Iran.

[Swiss Miss]

Oh #%^&... It's on.

Yesterday on CNN, a retired Air Force Col. said, “We are conducting military operations inside Iran right now. The evidence is overwhelming.” There are plenty of other sources that have reported the same.

The horrific costs of attacking Iran

The Bushes & the Truth About Iran

When (if he hasn't already) King George goes into Iran, there will be no congressional authorization. He will bring up terrorism, 9/11 and Afghanistan as his authority. When we finally learn about the attack it will be too late to stop him. All hell WILL break loose.

[Martin]

I didnt even click on those links, it'll probably just make me madder.

President Chavez yesterday already said that an attack on Iran would make the price go to $200 a barrel of oil.

But regardless of that, I just wouldnt be able to handle living in this country anymore if we attack Iran. I would be extremely disgraced and probably move to Canada. Make some room for me, Radio.

[RadioactiveMan]

I think that the UN should support Iran if America tries to invade it. I wouldn't want any sort of military action against the US, but I think that economic sanctions against America would be worthwhile.

Edit: I have a room that's hardly used in my basement, Martin. It should be big enough for you.

[Swiss Miss]

Originally Posted by RadioactiveMan

I think that the UN should support Iran if America tries to invade it. I wouldn't want any sort of military action against the US, but I think that economic sanctions against America would be worthwhile.

Edit: I have a room that's hardly used in my basement, Martin. It should be big enough for you.

That would be a big joke if the UN went against the US. We are really the backbone of the IGO (as conceited as that may sound...) and they'd have very little credibility without us. For sure though-- every major country WILL take a side in this which will make it very close to the next world war. You can't forget just how influential this country is, forget power and politics.... just on a social level, an economic sanction wouldn't suffice.

But hey, American flag sales will boom on both sides, one side being overly patriotic, the other side burning them.

Screw Canada, I'm going to the Swiss!

Looks like the invasion is off...

Bush Administration Says No Plans to Attack Iran
18 February 2007 - The Bush administration is reiterating that it has no plans to go to war with Iran, despite concerns over Iranian weapons filtering into neighboring Iraq as well as the country's continued nuclear program in defiance of the United Nations.

The United States has long accused Iran of supporting militants in the Middle East, from Palestinian fighters to Iraqi Shiites. Last week, the Untied States displayed weapons found in Iraq allegedly provided by Iran, but admitted it is not clear whether Iran's top leaders specifically ordered such shipments. Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press television program, White House spokesman Tony Snow said the Bush administration is determined to stop the flow of arms into Iraq that can be used against U.S. troops.

"We are going to do everything we can to intercept weapons that are making their way into the country," said Tony Snow. "We are going to intercept them on the roads; we are going to intercept them in Baghdad. We will do everything we can to defend our people [in Iraq]." Snow was asked if that meant that the administration is considering a military option for dealing with Iran.

"No," he said. "We are not planning to go across the border [into Iran]. But the president also is not going to rule out any alternatives. But for those who think we are beating the war drums, no [no plans to invade Iran]." That assertion was repeated by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, one of President Bush's chief Republican allies in Congress. The senator spoke on CNN's Late Edition program.

More http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-02-18-voa16.cfm

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US Military Leaders Clarify Statements About Iran Involvement in Iraq
16 February 2007 - U.S. military leaders are repeating claims that an elite Iranian military force supplied Iraqi insurgents with weapons and explosives. But the Pentagon's chief civilian leader and top military officer said they do not know who in the Iranian government is involved.

Iraqi soldiers have closed the Iranian border at Basra as part of a new effort to halt any Iranian weapons from getting into Iraq. Media reports have raised questions about who U.S. officials believe is responsible. At the Pentagon Thursday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Peter Pace met with reporters to clarify. Pace said it is important to distinguish between intelligence assessments and facts: "We know that there are explosives and weapons being used inside Iraq that were manufactured in Iran."

U.S. military officials said so Sunday (February 11th) in Iraq. They displayed what they said was proof that Iranian-made roadside bombs were being used against American forces. A briefer claimed the highest levels of Iranian government were involved. “The assessments were based on those facts,” said General Pace. “The assessment by that individual is what he said."

But Pace and Gates did not confirm that assessment: "Whether or not more senior political leaders in Iran know about it, we do not know. And frankly, for me, either way it is a worry." A reporter asked, "Given the increasing national skepticism over intelligence claims made by the administration, why should the American public now believe the links now drawn between Iran and terror groups in Iraq?"

More http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-02-16-voa29.cfm

Maybe Russia will invade Iran to get the money its owed...

Sanctions Or Not; Russians Won't Work On Iranian Nuclear Plant Without Pay
February 19, 2007 - Despite the best diplomatic efforts by the U.S. and its allies, work on Iran's nuclear power plant in Bushehr has been slowed down when the government in Tehran became late in its payments; Rosatom, the Russian nuclear agency says Iran is behind in its payments to the tune of $25 million.

Russia says it will delay the delivery of nuclear fuel to Iran, and set back the timetable by which the plant was to have gone online by as much as a year. Mohammad Saeedi, the deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization tells the state-run media outlet, IRNA, that "So far the payments have been accomplished according to the contract."

Yet, Ivan Dybov, spokesman for Rosatom, tells the International Herald Tribune that the Iranian "accounts are not being paid. We confirm that there are financial problems." Iran, which has the money, may simply not be able to convert it into U.S. dollars or Euros in order to fulfill the contract. The problem might stem from a U.S.-led effort to isolate Iran from American funds, or from obtaining U.S. dollars.

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7006513512

The W standin' up to Ahmadinejad...

US wants tougher Iran sanctions
Wednesday, 21 February 2007, Washington says it will now push for tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear activities.

The United Nations Security Council gave Tehran 60 days to suspend its uranium enrichment programme. But the deadline has expired and a UN report is soon expected to confirm that Iran is pressing ahead with developing its own nuclear fuel cycle.

US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns accused Iran of "brazenly pursuing" its nuclear ambitions. Mr Burns said that over the next few weeks there would be efforts within the UN Security Council to establish "additional sanctions" on the Iranian Government.

Internal opposition

On Wednesday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran would try to achieve nuclear capability as soon as possible, according to reports by Iran's Isna news agency. However, for the first time a political party in Iran has also called on Mr Ahmadinejad to accept the UN's demands.

More http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/middle_east/6384725.stm

Iran stickin' its nose in Syria...

Iran Strengthening Syrian Military, Report Says
February 22, 2007 - Iran is providing "generous" funding to help Syria beef up its forces, and those troops seem to be moving closer to the Israeli border, an Israeli daily reported on Thursday.

Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iranian leaders reaffirmed their close ties at top-level meetings in Tehran earlier this week. Washington has accused both Syria and Iran of aiding -- or turning a blind eye -- to insurgents making their way into Iraq to fight U.S. and other Western troops.

The U.S. also charges that the Syria and Iran are supplying weapons to Hizballah and helping the radical Islamic terrorist organization in its attempts to topple the pro-Democracy Lebanese government. The Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported on Thursday that the Syrian military was strengthening its forces in an "unprecedented way" with the aid of "generous funding" from Iran.

The Syrians are concentrating on building up their missile arsenal and long-range rockets to compensate for a weak air force, the paper said. Syria also is redeploying its troops closer to the Israeli-Syrian border on the Golan Heights, it said. (Israel shares a 45-mile border with Syria that runs through the Golan Heights.)

MORE

Iran shouldn't forget the possibility of an airstrike from Israel...

Iran: U.S. Is in No Position to Attack
Feb. 25, 2007 - Iran says U.S. government is not in position to take military action against it

Iran's foreign minister said Saturday the United States was in no position for another war, and maintained that negotiations _ not threats _ were the only way to resolve the standoff over its nuclear activities. Manouchehr Mottaki was responding to Vice President **** Cheney, who renewed Washington's warning to Iran earlier Saturday that "all options" were on the table if Tehran continues to defy U.N. demands to halt uranium enrichment.

Mottaki said the U.S. could not afford to settle its differences with Iran by launching a third war after Afghanistan and Iraq. "We do not see America in a position to impose another crisis on its tax payers inside America by starting another war in the region," Mottaki told reporters.

The United States and several of its Western allies fear that Iran is using its nuclear program to produce an atomic weapon _ charges Iran denies, saying its aim is to generate electricity. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Thursday that Iran had ignored a U.N. Security Council ultimatum to freeze its uranium enrichment program and had expanded the program by setting up hundreds of centrifuges.

MORE

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Report: U.S. working on Iran attack plan
25 Feb. 2007 - Pentagon working on Iran attack plan; Military denies story as Iranian official says U.S. is in no position to strike

Iran said Saturday the United States was not in a position to take military action against it, as a magazine reported that a Pentagon panel has been created to plan a bombing attack that could be implemented within 24 hours of getting the go-ahead from President Bush. “We do not see America in a position to impose another crisis on its taxpayers inside America by starting another war in the region,” Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters Saturday.

Mottaki was responding to U.S. Vice President **** Cheney, who renewed Washington’s warning to Iran earlier Saturday that “all options” were on the table if Tehran continues to defy U.N. demands to halt uranium enrichment. At a joint news conference with Prime Minister John Howard during a visit to Australia, Cheney said the United States was “deeply concerned” about Iran’s activities, including the “aggressive” sponsoring of terrorist group Hezbollah and inflammatory statements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Cheney said top U.S. officials would meet soon with European allies to decide the next step toward planned tough sanctions against Iran if it continues enriching uranium. “But I’ve also made the point, and the president has made the point, that all options are on the table,” he said, leaving open the possibility of military action.

More http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11233384/

Ahmadinejad about to get his lunch taken away from him...

World powers moving towards new sanctions against Iran
Friday 2nd March, 2007 The United States says six world powers have made progress on a new U.N. sanctions resolution aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program and could begin drafting the text next week.

Representatives of Germany and the five permanent U.N. Security Council members, the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China, discussed the resolution in a conference call Thursday. A U.S. State Department spokeswoman, Joanne Moore, said the representatives agreed to confer again by phone on Saturday.

Iran ignored a U.N. Security Council deadline last week to suspend uranium enrichment or face new U.N. sanctions, on top of those imposed in December. The United States and its Western allies suspect Iran is working to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=231536

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John Bolton wants regime-change in Iran
Friday 2nd March, 2007 John Bolton, the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and a former undersecretary of the State Department, says the United States should pursue "regime-change" in Iran.

Bolton, one of the principal architects of the Iraq war, and an advocate of regime-change in Iraq long before the March 2003 invasion, said, "I believe that either regime-change in Iran or, as a last resort, military action, is the only thing that will stop the Iranians from getting nuclear weapons."

Bolton also took aim at European nations, particularly Britain, Germany, and France, which he said persuaded the U.S. to "screw around" with talks, which over the last three and a half years have achieved nothing, and allowed Iran to continue developing its nuclear program. In a C-SPAN interview Bolton lamented declining support for the Bush administration. "For God's sakes, it needs to stand up and defend itself. No reason to act limp-wristed," he said.

"They should defend their policies and not allow The New York Times to characterize their policy. They should get out and speak what's on their minds," he added. Bolton is writing a book which will be published in November this year. The title: "Surrender Is Not An Option: Defending America at the UN and Abroad."

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=231613