military action against Iran will be taken before the presidential elections in 2009. The possibility of Israel acting if Washington is constrained from doing so is also high on the agenda. Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman declared that Israel might not wait for the approval of the international community to attack Iran. "We will have to face the Iranians alone, because Israel cannot remain with arms folded, waiting patiently for Iran to develop non-conventional weapons," he said. Such an attack would not be the first of its kind: In fact, Israel launched an aerial attack on Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981. In response, the deputy commander of Iran's air force said last September that plans had been drawn up to bomb Israel if it attacks Iran.

Iran: a different case

Make no mistake: Iran is neither Iraq nor Afghanistan. The ramifications of an attack on Iran will certainly be far-reaching for the region in particular and the US in general. Washington will not find it easy to launch a military attack on Iran given its often misguided intelligence and less than impressive track-record in Iraq and Afghanistan. Iran, a much stronger country than these two states, made it clear that it would not hesitate to play its military and energy cards.

Further, the European Union, which keeps calling for constructive dialogue with Iran, may not join the US in a possible military action. Similarly, Russia and China will not let Tehran, their trusted ally, be removed from the Middle East chessboard by force. Even though the Gulf countries are intimidated by Iran because of its possible retaliatory strikes and their own Shia populations, they are not keen on the US resorting to an armed intervention.

Like Iran's main trading partners in the EU, Turkey has been under heavy and ongoing US pressure to cut its economic ties with Iran. One primary area concerns energy supplies. Iran's energy endowment and the world energy security concerns are among the key reasons some countries prefer to take a relatively lenient approach vis-à-vis Iran. As a "regional energy superpower," Iran holds 10 percent of the proven oil reserves and 15 percent of the natural gas reserves in the world.

Yet, it is unable to effectively exploit its own resources -- it hardly meets domestic demand and the exports fall far short of its huge potential. In terms of crude oil Iran produces about 4 million barrels per day (mbd) -- 2.5 mbd of this amount is exported to the Asian markets via the Strait of Hormuz. The annual natural gas production is 84 billion cubic meters (bcm); it fails to make exports because of the growing domestic consumption and limited investments, particularly in the giant South Pars fields. Iran has the potential to control the "energy corridor" that stretches from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan to eastern Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. It is in competition with Turkey, which aspires to become a regional hub for the Central Asian/Caspian/Russian and Middle Eastern hydrocarbon exports.

There is also a growing prospect for cooperation between Turkey and Iran as Tehran remains the second largest natural gas supplier (20 percent) for Turkey after Gazprom. The 2,577-kilometer natural gas pipeline, completed in 2001, between the two countries stretches from Tabriz to Ankara. Under the gas agreement signed on Aug. 30, 1996, between Turkey and Iran, 30 million cubic meters of natural gas each day should be pumped to Turkey; however, there have been sudden supply cuts, particularly in the winter. By choking off the gas stream, particularly in winter, Iran has been sending a not-so-subtle message to its neighbor to stay out of any Western efforts to rein in its disputed nuclear program.

Iran and Turkey signed a preliminary agreement in July 2007 to pump Iranian gas to Europe via Turkey, a move that will open a new export market for Iran's massive reserves. Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh said the memorandum of understanding (MoU) included an agreement to pump gas from Turkmenistan to Turkey via Iran and Tehran's approval for Ankara to develop the phases 22, 23 and 24 of Iran's South Pars gas field.

This MoU is designed to allow the transit of Iran's gas to Europe via Turkey and let Turkmenistan's gas be exported to Europe through Iranian territory. The proposed Nabucco pipeline project that will cross Turkey is backed by the EU partly as a means to diversify away from reliance on Russia by gaining access to Central Asian gas. The pipeline, running across Turkey to Hungary and Austria through the eastern Balkans, will eventually be able to carry 31 bcm of gas a year from producers in Central Asia to big consuming countries in Europe.

US perception of Turkey-Iran relations

Turkey's increasing energy cooperation with Iran has been viewed by Washington as "troubling." " Now is not the time for business as usual with Iran. We urge all of our friends and allies, including Turkey, to not reward Iran by investing in its oil and gas sector, while Iran continues to defy the United Nations Security Council by continuing its nuclear research for a weapons capability," said a White House spokesperson.

Ankara cannot afford to stand idly on the sidelines and await a fait accompli from Washington or Tel Aviv. If the US decides to strike the Iranian territories itself -- which will turn the Middle East into a hell once again with implications for the political and geographical map of this region -- it is highly probable that Washington will request Turkey's cooperation for use of the jointly operated bases and immediate closure of the borders to trade and human traffic.

Further, it may also ask the Turkish authorities to back up the military action by way of the trump cards at its discretion, including its support for Turkish operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), continued financial aid in such a gloomy global economic environment and a helping hand to the Turkish aspiration to become a regional energy hub between Eurasia/Middle East and Europe. Given that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government is currently facing serious domestic and international challenges, it is feared that Ankara will be in a very difficult position to resist Washington's attempts.

In March 2008, US Vice President Dick Cheney already announced during his visit to Turkey that the US administration was considering Turkey as the third leg of the missile shield system that will also include Poland and the Czech Republic; the projected shield will serve as a defense against the Iranian (and North Korean) long-range missiles. Cheney's last visit to Turkey was in 2002 in the run up to the Iraq War to ask support from then-Turkish Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit for the invasion. He gave the signal that the option of a military intervention in Iran was still on the table but did not talk openly about these plans. Instead, he mentioned the sanctions at the UN Security Council and emphasized the need to isolate Iran, warning that Iran's nuclear power threatens Turkey as well.

From whatever angle one views the situation, it seems almost impossible for Turkey to stay away from any growing row between Iran and Washington. Turkey will be frequently reminded of the cost of its ambivalent attitude before and during the Iraqi invasion vis-à-vis the persistent US requests for cooperation. In retrospect, the rejection of the March 2003 parliamentary motion to allow US troops to use Turkish soil as a staging ground for an invasion of Iraq did not seem to have much of an impact as the US army clandestinely went ahead with its plans anyway.

A war against Iran is likely to be very unpopular among Turks, but this time the Turkish public appear to be too distracted by domestic crises exploding one after another and too divided to take the threat seriously until the last minute. Hence, the Turkish leadership has to make its own assessments considering different scenarios based on its available and realistic options in an effort to hammer out a "smart" strategy that will avoid making it a permanent enemy of Iran, while at the same time joining the international community's efforts to curb the excesses of the Iranian regime to become a nuclear power, expand the Shiite sphere of influence in the immediate neighborhood, the Gulf and Central Asia, and export its own brand of Islam and militant groups worldwide.

If it bows to US pressure a crisis with neighboring Iran is inescapable; if it rejects straight away any possibility of supporting the US in the event of a confrontation with Iran, this time another full-fledged crisis between Turkey and the US could be unavoidable. Ankara may decide that it has learned from the punishment inflicted on it by Washington after its Parliament's decision to ban US troops from opening a northern front against Iraq from İncirlik during the 2003 invasion and offer logistic support. On the other hand, Turkey will not want to jeopardize its historic and good neighborly links with Iran. Turkey is painfully aware that a change of regime in Iran and ensuing Iraq-like instability would almost inevitably lead to the creation of an independent Kurdish state.

The Turks also know that long after the dust has cleared and the Americans have disappeared over the horizon again, they will be paying for the collusion in action against Iran for many years. Therefore, Turkey needs to create different options to resist Washington's pressures and to review its options based on long-term strategic interests. What a colossal task -- it is easier said than done. Good luck to the Turkish diplomats and generals who have to craft a well-balanced, proactive and long-term strategy vis-à-vis Tehran, Washington, Brussels and regional capitals.

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar...amp;link=139312

Olmert says Iran will never be a nuclear power

Iran will never become a nuclear power, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was quoted on Thursday as saying, as Iran's president was proclaiming his country the "most powerful nation" on earth.

"I can say... that, to my knowledge, and on the basis of what I know and read, I believe the efforts of the international community will succeed, and that Iran will not become a nuclear power," he told the Maariv daily.

"There is an enormous effort on the part of the international community to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear country. Israel plays an important part in those efforts, without leading them."

Building on that, and in an allusion to recent threats made against Iran by an Israel minister, Olmert added: "That is why Israel should not resort to threats as made recently."

Last week, Israeli National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer warned that any Iranian attack against Israel "would lead to the destruction of the Iranian nation."

That prompted a response from the deputy commander of Iran's army, Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, that his country would "eliminate Israel from the global arena" if it were attacked by the Jewish state.

Olmert's remarks were published as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at a military parade marking Army Day that "Iran is the most powerful and independent nation in the world."

Ahmadinejad said all the branches of the armed forces would react forcefully in response to any attack against Iran, and boasted that no one would dare to launch a strike on the country.

The United States and Israel, the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, accused Iran of using its civilian nuclear power programme as a cover for attempting to develop an atomic bomb.

Tehran vehemently denies that, but has had three sets of United Nations Security Council sanctions slapped on it over its refusal to stop enriching uranium.

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Olmert_say..._power_999.html















Syria: War With Israel Is A Real Possibility


(RTTNews) - Syrian President Bashar Assad has said that while the likelihood of war with Israel breaking out is low given the current circumstances, he sees war with Israel as a real possibility, and is preparing for such an event.

Speaking to a group of Arab intellectuals at a conference in Damascus, the Syrian president added that whilst war is not a preferable option, "if Israel declares war on Lebanon and Syria or if America declares war on Iran," his country would be prepared.

According to the Syrian leader, there are those in the American administration who want this war, and Damascus is preparing for the worst. "We're acting as if war is imminent and are preparing for it, but our intelligence does not indicate that such war is on the horizon."

"None of us can rule out the option of war, but it is arguable whether Israel will launch war against Lebanon or Syria, or whether the U.S. will launch a war against Iran.

"We should analyze the situation from the perspective of American interests, because the last war in Lebanon has shown that at some point Israel wanted to stop the fighting, but was forced by the U.S. administration to pursue it further," Assad stated.

Assad said that the Second Lebanon War has made Israel less assured of its existence in the Middle East while he sounded very optimistic regarding the Arabs' future in the Middle East in view of Israel's "ageing" following the war.

"After the Lebanon war it was proved that we, the Arabs, are renewing our young generation, while Israel is entering stage of old age.

"Following this war, the question of the country's fate and continued existence has arisen in Israel. Let us let them deal with their issues… while we act according to our own interests," the Syrian leader added.

On normalizing relations with Israel, Assad seemed skeptical: "What's happening in Egypt and Jordan proves that the public is not interested in normalization, and it cannot be forced on it. I know that the Syrian people reject normalization and will not force it on them."

Syria has recently strengthened its forces on the border with Israel, fearing that a Hizbullah retaliatory attack against Israeli targets for Imad Mugniyah's death may lead to a military escalation in the region.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper that Israel and Syria have been exchanging messages "on the issues at stake." In an interview to be published Friday, the Israeli Premier stated: "I can assure you that on the matters that concern us and the Syrians, they know what I want from them, and I know very well what they want from us."

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStor...ernational.nasd













Olmert says Israel not under Syrian nuclear threat


JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Damascus does not pose a nuclear threat to Israel, making the cryptic comments in response to a question in a newspaper interview about a mysterious Israeli air strike in Syria.

Israel has given no details on the identity of the target its planes struck inside Syria on September 6. Some U.S. officials linked the raid to suspicions of secret nuclear cooperation between Syria and North Korea.

"There are things I am not willing to discuss, Olmert, asked about the air strike, said in an interview published on Thursday in Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

"I will only say this: To the best of my knowledge, Israelis are not under Syrian nuclear threat," Olmert said.

Damascus and Pyongyang denied any nuclear ties.


http://africa.reuters.com/world/news/usnL17663467.html















Zionists 'using disputed missile'

GAZA: Tiny darts sprayed from a controversial missile used by Israel killed a Reuters cameraman in Gaza, doctors said yesterday.

A medical examination and X-rays showed several 3-cm -long spikes, known as flechettes, in the body of Fadel Shana, a 23-year-old Palestinian. He was killed on Wednesday as he filmed an Israeli tank dug-in about a kilometre away.

The last few seconds of video shot on Shana's tripod-mounted camera show the tank firing, then a mid-air explosion consistent with the burst of a missile. The camera was shattered in the explosion. Black metal darts were embedded in Shana's body armour, which bore a fluorescent strip reading "PRESS".

Shana's soundman, Wafa Abu Mizyed, was wounded in the arm and two teenage bystanders were also killed in the incident. A Reuters car carrying "TV" and "Press" markings was destroyed.

Reuters, backed by media organisations in the region and around the world, has requested an urgent investigation by the Israeli army.

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?A...p;IssueID=31029













Peres: Israel ready for territorial compromise to achieve peace

Apr 17, 2008, 14:04 GMT

Warsaw - Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Thursday in Warsaw that his country is prepared to compromise on territorial issues in the search for a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict.

'We are ready to forgo land in order to reach a genuine peace with the Palestinians and grant them the possibility to found their own state,' Peres told the Polish parliament at the end of his four-day visit to the central European country.

This Palestinian neighbour state should 'flourish economically, strive for peace and live in freedom,' he said.

Peres on Tuesday attended ceremonies commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising against the Nazi occupiers.

Israel returned to Egypt 'all territories, all the water and oil' in exchange for peace, the Israel president told Poland's parliament, referring to Israel's return in 1982 of the Sinai peninsula, which the Jewish state won in battle in the 1973 Mideast war.

Peres pointed to Europe as an example of how 'thousands of years of war' could be successfully ended and said that Israelis, like Europe, had to seek to overcome the conflicts of the past.

Peres also praised the positive changes in Polish attitudes toward Israel, recognizing in this regard former Polish president Lech Walesa as well as the current President Lech Kaczynski.

The new Poland is among Israel's best friends in Europe.

In his address, Israel's president reminded his audience that Jews since the 11th century had settled in Poland, which by the 17th century was one of the largest centres of Jewish life in Europe.

Before the Second World War, almost 3.5 million Jews lived in Central Europe.














Israel's Netanyahu sees possible peace deal with Palestinians as "invalid"

Israeli opposition leader and Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the peace agreement that might be achieved between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is no more than a cynical invalid deal, local newspaper

In an interview with the right wing affiliated newspaper, Netanyahu said that he would regard general elections as a referendum on the potential peace deal and "then the public would be the judge."

"If they (Olmert's Kadima party) win the election - fine. But if they don't, they can't force upon the public, in a cynical and manipulative manner, something the public is not interested in, "Netanyahu was quoted as saying.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met for the first time since Feb. 19.Abbas suspended the talks last month to protest a ground operation of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip.

The two sides agreed during the meeting to continue talks and pledged to reach a comprehensive agreement by the end of 2008, a goal also set at a U.S.-hosted peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland last November when long-stalled negotiations between the two sides were revived.

As to the disputed question whether Jerusalem could be divided between Israel and the Palestinians, Netanyahu said told the paper that "I can say with certainty that I will not divide Jerusalem."

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/6394966.html

Saudi Arabia issued same orders , of increasing readiness for nuclear fallout , just before the war on Iraq errupts because there was possibility that the USA may use nuclear weapons against Iraq.

issueing the same orders again at this moment increases the possibility and certainty of the war on Iran.

Iran's army most powerful in region, on earth - commander

Commander of the Islamic Republic Army Major General Ayatollah Salehi said here Friday that Iran's army has gained highest level of progress in the scientific, military and educational domains and is now one of the most powerful armies both in the region and on earth.

Salehi said on the occasion of the Islamic Republic Army Day (April 17) that Iran's army is today one of the most powerful armies worldwide thanks to the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the wise guidelines of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.

He made the remark in a message, that was read out by Head of the Public Relations Department at the Islamic Republic Army Colonel Mahmoud Sezavar here at the Friday Prayers congregation at Tehran University Campus.

He said the Army has been able to get independent of foreigners.

He added that along with other armed forces, the Islamic Republic Army is ready to repel any foreign invasion and threat.

http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/...87211140235.htm















Iran deplores UAE claim on 3 islands

An Iranian MP reacted on Thursday to unfounded claims of his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates at a high profile meeting in South Africa over the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf.


"The three islands of Abu Mousa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs are inseparable parts of Iran as the country has repeatedly made it clear before," member of the Iranian delegation to the ongoing 118th session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Qassem Azizi said in Cape Town, South Africa.

He made the remarks while commenting on the baseless claims of an UAE delegates over the three Iranian islands during the week-long IPU meeting which opened in the South African capital on Sunday.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been committed to its international undertakings including the 1971 agreement between the two sides," Azizi said.

He added that Iran made great efforts during recent years to build confidence and promote cooperation with the Persian Gulf littoral states in line with its principled stance on establishing security, stability and sustainable peace in the region. --IRNA












Iran displays 1800 km-range missile


Archhived Picture - Iran exhibits its 1800 km-range missile "QADR 1" for first time during a military forces' parade on the country's National Army Day, PressTV reported.

LONDON, April 18 (IranMania) - Iran exhibits its 1800 km-range missile "QADR 1" for first time during a military forces' parade on the country's National Army Day, PressTV reported.

The domestically produced missile was manufactured by Iranian aerospace experts working for the Iranian Defense Ministry.

Every part of the missile has been manufactured inside the country including the fuel system, Oxide charger and the missile launcher. The device underwent comprehensive testing using more locally produced technology.

Also on display Thursday were the Zelzal, Nazeat, Hawk, Fajr 3 and 4 rockets.


http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/...rrent%20Affairs

I believe something crazy like 9/11 might be coming. There exist a lot of doubts about the events of 9/11, and strong indications that it was a false flag operation have emerged. Considering Bush's recent statements about pakistan being held responsible in case something like 9/11 happens to the americans, it smells like he is preparing the american public for war against pakistan. Now consider the campaign in the US media about pakistan's nuclear warheads falling into terrorist's hands, about pakistan's fata being the most dangerous place on earth, about al-qaeda having a safe haven in pakistan, taliban regrouping in pakistan....... It smells of an organized campaign, doesn't it.

The americans have been war-gaming to seize control of pakistan's nuclear arsenal, haven't they.

Reports that americans wanted to or already have posted their personnel at pakistan's nuclear isntallations, about the US embassy seeking direct access to the NCA.......

The world opinion is currently strong against an attack on iran, and the US has not been able to create the degree of fear about the iranian threat as it was able to do with the "Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein". Ahmedinejad doesn't quite come out as a dictator. So they need a good excuse to start the war....something like a 9/11 that can be blamed on terrorists operating from pakistan. Pull of an attack on iran at the same time. Wasn't this the pattern the last time. blame terrorists in afghanistan, then attack both afghanistan and iraq.

Whichever way i connect the dots...i see it as the same writing....coming bad days for pakistan, bad bad days.

Now i asked the question:


Is there anything pakistan can do to ensure the US can't pull off a surprise strike ??

where did u heard that from? i remember reading something similar to that a years ago

now i remember it from this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_eVLfioCCM

By the way, nobody is saying that the US is planning a ground invasion. It will be an Aerial Bombardment Campaign, with a certainty of bunker buster/earth penetrator nukes being used. I don't see what makes pakistan more resistant to a US air assault than iran. And i don't think it will be much of a problem for the US if they have to use tomahawks and B-2s against Iran and Pakistan simultaneously. [maybe a shortage of conventional bombs, but then....]

I am not sure where i got that. But I think it might have been wakeupfromyourslumber.blogspot.com (not sure really)

Senior Iranian Cleric: Iran Should Defend Islamic World - AFP


TEHRAN (AFP)--A high-ranking Iranian cleric Friday said the country should grow into a military superpower to defend all Muslims, following an army parade at a time of mounting tension with the West.

"In a not-so-distant future, we should reach a point to have the most powerful military equipment in the world so that no-one even think about invading our borders," Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said in his Friday prayer sermon carried live on state radio.

"And not only that of the Islamic republic, but also the borders of Islam ... We must defend oppressed Muslims everywhere so that the enemies do not dare to attack Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq."

On Thursday's annual Army Day celebration in Tehran, dozens of fighter jets and other aircraft flew over the parade ground in a bid to show the power of the air force.

Also on display was Iran's Shahab-3 missile, whose range includes Israel and even the fringes of Europe.

The hardline cleric also vowed, to cheering worshippers who chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel," that their slogans will materialize.

"I tell you that the death of the United States has come. You shouted Death to the Shah and he died," Jannati said, referring to the monarch overthrown by the 1979 Islamic revolution and who died in exile.

"You say Death to Israel and it is dying. You say Death to America and it does not take so long that its death prayer will be said."

Iran has a longstanding policy of not recognizing Israel, and its rhetoric against the country has sharpened during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The president has provoked international outrage by repeatedly predicting that Israel is doomed to disappear and talking about the collapse of great powers.

He courted more controversy by playing down the scale of the Holocaust.

Iran is at odds with the West over its disputed nuclear program, which the United States and its allies fear could be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran insists it only wants to produce nuclear energy.


http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStor...nternational.na



















Google Earth Upsets Iran

We no longer have to worry only about what President Bush will say to provoke the nuclear-arms seeking Iranian government. Google’s thrown its hat into the ring too!

According to The Financial Express web site, Iran is slamming Google for naming the "Persian Gulf" the "Arabic Gulf" in its Google Earth application. That’s got the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini all worked-up, accusing Google of a "plot" against Iran.

"Raising such issues about a historically-documented and undeniable term is illegal," he said. The official characterised Google’s move as a "political ambition" while commending Iranians living in the country and overseas for sending protest e-mails to the web portal, Iranian media reports said.

The controversy evoked strong reactions across Iran with the Islamic Iran Participation Party saying that it raises suspicions that Google Earth managers and experts are "knowingly or unknowingly" following the lead of external powers aiming to provoke conflict in the region, the reports said.

While you might think the two names are interchangeable, clearly Iran doesn’t think so and even the United Nations officially refers to it as the "Persian Gulf."

http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/2008/04...art-upsets-iran













Al-Qaida's Zawahri: Iran Seeking To Annex Southern Iraq -AFP


DUBAI (AFP)--Al-Qaida number two Ayman al-Zawahri accused Iran of seeking to annex southern Iraq in an audio message marking the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion.

In a nearly 16 minute message posted on the Internet, Zawahri, known as al- Qaida's ideological thinker, and slammed the Egyptian government for "starving" its people as part of a "Zionist-American plan," and urged Muslims to make Iraq a "fortress of Islam."

"Iran has clear goals, which is the annexation of southern Iraq and the east of the (Arabian) Peninsula, and to expand in order to be able to communicate with its followers in Southern Lebanon," Zawahri said.

He said a "plot" against Iraq by the U.S. and Iran would lead to the Middle East region exploding.

"If an understanding with it (Iran) is reached on the basis of accomplishing all or some of its goals in return for keeping a blind eye on the American hegemony in the area, this understanding will add fuel to the fire...the situation will explode an already enflamed region," Zawahri said.

He called on extremists to fight to create a greater Muslim state after U.S. President George W. Bush had admitted the "failure of the Crusader invasion.

"We will only get our rights back with our own hands and not through beggary or fraudulent elections," he said, according to a summary released by the U.S.- based SITE monitoring service.

The message, posted on Islamist militant Web sites, contained a reference to U.S. Iraqi commander General David Petraeus' Apr. 8 testimony to the U.S. Congress.

"Bush declared he will give Petraeus all the time he needs...which allows Bush to escape the decision to withdraw forces," Zawahri said. "By passing the problem to the next president, Bush is declaring the failure of the Crusader invasion of Iraq."

He mocked the U.S.-backed Sunni Arab local groups formed to fight al-Qaida in Iraq.

"So where are the Awakening Councils that Petraeus announced six months ago will achieve victory in Iraq...are these Awakening Councils in need of someone to defend them and protect them?" Zawahri said.

"Very soon Iraq will become the fortress of Islam, wherefrom will start missions and brigades for the liberation of Al-Aqsa Mosque" in Jerusalem, said Zawahri.

The second-in-command to Osama bin Laden also referred to clashes between protesters and police in the Egyptian industrial city of Mahallah earlier this month, and implicitly accused the Egyptian government of conniving with Israel and the U.S. to keep the Hamas-run Gaza Strip under siege.

"Those who steal the livelihood of the people of Egypt are those who are denying food to the people of Gaza under the pretext of suspicious international commitments with the Jews and the Americans," he said.

"In so doing, Israel achieves monopoly over supplies to Gaza to force its people to surrender to their conditions," Zawahri said in the audio attributed to him. "Starving the people of Egypt...is part of a Zionist-American plan."

It was Zawahri's second audio message this month. In the first, posted Apr. 2, he launched a blistering attack on the U.N. and said bin Laden, who like him has evaded capture, was still alive.

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStor...nternational.na









200 Aircraft, Missiles Feature in Iranian Military Parade

F-4 Phantoms - similar to that pictured - took part in the flypast The Iranian armed forces have been showcased during a ceremony marking Iran's yearly army day. In comments made during the parade of military power, Iran's President Ahmadinejad described the country as the mightiest in the world.
Iran's Military Power

Ahmadinejad added that Iran's military was so powerful, in fact, that no other country would dare take it on, stating that "none of the current world powers are capable of, and have the courage to, threaten the Iranian nation and its interests and security."

He drew attention to how the Iranian military's role was wholly defensive, but would become aggressive if provoked, stating: "The army, the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij will resist with force and coordination and respond strongly to the slightest aggression."
Air Force Flypast

According to local reports, the ceremony featured a mass flypast involving nearly 200 air force aircraft. On the ground, a large parade included trucks with missiles perched on top.
UN Sanctions

Officials have drawn attention to the fact that, despite sanctions imposed by the United Nations, Iran has been able to build, develop and maintain hi-tech military aircraft, as well as other sophisticated arms.
Iran's Saegheh Jet

Aircraft taking part included examples of the McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II and the Northrop F-5 - both older, US-built types. Also participating, however, were a number of locally-made Saegheh combat jets.

The Saegheh first flew in September 2006. Iran has described the type as a totally new airframe, while experts in the West consider it a derivation of the F-5.
Shahab-3 Missile

Weapons shown off during the ceremony, meanwhile, included the Shahab-3 missile - the range of which is said to extend to Israel and the very edges of Europe.
Nuclear Programme

Iran remains in dispute with Western powers regarding the state of its nuclear programme. The US and others claim that Iran's uranium enrichment is connected to nuclear weapons construction.

Iran, meanwhile, maintains that the enriched uranium is meant for civilian use.

http://www.armedforces-int.com/news/2008/0...tary-parade.asp















Arabs must shield Iraq from Iran: Rice



US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she would press Iraq's Arab neighbours hard next week to do more to support Baghdad's government and shield it from Iran's "nefarious influences."

Rice, set to attend a conference of Iraq's neighbours in Kuwait on Tuesday, said her message would be for Arab states to fulfill their promises to increase diplomatic, economic, social and cultural ties with Baghdad's government.

"What Iraq now needs most and what I will push for in Kuwait is greater support from its neighbours," Rice said. "That includes establishing embassies in Baghdad and exchanging ambassadors."

Iraq's Sunni Arab neighbours, notably Saudi Arabia, have so far resisted US pressure to open embassies in Baghdad, which Washington argues would bolster the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and help counter the influence of neighbouring Iran.

Rice said Iraq should be "fully reincorporated" into the Arab world by its neighbours, who have been suspicious of Maliki's government and its ties with Iran.

Iraq is an Arab nation while Iran's roots are Persian. Both countries, however, have majority Shi'ite populations.

"What they need to do is confirm and work for Iraq's Arab identity," she said. "That in and of itself will begin to shield (Iraq) from influences of Iran that are nefarious influences," Rice said at a news conference.

She also said Iraq's Arab neighbors could help encourage the Sunni minority to participate more fully in the political process in Iraq and to offer Baghdad much-needed debt relief, which has been slow in coming.

Iraq expert and ex-CIA analyst Bruce Riedel said Rice faced an upward battle in Kuwait to get Sunni states to do more.

"She will have a very difficult time with the Gulf states in convincing them that the Maliki government is anything other than the cat's paw of the Iranians," said Riedel, now with the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

En route to Kuwait, Rice will stop off in Bahrain for meetings with ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council as well as Egypt and Jordan to press her case for greater support for Baghdad. The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.-Reuters











Omid Djalili lets rip

Omid Djalili is poring over the guest book of his previous night's tour date in Leeds. 'One person has said that I'm a disgrace to Iranians,' says the British-Iranian stand-up, going a little quieter than usual. 'I think that's what happens when you go into the mainstream: you offend a lot of people because you come with your own alternative comedy baggage. I'm trying to stick to my guns, trying to be real to myself. But I upset people all the time – I've upset my friends and I constantly upset the Iranian community.'

It's strange to find Djalili in a reflective mood. After all, the cheeky 42-year-old has become a household name, churning out playful racial stereotypes and belly dancing across the stage. In the past year, he's clocked up his umpteenth Hollywood cameo (Pirates Of The Caribbean III), written and starred in his own prime time BBC1 show (a second series has been commissioned), and now plays the Hammersmith Apollo to finish up a national tour. But Djalili is not a man in his comfort zone. He frets over standing ovations, venue sizes and the fact that, after more than a decade on the live circuit, he still feels he hasn't quite found his voice.

I’m trying to stick to my guns, trying to be real to myself. But I upset people all the time – I constantly upset the Iranian community

'I think now the whole point of being a stand-up is breaking away from caring what people think – that's how your voice gets developed,' he says. 'But you never get comfortable – you never know what's right.'

He does believe, however, that this latest show contains more interesting subjects than he's tackled in the past – Sharia law, the China/Tibet issue and the teddy bear furore in Sudan – plus there'll be more chewing the fat over Britishness and identity.

As he tackles them, you can expect him to let rip in a way that he couldn't on screen, where sketch ideas such as Saddam Hussein's Execution: The Outtakes would inevitably get censored. 'The lawyers would say, you can't do that sketch – but we think it's funny,' says the easy-going star, who didn't see his TV show as selling out. 'It means I was finding the edge but just had to come a little bit more inside, rather than outside, of that edge.'

Today, a whirlwind of chaos still engulfs Djalili. He grew up in it; having to sleep on the sofa while his parents looked after sick Iranians, failing his A-levels and getting rejected from 16 drama schools. His hotel room is a shambles, he never knows what to wear on stage ('I look like a middle management bloke from Asda'), he admits his methods of developing a show are chaotic and, as of two days ago, he had no idea if the dancers and fireworks would come together at Hammersmith tonight.

But that's not to say you shouldn't expect excellent things from him this weekend. 'I really hope that the final show at the Hammersmith Apollo will be the definitive piece on this tour – where the artist presents his painting and says: “This is it”,' he declares. 'And then you forget about it all.'

Tonight and tomorrow, Hammersmith Apollo, Queen Caroline Street W6, 8pm, £21.50 to £24.50. Tel: 0844 844 4748. Tube: Hammersmith

http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/article.h...amp;ito=newsnow

any way im very interested in wat ur posting im always thinking that America is planning something sinister. about wat u said america doing another 911 style event to start another war well remember a while back an article about nukes gone missing in the usa one of those dial a yeild nuke warheads, would this have anything to do with another 911 style event trying to connect the dots here

almost everybody knows that US has the idea of attacking Iran. as for Pakistan, i dont think so. Us can't invade two countries simutaniously. but Pakistan must be a victim for a huge influx of refugees from Iran, i guess.. and if Us succeeded in Iran, pakistan's securiy would be at stake as a neighbor.. of course, if Pakistan remains the Us's ally, maybe can keep her safety but..... anyway, who knows what would happen next.

as a chinese civilian, i prefer betting that Russia and China will never allow such things happening.. Iran has submited the application to SCO recently, that is a signal to Us. the report from Russia side is also a message that Russia will never be regardless of such ambition.

as we all know, NATO has invaded Afghanistan and tended to expand its orbit further. Afghanistan is China's neighbor. if NATO's troops march into Iran and Pakistan, the whole west China would be put under the menace from Us. Russia would also face the Us's infiltrating into the Middle Asia that is the Russia's traditional orbit in long time. so US's ambition is unendurable.

China and Russia must do our best to deter Us's ambition. if Us speed up its disruptive campaigns in Tibet or Taiwan, Iran would step up his pace entering SCO. Us's economy is under ressesion, war is a good way to force capital to flow back to america, but not a best and a foundamental solution. the voracity of Us want to maintain its hegemony across the world, so China's rising and Russia's rejuvenation can't be put up with by Us.. who will win in the end?

blessing China.

Two can play the same game. Without its air craft cariers and its basis in middle east USA is nothing and it cant find the war in this part of the world.

They use nuke we do the same and knock all their assets out and than what? are they gonna deploy more assets and with cwill the do the same. Or will they just ICBM us, in that case we will rip Israel and India apart with Nukes and that would mean by the time all this nuke firing has finished well over 100 warheads might have been used.

Imagine whhat kind of impact it will have on the whole world.

The bush administration officials have been talking openly about using nuclear weapons against iran. Whether they can do that against Pakistan is questionable, but still a possibility. Since both iran and pakistan are believed to have their major nuclear installations located deep underground, the only sure way of destroying those is to use earth penetrator nukes. That's why I said there is a certainty of these nukes being used when the americans go to war. They used daisy cutters against the poor afghans fighting with ak47s+stingers.....what would they stop at when it comes to an opponent like iran/pakistan ?

of all things, the americans are not short of bases. even if we discount their carriers, they have bases in the gulf, in iraq, afghanistan, and don't forget your good intentional neighbor will step in if the need arises.

Can we hit israel? i seriously doubt it? even if we can, how many warheads can we lob at them. Don't forget their ABMs. But do you think an american strike at o