Iran the Next Battlefield - Thread Renamed

[Jag]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...356154,00.html

Iran: Israel, US will soon die


Ahmadinejad: Be assured that the US and Israel will soon end lives Yaakov Lappin

Published:

01.23.07, 22:24

Israel and the United States will soon be destroyed, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday during a meeting with Syria's foreign minister, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) website said in a report.

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad… assured that the United States and the Zionist regime of Israel will soon come to the end of their lives," the Iranian president was quoted as saying.


"Sparking discord among Muslims, especially between the Shiites and Sunnis, is a plot hatched by the Zionists and the US for dominating regional nations and looting their resources," Ahmadinejad added, according to the report.

The Iranian president also directly tied events in Lebanon to a wider plan aimed at Israel's destruction. He called on "regional countries" to "support the Islamic resistance of the Lebanese people and strive to enhance solidarity and unity among the different Palestinian groups in a bid to pave the ground for the undermining of the Zionist regime whose demise is, of course, imminent."


Ahmadinejad has threatened the State of Israel with annihilation several times in recent months, and has recently added the US and Britain to the list of countries he says will be destroyed.


Syria's Foreign Minister, Wailed Mualem, accused the US of attempting to carry out a "massacre of Muslims" and of sowing "discord among Islamic faiths in the region."


Mualem called on "regional states to pave the ground for the establishment of peace and tranquillity… while preventing further genocide of the Muslims," the IRIB website said.

Jag

[American Patriot]

Iran, North Korea Deepen Missile Cooperation
Arms Control Today ^ | Jan. 2007 | Paul Kerr

Paul Kerr

North Korea has long been known to be a key supplier of missile technology to Iran. Concern about this cooperation, however, has increased in recent months as both countries have expanded their nuclear and missile programs.

Pyongyang launched a series of ballistic missiles in July 2006 and tested a nuclear device about three months later. (See ACT, November 2006.) For its part, Tehran has continued to develop both ballistic missiles and its uranium-enrichment program. It is not clear whether Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program. (See ACT, December 2006.)

Perhaps the most important recent development is Iran’s apparent purchase from North Korea of missiles with a range possibly exceeding that of Tehran’s longest-range deployed ballistic missile, the Shahab-3. The Israeli newspaper Ha`aretz quoted Major General Amos Yadlin, the head of the Israel Defense Forces Intelligence Branch, as saying that Tehran had purchased the missiles, some of which had already arrived in Iran. A knowledgeable former Department of State official told Arms Control Today Dec. 19 that the reports are “certainly credible.”

The United States believes that North Korea has been deploying the same missile, which is reportedly based on the Soviet SS-N-6. Washington believes Pyongyang is deploying the missile in a road-mobile mode, although the SS-N-6 was a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

The United States and South Korea estimate that the missile, which North Korea has never tested, could potentially have a range of 2,500-4,000 kilometers, according to press reports. The most advanced version of the SS-N-6 had an estimated range of 3,000 kilometers. Any new missile’s range would vary considerably depending on the size of its payload. (See ACT, September 2004.)

During a Nov. 12 television interview, Major General Yahya Rahim-Safavi, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps indicated that Iran tested a Shahab-3 capable of traveling 2,000 kilometers. Tehran has previously claimed to possess a missile with such a range.

The United States has repeatedly claimed that Pyongyang has provided assistance to Tehran’s ballistic missile programs. Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Robert Joseph told reporters in September 2006 that “ North Korea has been…the principal supplier to Iran of ballistic missile technologies.” The Shahab-3, which has an estimated range of 1,300 kilometers, is based on the North Korean Nodong missile, the National Air and Space Intelligence Center reported in 2006. The report added that Iran has deployed fewer than 20 such missiles.

Safavi acknowledged during a Nov. 6 television interview that Tehran had obtained Scud B and Scud C missiles from “foreign countries like North Korea” during the 1980s.

A CIA report covering 2004 indicates that Iran continued to receive “ballistic missile-related cooperation” from entities in North Korea as well as Russia and China. However, foreign assistance enabled Tehran to “move toward its goal of becoming self-sufficient in the production of ballistic missiles,” the report adds. Safavi claimed that Iran no longer requires foreign assistance for its missile programs.

In addition to material assistance, Pyongyang also has provided Tehran with technical advice for its ballistic missile programs, according to current and former U.S. officials. For example, the former State Department official said that the Shahab-3 was developed with North Korean expertise.

Moreover, at least one Iranian official may have been in North Korea to witness the July missile tests. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill testified during a July 20 Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that it is Washington’s “understanding” that such officials were present. However, he told reporters the next day that he had not meant to “confirm” reports about the matter.

Similarly, North Korean officials may have visited Iran to assist with Tehran’s missile programs, a knowledgeable former congressional staff member said in a Dec. 19 e-mail.

U.S. officials suspect that Pyongyang may also have provided missile flight-test data to Tehran, according to both the former State Department official and Michael Green, President George W. Bush’s National Security Council senior director for Asian affairs until December 2005. However, there is no “specific evidence” of such cooperation, the official acknowledged.

Whether North Korea’s assistance to Iran is “the byproduct of individual, short-term, and isolated decisions” or “an element of a more formal agreement between the two nations” is an “open question,” the former congressional staffer said.

[American Patriot]

I said a couple of days ago, he would continue opening his big mouth...

Iranian President Derides U.S. Threats
Yahoo News / AP ^ | 1/23/2007 | EagleUSA



TEHRAN, Iran - The United States is incapable of inflicting "serious damage" on Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday, as a second U.S. aircraft carrier group steamed toward the Gulf as a warning from Washington for Iran to back down in its attempts to dominate the region.


In an interview with Iranian state television, Ahmadinejad said Washington had not stepped up its campaign against Tehran, despite the standoff with the West over Iran's defiance of U.N. demands to halt uranium enrichment.


The U.N. Security Council imposed limited sanctions on Iran last month.


"U.S. rhetoric against Iran has not increased," Ahmadinejad said. "In 2003, they openly threatened to attack Iran. Now they have indirectly made such threats."


He spoke with confidence over Iran's ability to withstand a strike. "The United States is unable to inflict serious damage on Iran," the president said. He also noted, "They (U.S.) are not really in a position to carry out this action (of attacking Iran). I believe there are many wise people in the United States who would not let it happen."


Iran says its atomic program is aimed solely at generating energy, but the United States and some of its allies suspect it is geared toward making nuclear weapons.


Ahmadinejad, during a meeting Tuesday with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, accused the U.S. of stirring up conflict between rival Muslim sects to maintain influence in the Middle East.


(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...

[American Patriot]

N Korea helping Iran with nuclear testing
TELEGRAPH UK ^ | 23/01/2007 | Con Coughlin

North Korea is helping Iran to prepare an underground nuclear test similar to the one Pyongyang carried out last year.

Under the terms of a new understanding between the two countries, the North Koreans have agreed to share all the data and information they received from their successful test last October with Teheran's nuclear scientists.

North Korea provoked an international outcry when it successfully fired a bomb at a secret underground location and Western intelligence officials are convinced that Iran is working on its own weapons programme.

A senior European defence official told The Daily Telegraph that North Korea had invited a team of Iranian nuclear scientists to study the results of last October's underground test to assist Teheran's preparations to conduct its own — possibly by the end of this year.

There were unconfirmed reports at the time of the Korean firing that an Iranian team was present. Iranian military advisers regularly visit North Korea to participate in missile tests.

Now the long-standing military co-operation between the countries has been extended to nuclear issues.

As a result, senior western military officials are deeply concerned that the North Koreans' technical superiority will allow the Iranians to accelerate development of their own nuclear weapon.

"The Iranians are working closely with the North Koreans to study the results of last year's North Korean nuclear bomb test," said the European defence official.

"We have identified increased activity at all of Iran's nuclear facilities since the turn of the year," he said.

"All the indications are that the Iranians are working hard to prepare for their own underground nuclear test."

The disclosure of the nuclear co-operation between North Korea and Iran comes as Teheran seems set on a collision course with the West over its nuclear programme, although it insists it is entirely peaceful.

Both countries were named in President George W Bush's famous "axis of evil" State of the Union speech in 2002.

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously authorised the imposition of "smart" sanctions against Iran.

This is because of its refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment programme, which most Western intelligence agencies believe is part of a clandestine nuclear weapons programme.

France expressed concern yesterday over an Iranian decision to bar 38 UN nuclear inspectors from Iran, claiming that Teheran appeared to be singling out westerners from the inspection team.

Intelligence estimates vary about how long it could take Teheran to produce a nuclear warhead. But defence officials monitoring the growing co-operation between North Korea and Iran believe the Iranians could be in a position to test fire a low-grade device — less than half a kiloton — within 12 months.

The precise location of the Iranian test site is unknown, but is likely to be located in a mountainous region where it is difficult for spy satellites to pick up any unusual activity.

Teheran successfully concealed the existence of several key nuclear sites — including the controversial Natanz uranium enrichment complex — until their locations were disclosed by Iranian dissidents three years ago.

Western intelligence agencies have reported an increase in the number of North Korean and Iranian scientists travelling between the two countries.

The increased co-operation on nuclear issues began last November when a team of Iranian nuclear scientists met their North Korean counterparts to study the technical and political implications of Pyongyang's nuclear test.

The Iranians are reported to have been encouraged by the fact that no punitive action was taken against North Korea, despite the international outcry that greeted the underground firing.

This has persuaded the Iranian regime to press ahead with its own nuclear programme with the aim of testing a low-grade device, which would be difficult for international inspectors to detect.

[American Patriot]

RUSSIA COMPLETES SAM DELIVERY TO IRAN
menewsline ^ | 1 - 23 - 07



RUSSIA COMPLETES SAM DELIVERY TO IRAN
MOSCOW [MENL] -- Russia has confirmed the completion of anti-aircraft deliveries to Iran.


A senior Russian official asserted that Moscow delivered all 29 TOR-M1 mobile, short-range surface-to-air missile systems to Iran in late December 2006. The official confirmed a previous statement by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, who reported that the deliveries to Iran had been completed.


"Russia has fulfilled its contract obligations and fully completed deliveries of TOR-M1 air defense systems to Iran," Sergei Chemezov, the director of the state arms export agency Rosoboronexport, said on Tuesday. "The systems were delivered in late December of last year."


Chemezov confirmed the completion of the TOR-M1 deliveries during a visit to India. The Rosoboronexport chief was accompanying Ivanov in a tour of Bangalore, where Russia has offered India advanced MiG-35 fighter-jets as well as satellite cooperation.

[American Patriot]

Report: Gulf States Prepared to Back U.S. Military Strike on Iran
NY Sun ^ | 1/23/07 | staff

Under-Secretary of State Nicholas Burns clearly knew his audience in Dubai and the reception he'd get if he'd talk tough against Iran. While Burns was busy today in Dubai warning Iran to back down, the think tank Mr. Burns was speaking to, the Gulf Research Center (described by the AP as "an influential think-tank"), had just put out a paper on Sunday, warning that "Tehran has to finally realize that if push comes to shove, if the choice is between an Iranian nuclear bomb and a US military strike, then the Arab Gulf states have no choice but to quietly support the US. Living under the shadow of Iranian nuclear bomb is unacceptable."

The paper, written by GRC program director, Dr. Christian Koch, makes it clear that the Gulf States view Iran as an existential threat and the paper warns that:

Instead of trying to position itself as the main power in the Middle East that is set on challenging and bringing down US dominance, Iran should truly begin to engage the region and seek broad-based solutions to the region’s urgent problems. Unfortunately, Iran refuses to provide its neighbors with any sort of confidence concerning its ultimate ambitions. From the Arab Gulf perspective, Iranian actions simply look as replacing one bully with another. At a time when the Arab Gulf states are looking for reassurances, Iranian pronouncements of its military capabilities and ability to send thousands of suicide bombers to the other side of the Gulf in response to any US military campaign represents an attempt at intimidation in the least. It is little wonder then that the Arab Gulf states continue to request and depend on US protection given that “export of the revolution� represents a real threat to their existence.

The paper does tell America that:

If the United States is serious about bringing a change in Iranian policies, it needs to realize that the impetus for change has to come from within. A better strategy, therefore, would be to formulate and issue messages of positive intent and content directly to the Iranian population, who will ultimately be the ones exerting the required pressure on the power holders above. About 60 percent of Iran’s population is under the age of 24, with one in five between 15 and 24 years of age unemployed. If there is one thing that the current clerical regime is afraid of, it is its own population. To mobilize this population what is required is a message to rally around, i.e. a vision worth standing up for. This is what the US should provide.

When some Arab states joined in the American military exercises that "provoked" the mullahs in November, we noted that:

That some Arab states see Iran as enough of a threat as to join American military exercises -- knowing full well it will anger Iran and split "Arab solidarity" -- is a sign of just how concerned they are. A reminder that while Russia and China may oppose action against Tehran, Washington can expect support -- whether vocal or silent -- from places where it counts much more. This case is only stronger now that the GRC has put out a paper explicitly saying that the Gulf States would support an American military strike against Iran if the alternative was a nuclear Iran. It seems those opposed to stopping Iran acquire nukes are either found in the halls of Congress or among our European "allies" -- who prefer talking all the way to an Iranian nuclear bomb.

[American Patriot]

Ahmadinejad Says US 'Incapable' of Attacking Iran
Cybercast News Service ^ | January 24, 2007 | Melanie Hunter



Ahmadinejad Says US 'Incapable' of Attacking Iran January 24, 2007
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the U.S. is making mistakes in Iraq and was "incapable" of attacking Iran. In a television interview on Tuesday evening, Ahmadinejad said that the U.S. would like to hurt Iran, but "they are not in a position to do so."


The Iranian leader admitted that the U.S. was exerting pressure on Iran, but he said it was a mistake, according to the official Iranian news agency IRNA. Ahmadinejad charged that President Bush had made many "blunders".


When asked if a military strike against Iran would be one of those mistakes, he said: "No. They are not in a position to make such a decision. I think there are wise people in America who would not let this happen. They are incapable. The pressure is more psychological." Ahmadinejad's statements came just hours before Bush addressed the nation in his State of the Union speech. In it, Bush mentioned Iran five times as the regime that is "funding and arming terrorists like Hizballah - a group second only to al Qaeda in the American lives it has taken" and one that is trying to "undermine Lebanon's legitimately elected government." Iran is also backing Shiite extremists in Iraq, said Bush, who would battle al Qaeda-backed Sunni extremists if the U.S. leaves too soon. He also said that the United Nations had imposed sanctions on Iran, making it clear that the regime in Tehran would not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.


Hizballah Protests Meant to Weaken Western Resolve Against Iran, Expert Says


Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Iran and Syria are funding Hizballah's "urban intimidation" campaign in Lebanon to crush the emerging democracy and weaken Western resolve to stop Iran's nuclear program, a U.S.-based expert said on Wednesday. Lebanon was paralyzed on Tuesday by a Hizballah-led nationwide general strike and protests that blocked roads with rubble and burning tires, closing off the capital and virtually shutting down the country's international airport. Three people were killed in violence that broke out between protestors supporting Hizballah and its allies in their attempts to bring down the government and others who support the government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.


Full Story
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBu...20070124a.html

[Jag]

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/The_..._Iran_999.html

The Logic Of US Deployments Points To Iran

Iran.

By Martin Sieff, UPI Senior News Analyst
Washington (SPX) Jan 24, 2007

The logic of the new force deployments President George W. Bush has approved for the Middle East appeared geared towards launching an air strike against Iran or deterring Iranian retaliation rather than preparing for a major change in U.S. strategy to win the war in Iraq.


As we have noted in previous coverage, the much hyped "surge" strategy the president has approved to strengthen U.S. forces in Iraq, especially in Baghdad, will be almost negligible in its boost to U.S. troop numbers in and around the Iraq capital in the short term.

By the end of February, only 7,000 additional troops are currently scheduled to be sent out. The impact those numbers by themselves can have on a city of 7 million people will be negligible. The U.S. Army's own latest manual on counter-insurgency warfare calls for a ratio of 20 troops to secure 1,000 of the general population who need to be protected, as Trudy Rubin pointed out in the Philadelphia Inquirer Friday. That would require 140,000 U.S, troops to secure Baghdad alone.

By contrast, the build up of U.S. air and sea assets in the Persian Gulf area is far more massive than the "surge' in ground troops. A second aircraft carrier battle group is being sent to join the USS Eisenhower carrier battle group already in the region, in effect doubling its air striking power.

In terms of the new tactics that Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, President Bush's choice to replace Gen. George Casey as ground forces commander in Iraq, is expected to implement, this makes no sense. Petraeus is a renowned student and exponent of the traditional principles of counter-insurgency war.

He has advocated greater U.S. force levels to be deployed on the ground at grassroots level, especially in Baghdad, and that they be spread out around the city's many neighborhoods rather than bunched up in a defensive posture in the heavily defended Green Zone in order ensure increase protection and security for the general population.

Adding more aircraft capable of striking at ground targets, but only at the expense of devastating more civilian areas, increasing civilian casualties and thereby generating far more active support for the Sunni insurgents, makes no sense in terms of this policy.

Besides, the greatest strain on U.S. forces in Iraq is on the manpower of the Army and Marines ground combat forces, not on carrier-based pilots. The insurgents have no air force of their own and what ground-fired, hand-held anti-aircraft missiles they have appear to have had negligible impact on the unquestioned U.S. air superiority in the theater.

Similarly, as we have also note din previous columns, the appointment of Adm. William Fallon as the new Central Command, or CENTCOM, commander-in-chief, makes no sense if his primary mission is expected to back Gen. Petraeus in fighting a classic counter-insurgency campaign more effectively in Iraq. Adm. Fallon is widely respected in the Navy and by Bush administration officials.

But his primary expertise is in running the PACCOM, or Pacific Command, which he has done with great distinction, and in being one of the U.S. Navy's most experienced directors of deploying carrier-based air assets against land targets. This expertise too would be superfluous against the Sunni insurgency. However, it would be of the greatest importance in the event of any U.S. air strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, or if the Bush administration was anticipating some kind of widespread Iranian attempt at retaliation.

The same logic applies to the president's approval of sending new Patriot PAC-3 anti-ballistic missile batteries to the Middle East. The Patriot is the finest anti-ballistic missile system in the world. But it appears entirely superfluous to the many needs of the hard-pressed U.S. combat forces in Iraq.

However, if Iran were to attempt to launch any of its Shihad -3 intermediate range missiles at U.S. forces or allies in the region such as Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States or Israel, then the Patriot deployments would be of the greatest importance.

Even the extremely small augmentation of U.S. ground forces in Baghdad takes on a different significance when interpreted from the perspective of possible Iranian retaliation against future U.S. or Israeli air strikes. It is not remotely enough to make a significant difference in providing security to the general population of the Iraqi capital.

But the additional forces could be of crucial importance in deterring or putting down a new rising by the Iranian-backed Mahdi Army militia of Moqtada al-Sadr. Washington has been pressuring Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to commit Iraqi army forces to suppress the Mahdi Army. But the Shiite Maliki has been very reluctant to commit his army, which is Shiite dominated, against a force that has heavily infiltrated it.
None of these assessments mean that a U.S.-Iran military clash in the region is automatically inevitable or imminent. Prudent military commanders always try and anticipate dangerous contingencies that may never come to pass. Or the new military assets may be intended for other regions. However, the fact remains, their relevance to current and projected U.S. military operations in Iraq appears very unclear. And their relevance to having to constrain or defeat a hostile Iran appears obvious.

Jag

[American Patriot]

U.S. troops authorized to kill Iranians in Iraq
msnbc ^ | 1/26/2007 | Dafna Linzer



The Bush administration has authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq as part of an aggressive new strategy to weaken Tehran's influence across the Middle East and compel it to give up its nuclear program, according to government and counterterrorism officials with direct knowledge of the effort.
For more than a year, U.S. forces in Iraq have secretly detained dozens of suspected Iranian agents, holding them for three to four days at a time.


The "catch and release" policy was designed to avoid escalating tensions with Iran and yet intimidate its emissaries. U.S. forces collected DNA samples from some of the Iranians without their knowledge, subjected others to retina scans, and fingerprinted and photographed all of them before letting them go.


Last summer, however, senior administration officials decided that a more confrontational approach was necessary, as Iran's regional influence grew and U.S. efforts to isolate Tehran appeared to be failing. The country's nuclear work was advancing, U.S. allies were resisting robust sanctions against the Tehran government, and Iran was aggravating sectarian violence in Iraq.


(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...

[American Patriot]

Iran ready to launch a satellite into space: report
Agence France-Presse (excerpt) ^ | January 25, 2007



Excerpt -

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Iran is on the verge of launching a satellite into space that could herald a new dimension in Tehran's strategic capabilities, Aviation Week and Space Technology has said on its website.

A recently assembled, 30-ton ballistic missile-turned space launcher could also be used for testing longer-range missile strike technologies, the magazine said it will report in its January 29 issue.


The Iranian space launcher "will liftoff soon" with an Iranian satellite, said Alaoddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, according to the weekly.
~ snip ~

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...

[American Patriot]

Iran Attack Possible, Says Cameron (UK)
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 1-26-2007 | Damian Reece



Iran attack possible, says Cameron
By Damian Reece, City Editor in Davos
Last Updated: 2:29am GMT 26/01/2007



A pre-emptive military strike against Iran involving British troops could be launched under a Conservative government after David Cameron yesterday refused to rule out the use of force against the Gulf state.


David Cameron in Davos


Mr Cameron said it would be wrong for a future Tory administration to rule out an attack on Iran. "It's not sensible to rule all these things out in advance however much you want to avoid them."


Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he said that while Iran had a right to civil nuclear power it was imperative that the West stopped the country developing nuclear weapons. "Especially as the president [of Iran] has said that he wants to wipe the state of Israel off the map."


The Tory leader criticised the stance of Jack Straw, the former foreign secretary, who in the past has said that military action against Iran would be "unthinkable".


"I don't think it was right of Jack Straw to say what he said. I think in these matters it is not right to declare all your hand in advance. It's right not to take things entirely off the table.


"Obviously we want to see a peaceful resolution. I don't think it's right to rule out this approach or that approach but nobody wants to see the use of military force."


Mr Cameron said that Iran had a choice either to be part of the international community with access to nuclear power or a pariah state.
He also used the meeting to address the situation in Iraq, a country he visited at the end of last year.


"My conclusion on that is that what's required is a rapid build-up of the Iraqi army." He also urged greater focus on the elements of Iraqi administration that could be handed over to the local population.


However, he denied that on matters such as Iraq, that Britain followed a "slavish" line as far as its relationship with the United States is concerned.
"What I've actually said on that is that the special relationship with the US should be solid, not slavish. I think this is very important.


"Obviously we are the junior party in this relationship but we can bring things to the relationship."


He cited Britain's strong relationship with moderate Arab states, European policy and issues to do with the Gulf where the UK played a vital role in influencing American thinking.


While walking in Davos, an Alpine resort where the world's business and political leaders are meeting until Sunday, Mr Cameron also said that Russia's recent "pipeline machismo" represented a failure of British and European foreign policy.


To correct that failure, he said President Vladimir Putin and the Russians must be convinced to become part of the international community.

[American Patriot]

Kuwait media: U.S. military strike on Iran seen by April
xinhuanet.com ^ | www.chinaview.cn

Special report: Iran Nuclear Crisis

KUWAIT CITY, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. might launch a military strike on Iran before April 2007, Kuwait-based daily Arab Times released on Sunday said in a report.

The report, written by Arab Times' Editor-in-chief Ahmed al-Jarallah citing a reliable source, said that the attack would be launched from the sea, while Patriot missiles would guard all Arab countries in the Gulf.

Recent statements emanating from the United States indicated the Bush administration's new strategy for Iraq doesn't include any proposal to make a compromise or negotiate with Syria or Iran, added the report.

The source told al-Jarallah that U.S. President George W. Bush recently had held a meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other assistants in the White House, where they discussed the plan to attack Iran in minute detail.

Vice President Dick Cheney highlighted the threat posed by Iranto not only Saudi Arabia but also the whole Gulf region, according to the source.

"Tehran is not playing politics. Iranian leaders are using their country's religious influence to support the aggressive regime's ambition to expand," Dick Cheney was quoted by the source as saying.

Indicating participants of the meeting agreed to impose restrictions on the ambitions of Iranian regime before April 2007 without exposing other countries in the region to any danger, the source said "they have chosen April as British Prime Minister Tony

Blair has said it will be the last month in office for him. The United States has to take action against Iran and Syria before April 2007."

Claiming the attack will be launched from the sea and not from any country in the region, he said "the U.S. and its allies will target the oil installations and nuclear facilities of Iran ensuring there is no environmental catastrophe or after effects."

The source added that the U.S. has started sending its warships to the Gulf and the build-up would continue until Washington has the required number by the end of this month.

"U.S. forces in Iraq and other countries in the region will be protected against any Iranian missile attack by an advanced Patriot missile system," the source noted.

The Bush administration believes that attacking Iran will create a new power balance in the region, calming down the situation in Iraq and paving the way for their democratic project, which have to be suspended due to the interference of Tehran and Damascus in Iraq, according to the source.

[American Patriot]

IRAN: NUCLEAR SCIENTIST DIES UNDER MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES
adnkronos international ^ | Jan. 25, 2007

IRAN: NUCLEAR SCIENTIST DIES UNDER MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES

Tehran, 25 Jan. (AKI) - One of Iran's top nuclear scientists, Ardeshir Hassanpour, a professor at the university of Shiraz, has died under mysterious circumstances. Hassanpour's death was announced by Iranian state television, a week late, on Thursday. No reason was given for his death. The scientist was proclaimed the best scientist in the military field in the Islamic Republic in 2003. Hassanpour directed the centre for nuclear electromagnetic studies he had founded in 2005.

He had also co-founded the center for atomic research in Isfahan, the most important in the country, Iranian state television reported.

Last year, Ardeshir Hassanpour was awarded Iran's most prestigious scientific award, the Kharazmi prize.

[American Patriot]

IAEA chief says attack on Iran would be catastrophe
Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 1/25/07 | Stella Dawson

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - An attack on Iran would be catastrophic and encourage it to develop a nuclear bomb, Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Thursday.

"It would be absolutely counterproductive, and it would be catastrophic," ElBaradei said at a discussion on nuclear proliferation at the World Economic Forum.

The Bush administration in recent weeks has toughened its stance against Iran, which the West has accused of seeking to secretly build an atomic bomb, raising fears among political and business leaders that the U.S. plans an attack.

President George W. Bush has moved an additional aircraft carrier into the Gulf and told Iran that he would not allow it to provide weapons and support to insurgents in Iraq.

Israel has refused to rule out pre-emptive military action against Iran on the lines of its 1981 air strike against an atomic reactor in Iraq, although many analysts believe Iran's nuclear facilities are too much for Israel to destroy alone.

The United Nations imposed sanctions in December to prevent Iran using its nuclear energy program for military weapons, and Iran this week banned 38 IAEA nuclear inspectors.

ElBaradei, head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, has been engaged in meetings here at the gathering of world political and business leaders. He said diplomacy is the only way forward, and talk of military action can only backfire.

"This strengthens the hands of those in Iran who say 'let's develop a bomb to protect ourselves," he said.

The Bush administration has said it wants a diplomatic solution and that it is not preparing to attack either Iran or Syria.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also warned against an attack, while Iran's former president Mohammad Khatami urged calm to reduce tensions over Iran's nuclear program.

"If there is military action, it will have catastrophic results, not only in the region, but the whole world," Aziz said.

"I hope they would be good enough in managing the situation. We deeply need patience and understanding and not to get too emotional," Khatami said.

ElBaradei said force should not be ruled out, but past experience has shown that it should not be used with haste, citing Iraq where no evidence of nuclear weapons was found after the U.S.-led invasion.

"I am convinced that the only way forward in Iran is engagement," ElBaradei said. "We have to invest in peace," he said, adding that if the international community failed to do that "the consequence will be 10 times worse."

"I hope we will stop speaking about a military option and focus on finding a solution," ElBaradei said.

Iran says it needs nuclear power to generate electricity but the West fears it is secretly seeking an atom bomb. In December, the United Nations imposed sanctions on Iran's trade in sensitive nuclear materials and technology to try and stop enrichment work that could produce bomb material.

[American Patriot]

U.N. Says Iran Plans Nuclear Development
AP ^ | Jan 26 9:33 AM US/Eastern



DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) -- Iran plans to start installing thousands of centrifuges in an underground facility next month, U.N. officials said Friday, paving the way to large-scale uranium enrichment, a potential way of making nuclear weapons.

The officials, who demanded anonymity because the information was confidential, emphasized that Iranian officials had not officially said the country would embark on the assembly of what will initially be 3,000 centrifuges at Natanz. But they said senior officials have informally told the International Atomic Energy Agency the work would start next month.

[American Patriot]

Rafsanjani Tells Iranians to Brace for Massive Global Conspiracy
MEHRNews ^ | Jan. 26, 2007

Alienation of revolutionary forces is a deadly poison for country

Rafsanjani Tells Iranians to Brace for Massive Global Conspiracy

TEHRAN, Jan. 26 (MNA) -- Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has advised Iranian officials to pay more attention to the people and to brace for a “massive global conspiracy”. “We should come back to ourselves, act on the basis of paying attention to the people and Islam, and brace for a massive global conspiracy,” he said in a sermon at Friday prayers in Tehran.

The Westerners have launched an enormous evil media propaganda campaign claiming that the United States will attack Iran in order to scare the Iranian nation, he added.

“If they take such an action they will not obtain a result, but they have entered the stage with many facilities, so we should act vigilantly inside the country,” he stated.

“The current situation is not normal. The current state of affairs needs exceptional wisdom, and we should be more guarded in what we say,” he cautioned.

Rafsanjani warned against alienating revolutionary forces, saying that the rejection and alienation of competent forces is a deadly poison for the country.

“All the forces of the Islamic Revolution should be together.”

After a series of failures, the enemy has returned with several dossiers, he noted, adding, “At this stage, we are in a difficult situation because they have gathered votes against us in many international organizations.”

“In the nuclear issue, they are bullying us and trying to compel us to relinquish our legal right. They want to deprive us of nuclear technology.”

The UN Security Council passed Resolution 1737 on December 23 imposing sanctions on Iran’s trade in nuclear material and technology.

[American Patriot]

Bush denies preparing attack against Iran
ft.com ^ | 1/26/2007 | Edward Luce

George W. Bush on Friday sought to deny widespread rumours his administration was preparing some kind of military action against Iran. Mr Bush confirmed a report in Friday’s Washington Post that he had authorised US troops to shoot and kill Iranian operatives in Iraq, but denied this was a prelude to stronger action.

(Excerpt) Read more at ft.com ...

[Jag]

http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_En...80293765&par=0

IRAN: NUCLEAR SCIENTIST DIES UNDER MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES

Tehran, 25 Jan. (AKI) - One of Iran's top nuclear scientists, Ardeshir Hassanpour, a professor at the university of Shiraz, has died under mysterious circumstances. Hassanpour's death was announced by Iranian state television, a week late, on Thursday. No reason was given for his death. The scientist was proclaimed the best scientist in the military field in the Islamic Republic in 2003. Hassanpour directed the centre for nuclear electromagnetic studies he had founded in 2005. He had also co-founded the center for atomic research in Isfahan, the most important in the country, Iranian state television reported. Last year, Ardeshir Hassanpour was awarded Iran's most prestigious scientific award, the Kharazmi prize.

Jag

[Jag]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6312011.stm
Tuesday, 30 January 2007, 01:00 GMT

US rejects Iran nuclear 'timeout'

The US has rejected a call from the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog for a "timeout" in the showdown with Iran over its nuclear programme.


The US ambassador to the UN said the sanctions already being applied against Iran were not open to reinterpretation.

The head of the IAEA, Mohamed ElBaradei, said on Friday that Iran's nuclear work and UN sanctions could be simultaneously stopped.

Some Western nations fear Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons.

Tehran insists its programme is for peaceful uses only.

'Not mature'

A UN resolution passed on 23 December imposed sanctions on Iran until it stops enriching uranium.
Enriched uranium is used as fuel for nuclear reactors but can also be used to produce material for atomic weapons.
The acting US ambassador to the UN, Alejandro Wolff, said "there is a path laid out for suspension [of sanctions] and that is Iranian suspension of their enrichment activities to be responded to by the Council."

Iran too has dismissed the proposal. Chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Mr ElBaradei's proposal was not "mature" enough.


"Iran's nuclear issue has different angles and sides to it, and does not have a simple one-line solution," he said in Tehran.

Iran has been pressing ahead with plans to expand its nuclear programme.

Tehran has announced it will install 3,000 centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear facility. This would be a massive increase in its potential to produce enriched uranium.

On Friday Iran demanded the removal of the UN official in charge of inspecting the country's nuclear programme.

The official, Chris Charlier, had already been banned from entering Iran.
Last week, Iran banned 38 inspectors from four different countries.

Jag

[Jag]

Iran installing centrifuges - reports

• From correspondents in Vienna
• February 02, 2007

IRAN had begun installing centrifuges at the Natanz site where it planned 3000 of the machines to enrich uranium in defiance of UN demands to stop, diplomats said today.

A diplomat in Vienna told AFP that "construction has started (at the underground Natanz facility) but the cascades have not yet been assembled".
Another diplomat said bringing in centrifuge parts had started last week.

But Iran had not yet assembled a complete line, or cascade, of centrifuges, the basic unit for beginning actual enrichment, said the diplomats, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Still, if construction has started at the underground facility in Natanz, in central Iran, it would be a major step in the international showdown with Iran over a nuclear program which the US and others suspect is hiding secret development of an atom bomb.

It comes at a time when Iran is under sanctions from the UN Security Council to force it to suspend enrichment.

Uranium enrichment uses centrifugues to make fuel for civilian nuclear reactors but can also produce the explosive material for atom bombs.

Iran had last weekend given conflicting signals on its disputed nuclear work.

The Islamic republic's atomic energy agency denied the Iranians had started to install 3000 centrifuges to enrich uranium, shortly after the head of parliament's foreign affairs and national security commission said they had.
Iran is building cascades in units of 164 centrifuges each.

Iran already has two such cascades running above ground at a pilot enrichment plant at Natanz which would only produce small amounts of enriched uranium.

But the underground plant, protected as in a bunker from possible air attack, could if running full tilt produce enough highly enriched uranium for one bomb in one year, experts have said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...2-1702,00.html

Jag