War with Iran about to start?

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IRAN SENDS TERROR TEAMS INTO TURKEY

by REZA KAHLILIEmail | ArchiveReza Kahlili served in CIA Directorate of Operations, as a spy in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, counterterrorism expert; currently serves on the Task Force on National and Homeland Security, an advisory board authorized by Congress. He is the author of the award winning book "A Time to Betray" and regularly appears in national and international media as an expert on Iran and counterterrorism in the Middle East.More ↓

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Members of the Quds Forces’ elite Unit 400 have been activated inside Turkey to attack U.S. and Israeli interests and to support the Kurdish separatist movement PKK with violence as needed.

A source within the Revolutionary Guards confirmed the presence of the Iranian assets in Turkey as Iran increases pressure on the Turkish government to stop its support of the rebels against Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

The assets are to attack Western interests in Turkey should war break out against either Syria or Iran and at the same time work to destabilize Turkey as a warning for it not to interfere in Syria’s affairs.

Iranian leaders have continuously warned Turkey, Saudi Arabia and even America about any interference in Syria, that Assad’s regime is their red line.

According to the Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman, an Iranian spy was arrested on Sept. 1 while collaborating with the Kurdish separatists. In the ensuing investigation, he confessed to being an Iranian operative within the Revolutionary Guards.

The same paper revealed recently that nine spies have been arrested in Turkey, two of them Iranian nationals and the other seven of Turkish descent. The spies provided information on Iranian contacts with the PKK fighters and their mission in identifying strategic targets within Turkey.

At one time Iran and Turkey collaborated in fending off attacks by the Kurdish separatists both in Turkey and Iran, but now Iran, in order to destabilize Turkey, reportedly is supporting PKK guerrilla attacks inside Turkey.

During the last month, PKK fighters have attacked a military convoy and a police station, set off bombs and kidnapped Turks to create an environment similar to Syria’s.

According to a report Monday in the German newspaper Die Welt, the Iranian regime has sent more than 100 spies into Turkey since March and has facilitated PKK fighters with their intrusion into Turkey from within Iran.

The report, expanding on recent PKK attacks, cited one Sunday on a Turkish military base that killed 10 soldiers.

Turkish security experts said that not only has Iran stopped intelligence collaboration on the Kurdish fighters with Turkey but also that the Islamic regime is actively collaborating with the fighters, the report added.

Iran has warned Turkey that its interference in Syria will have unwanted consequences and that should it get militarily involved in confronting the Assad regime, Iran will attack Turkey to protect a fellow dictator.

But even before such a history-changing event, it is increasing its support to Assad by shipping military equipment to Syria over Iraqi airspace, according to The New York Times.

In a meeting last March with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated that, “The Islamic Republic will defend Syria because of its support for the resistance front against the Zionist regime (Israel) and is vehemently opposed to any intervention by foreign forces in Syrian internal affairs.”

Last week, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Salar Abnoush, in a statement at the University of Ghazvin, declared that, “Today we are in an all-out war militarily in Syria, as well as a cultural one.”

Another commander of the Guards, Mohammad Ali Assoudi, warned on Saturday, “If America were to attack Syria, Iran, along with Syria’s allies, will take action, which would amount to a fiasco for America.”

Ever since the uprising in Syria started, the Islamic regime’s Revolutionary Guards have collaborated with the Assad regime’s suppression of its own people, which so far has killed more than 20,000 people, including women and children.

It is ironic that while Turkey is suffering terrorist attacks, Iran is warning against any interference in the events in Syria and that Turkey should reevaluate its position toward the Assad regime.

For Iran, it’s do or die as the fall of Assad could culminate in much more pressure on the Islamic regime, disconnect the supply line to Hezbollah and provide an opportunity for the West to confront Iran without it worrying that such confrontation would expand to all of the Middle East.

However, the Iranian regime is determined to continue its illicit nuclear program despite much international pressure. It is determined to protect Assad and come out of its current confrontation with the West and regional powers like Saudi Arabia and Turkey as the leader of the worldwide Islamic movement. It is determined to reshape the geopolitics of not only the region but the world.

Reza Kahlili translated this Iranian video about Islamic prophecies of a coming messiah and the destruction of Israel:

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'Next 50 Days Most Fateful Since Yom Kippur War' – Hanegbi

Former Head of Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Tzachi Hanegbi, hints at timetable for Iran attack.
By Gil Ronen First Publish: 9/6/2012, 9:54 PM


Tzachi Hanegbi

"We now stand, in my opinion, before the 50 most fateful days in Israel's history, since perhaps the Yom Kippur War, in which there were also several dozen fateful days."

So said the former Head of Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Tzachi Hanegbi, at a closed meeting of Likud activists in Yafo. A recording of his speech reached daily newspaper Makon Rishon's reporter, Ze'ev Kam.

"The prime minister will have to make decisions that will bear a price tag. Allowing Iranian nuclear weapons has a price tag. The practical result will be a nuclear arms race in the entire Middle East," he explained.

"Today, when we say that we understand the danger of the Iranian threat, and understand that a confrontation bears a price, it is because we want to prevent our sons and grandson from paying unbearable prices," he said.

Hanegbi, who left Likud for Kadima and is now back in Likud, called on the activists to support Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and to "allow him quiet" and "strengthen his legitimacy" so that he can take the necessary decisions calmly.


Does World War III Start on September 11, 2012 ?


by John Galt
September 3, 2012 21:15 ET




One week from today the discussion of the average American citizen and businessman COULD switch from the results of the Democratic National Convention and the first weekend of the National Football League results to a horrific realization that the world has once again stepped beyond the precipice and into a new era of complete and total suicidal conflict.

Almost exactly eleven years after the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11/01.

There are some prophecy experts, web readers, and other commentators offering up similar predictions based on their theories. I have been discussing this possibility on The Voice of Galt radio program for several weeks now and with one week to go, I thought it would be wise to summarize in detail the practical and political concerns which has lead me to speculate as to why this is a potential date for a jumping off point of an attack on Iran by Israel and the ultimate beginning of what will become World War III.

HISTORICAL PRECEDENT

On June 5, 1967, rumors of war which had been building for months became reality when the Israeli military attacked all of their enemies in a brilliant pre-emptive strike before Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and yes, Iraq, were ready to launch an all out final assault to eradicate the tiny nation. The Six Day War would forever alter the balance of power in the region and force the Arabs to confront a true regional super power for decades to come. This war and the revolution in Iran almost one decade later would set the table for the Islamists to engage in the development of WMD’s including nuclear weapons, to provide an offensive or retaliatory capacity against Israel. This last fact has not escaped the attention of the government in Jerusalem regardless of the empty promises of the United Nations and various U.S. administrations.

June 7, 1981 became a true day of historical significance and precedence in the tiny nation as Israeli fighter bombers successfully destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor inside of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, eliminating the threat of a nuclear attack from the evil dictator who fielded one of the largest military forces in the world at that time. The model for future attacks was set with this daring raid to prevent the manufacture of weapons grade plutonium by a sworn enemy of Israel.

Again in 1982, after months of rocket fire from Southern Lebanon and a detectable increase in munitions being shipped into Southern Lebanon by the PLO’s Soviet bloc allies, Israel had reached its limit and invaded Lebanon. Instead of a short punitive war to destroy as much PLO infrastructure as possible to reduce or limit attacks from Lebanon, the strategic blunder of attempting an occupation of the country resulted in a bloodbath and protracted conflict which cost Israel dearly in the eyes of the world and domestically as politicians were viewed as incompetent for this failed invasion. Ultimately it would take another pre-emptive strike to redeem the military in the eyes of the civilian population and many in the military as well. Unfortunately that attack would not occur for many, many years and would be conducted in secret unlike the Osirak reactor in Iraq.

After another misadventure inside of Lebanon, the Israeli government warned the Islamic world in not so subtle terms that they would not permit the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region. On September 6, 2007, this policy was enforced using the Israeli Air Force (IAF) against the Syrian nuclear weapons facility at al-Kibar. The destruction was total and conducted without the approval of the Bush administration which insisted on pursuing a diplomatic solution, much like the Obama regime is attempting currently with Iran. What made this attack significant was the overwhelming force used to destroy the site and the fact that it did not occur during a new moon; a tactic the United States military favors.

Interestingly enough, the lunar phase of September 6, 2007 is almost identical to what we will see seven days from now:



SENSE OF URGENCY

The United States under a Presidency which has openly declared disdain for the Israeli government and openly embraced its enemies as well as causes contrary to the interests of the West has caused the Israeli government to prepare for life without an American ally over the next decade barring the election of Mitt Romney or dissolution of the United States into several smaller nations. This pressure to act before Iran demonstrates a successful offensive capability to deploy at minimum an effective EMP device over Western Europe and Israel and worse, a primitive low yield nuclear weapon to attack Israel’s cities means that time is running out before they succeed.

This motivation to act is best demonstrated by a story from the Jerusalem Post on Friday, August 31, 2012:

PM tells US ‘time has run out’ on Iran diplomacy’


The story can be summed up in the very first sentence:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu got into a diplomatic shouting match with US Ambassador Dan Shapiro over US President Barack Obama’s handling of Iran’s nuclear program, saying “time has run out” for diplomacy, Yediot Aharonot cited a source as saying on Friday.

This is the clearest signal that the Israeli government is prepared to end the obfuscation and act unless the United States or West decides to engage Iran decisively. In the last few weeks there appears to be an acceleration within Israel of distribution of gas masks and other WMD gear according to some blog reports. While the official media denies these stories, the apparent sense of urgency first noted within the Israeli media as stories of IDF facilities being hardened and redundancy programs being implemented nationwide months ago.

In addition, the front page of Sunday’s New York Times, the official organ of the Obama regime, leads off with this story indicating some sense of panic within the American regime:

To Calm Israel, U.S. Offers Ways to Restrain Iran



AN INSULT TO OBAMA AND ISLAM

While September 11th is a celebratory day for many within the Islamic world for their successful strike against the “Great Satan” it would be quite ironic if Israel turned the table on the newly empowered radical Islamist governments of Libya, Mali, Tunisia, Turkey, and of course Egypt by successfully attacking Iran and diminishing their ability to manufacture nuclear weapons. The insult to the radicals would be followed up by an exchange which could, I repeat could, provide the opening and excuse for the IDF to eradicate both Hezbollah and the threat of Syria’s chemical and biological weapons stockpile. This opportunity is a once in a decade chance for Israel to eliminate the threat to the north and topple Bashar al-Assad in Syria by weakening the remnants of his military to a point where the rebellion would succeed.

Unfortunately for the Obama administration an attack next Tuesday, or sooner, would be a clever and strategic method to return the insults he leveled at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by taking the focus off of Il Douche’s post convention bounce and instead refocusing the American media on a problem which could have been solved by both the Bush and Obama administration but instead deferred due to incompetence and ignorance rather than a practical approach to foreign policy and false promises to assist movements for freedom and liberation such as was destroyed in Iran while Obama ignored them.

This backhanded slap in the face of the Obama administration would create an air of crisis where to satisfy his “foreign” (translation: Arab) contributors he might receive pressure to support and impose sanctions against Israel. That would of course increase Jewish contributions to Mitt Romney and tilt the election sufficiently enough in the United States to rid the Israelis of the buffoon in D.C. while diminishing his foreign policy record to the point of historical irrelevancy at the same time.

THE TIMING IS RIGHT

The United States military is on high alert in the Persian Gulf which actually assists the Israelis in such an attack, especially if calls for air/sea rescue occur. In addition, the weather is projected to be calm and clear over much of Iran according to long range forecasts (via Accuweather.com):







In fact as of this evening, there is no evidence of sand storms or adverse weather conditions over the Persian nation:






If these conditions hold over the entire region, it would be one of the few perfect weather openings for both an air and sea launched (SLCM’s) assault on the Iranian facilities. While the damage may not permanently disable the program, it would be an open declaration of war and a warning to the regime in Tehran that Israel can and will attack at will. If Syria and Hezbollah overstep their abilities and attack Israel, then that provides the other opening needed to weaken Tehran’s international capabilities and perhaps encourage another uprising against the mullah’s.

Keep an eye out on the weeks ahead as the instability in the financial and geopolitical arena could well provide another historical window of horror, terror, and fascination for all of us to observe.

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The Scariest Iran War Scenario Ever


by John Galt
September 12, 2012 23:00 ET

The following scenario is an unforeseen theoretical outcome for what could happen should Israel attack Iran; and in this writer’s opinion the most terrifying outcome for world peace and the United States of America I could ever imagine. I feel this particular scenario must be put into consideration as the prophetic and geopolitical implications of such an outcome would change how all of us live the remainder of our lives out in this country.

No matter how short our lives may be.

The United States is currently ruled by a corrupt regime aligned with an amalgamation of globalist financiers, anti-American technocrats, and Islamist sympathizers. This Trifecta of Evil has put the danger of the Constitution being abdicated for practical considerations first and foremost into the daily decision making process up to and including the abandonment of traditional allies in favor or radical agendas designed to accelerate the destruction of this Republic.

For the sake of discussion, assume that the Israeli government has reached the point of disgust and anger with the United States as their intelligence data indicates that Iran is less than a month away from obtaining enough fissile material to construct one or two functioning Hiroshima type atomic weapons (as speculated on DEBKA and other sites last week). The proverbial “go” signal is given to the Israeli military to carry out a series of strikes on Iran to permanently debilitate the radical regime and decapitate the ability of that nation to attack Israel forever. The theory circulated by some analysts (see WND, Mike Evans, September 4, 2012: Israel readies ‘secret weapon’ for Iran attack) is that after a high altitude EMP strike over Iran which will darken the entire nation and blind U.S. and Arab forces to an incoming attack, the Israelis will launch a massive surface to surface missile strike to destroy Iranian military assets such as missile launch sites, storage facilities, air assets, and selected Republican Guard bases.



Then it gets interesting.


After the worldwide shock of first wave occurs, a second attack specifically designed to eradicate the nuclear sites and capabilities of the Iranian missile program will be carried out by the Israeli Air Force. This one time shock and awe event will in all probability occur in the post-EMP confusion which would reign over the region allowing the planes to attack the sites successfully but that is where the terrifying scenario begins, not ends.

The following portion of this theory is purely based on the Progressive/Marxist ideology of the current U.S. President who in his mind actually believes he earned the Nobel Peace Prize and thus is the actual leader of the world instead of just the United States of America. President Obama has encouraged an internationalist ideology which expands on the theory that a global point of view is superior to the American program of economic pragmatism and sharing the ideals of our Republic. Thus he has engaged in the very policies that the pre-World War I leadership of Europe engaged in along with a parallel policy akin to either Neville Chamberlain dealing with Nazi Germany or worse, a Quisling.

That leads to the question and theory of this scenario:

Will Obama order the United States military to intercept the Israeli Air Force on their return trip to Israel?

While the initial reaction of most readers is “no way,” I present a terrifying outline of how and why this would occur starting with our basing in the region and military capacity. The four primary United States bases in the region are mapped as follows:

(thanks to Militarybases.com for the maps above)

While each base is completely capable of long range intercept, an allowance must be made for the lack of command and control function during the initial shock of the ElectroMagnetic Pulse attack on Iran. Once the Obama administration evaluates the initial strike and begins to field calls from outraged Islamic leaders, a snap decision could be made for short range intercepts of returning Israeli Air Force planes to “maintain world peace” in the name of preventing a wider war in the region or some other such nonsense as espoused by the D.C. regime.

The intercept capabilities of the USAF from their bases in the region without refueling at full afterburner to intercept is somewhat short and thus the following map is only theoretical with the arrows indicating the likely direction of an attempted interception of the IAF planes and the circles indicating probably maximum combat range from the bases above.


There are some major considerations to place within this scenario however. There is a high probability that a large number of U.S. pilots would disobey or “engage ghosts” by firing their air-to-air missiles at non-existent targets to placate the Commander in Chief yet stay out of hack. The problem is that if just 30% to 40% of those warriors obeyed orders and shot down some Israeli fighters, a state of war would exist between the United States and Israel. That immediately puts every U.S. military asset in the Middle East and Europe into the cross-hairs of an Israeli retaliatory strike.

The primary concern if a state of war is not walked back would be the the aircraft carrier battle groups in the Arabian Sea and Mediterranean. With the capabilities of the Israeli navy to launch Popeye SLCM’s with little warning, odds are the U.S. could and probably would lose several capital ships; up to and including aircraft carriers themselves. The Jericho II and Jericho III missile systems also have the range to destroy any facility in the region and Europe as this map below illustrates and would be in play should the U.S. launch strikes on the nation of Israel itself:


The last question is the most terrifying one of all:

Would the U.S. use a nuclear weapon on Israel during a conflict which escalates on an hourly basis?

I sincerely doubt it but that would not prevent the U.S. from launching attacks on their military bases using advanced conventional weapons in which casualties from both sides would be extremely high. If the Israelis were attacked on their own soil by U.S. forces, it is a safe bet that this escalation would result in one of the Israeli submarines putting one if not all three aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea region at the bottom of the ocean. IF, and that is a huge ‘if’, the U.S. did attack the Israeli homeland directly with a tactical nuclear weapon to neutralize Israel’s military capabilities, I fear the Samson Option is on the table with cities on the East Coast of the U.S. at greatest risk of a retaliatory nuclear strike form Israel’s strategic submarine forces.

The result of such a conflict after the Iranian strike would be far reaching beyond the initial clash between Iranian, Israeli, and U.S. forces. From a geopolitical point of view, the U.S. influence on the region would be completely nullified and there are indications that the states on the Arabian Peninsula have been preparing for this eventuality by re-establishing relations with Russia and expanding trade with Communist China. Saudi Arabia, not Israel or Turkey would reign as the supreme power in the region with support from their new allies as the U.S. would be shamed into slithering from the area, if not the Eastern Hemisphere as a whole. Meanwhile Israel would simply renounce all agreements and alliances with the U.S. and form a new strategic and trade agreement, something which has been considered at this time regarding natural gas and petroleum extraction in the Mediterranean, with Russia to keep the Israeli nation from starving and fully armed against all of their neighbors.

I can not stress enough that this is a theoretical possibility which years ago would be dismissed as conspiracy lunacy. However the arrogance of this administration and their continuous betrayal of our allies and non-Muslim religions worldwide indicates that indeed Obama has an Islamocentric foreign policy which favors those governments and movements which have been advocating the re-establishment of a greater Caliphate throughout the region. Considering this is an election year and the unpredictable amateurs inside the U.S. government, preparing for this scenario is not as far fetched as it might have seemed in the past.

[American Patriot]

I don't think the US will have to intercept the Israeli aircraft. I think.... the Russians will nuke us.

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[American Patriot]

Iran's currency plunges 40 percent, riot police called out

Iran deployed riot police in Tehran after street protests broke out over Iran's falling currency. Washington says fall of the rial is a combination of Iranian government mismanagement and the bite from tighter sanctions.


By Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press / October 4, 2012

• 

In this photo taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran, an Iranian fire fighter extinguishes a burned motorcycle in a street in central Tehran on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012. Protests broke out as the value of Iran's currency, the rial, plummeted.
(AP Photo)

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Tehran

Iran deployed riot police at key Tehran intersections on Thursday, after tensions flared over the nation's plunging currency in the most widespread display of anger linked to the country's sanctions-hit economy.
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The show of force reflects the authorities' concerns in the wake of sporadic protests Wednesday over the plummeting currency, which has sharply driven up prices. It has also put Iranian leaders under the most pressure from dissent since crushing the opposition movement after the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009.


Most shops in Tehran's main bazaar were reopened on Thursday, the first day of the Iranian weekend, and no unrest was reported.


RECOMMENDED: How well do you know Iran? Take the quiz
Many bazaar merchants had closed their shops the day before and authorities reported arrests amid efforts to clampdown on black market money exchangers, who effectively set the rates around the country. Trash bins were set ablaze during sporadic confrontations with security forces.


The Prosecutor's Office in Tehran said 16 people have been detained for "disrupting" the currency — an apparent reference to speculators trying to take advantage of the rial's declining value.


Iran's rial has lost nearly 40 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar in the past week. The rate Thursday — about 32,000 rials for the dollar — was a bit higher than the record low earlier this week.


The semi-official Mehr news agency reported that the heads of several business guilds in Iran — production, distribution and technical services — all agreed that shops will also reopen on Saturday, after the Iranian weekend.


The guilds have asked police to provide protection and security for the shops at the Tehran bazaar. According to Mehr, the guilds said "the main problem is government's economic performance" and pledged loyalty to the ruling system.


Ahmadinejad critics say his government has added to the frenzy to dump rials with policies such as limiting bank interest rates — which led depositors to pull their cash in fear it wouldn't keep pace with inflation.


But officials in Washington claim the plummet of the rial is a combination of Iranian government mismanagement and the bite from tighter sanctions, which have targeted Iran's vital oil exports and cut off access to international banking networks. Both measures have reduced the amount of foreign currency coming into the country.


In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Iran's leaders deserve responsibility for what is going on.


"They have made their own government decisions, having nothing to do with the sanctions, that have had an impact on the economic conditions inside the country," Clinton told reporters Tuesday. She said the sanctions have had an impact as well, but that could be quickly remedied if the Iranian government were willing to work with the international community "in a sincere manner."


The West suspects that Iran is using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop the capacity to build nuclear weapons. Iran insists its program is peaceful and geared toward generating electricity and medical radioisotopes to treat cancer patients.

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Iranian cameraman who accompanied Ahmadinejad to UN now seeks asylum in U.S.

Hassan Gol Khanban defected after coming to New York for General Assembly

By Corky Siemaszko / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Published: Monday, October 1, 2012, 10:26 AM

Updated: Monday, October 1, 2012, 12:56 PM


JUSTIN LANE/EPA

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the United Nations. A cameraman who traveled to the U.S. with him for last week's address has defected.

An Iranian cameraman in President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s entourage who defected in New York was hiding out in an “undisclosed location” Monday and has already applied for asylum, his lawyer said.

Hassan Gol Khanban put in the paperwork after the Iranian delegation, which was in the city for the United Nations General Assembly, left Thursday “and he didn’t.”

“The regime wanted him to do things that he didn’t want to do,” attorney Paul O’Dwyer said. “He was concerned that he would be perceived as not being a full supporter of the regime and that he would be targeted and punished as a result.”

O’Dwyer did not divulge how Gol Khanban ran afoul of his masters, but said he was the “longtime cameraman” for Ahmadinejad, Iran’s notorious leader.

“We know fairly well when the Iranian regime is going to punish you, that means anything from being tortured or killed to having you family disappeared,” said O’Dwyer, who is based in lower Manhattan. “He does have a family, but they have left Iran also. We’re hoping to get them here.”
O’Dwyer would not say where Gol Khanban’s wife and two children were hiding. He said the defector is in his 40s.

Ahmadinejad addressed the assembly on Wednesday, delivering yet another anti-Israel, anti-U.S. diatribe in a hall that many diplomats walked out of just before he began yammering.
The next day, Ahmadinejad and the 140-strong delegation departed from the posh Warwick Hotel in midtown. They split after members of his entourage loaded up shampoo, shoes, soap, vitamins and other items in short supply at home because of the economic sanctions the West has imposed on Iran to curb their nuclear ambitions.

The Iranian consulate has not yet weighed in on Gol Khanban’s defection.
O’Dwyer said he has not heard from the Iranians, either.

Legally, Gol Khanban’s asylum application is supposed to be decided within 180 days of it being filed, his lawyer said.

“But it’s hard to put a timeline on a significant case like this,” said O’Dwyer.

In the meantime, Gol Khanban can legally stay in the U.S.

But he’ll be watching is back.

“The Iranian regime is ruthless,” said O’Dwyer. “They’re obviously not happy about this.”

csiemaszko@nydailynews.com

NYC Lawyer: Iranian Cameraman Concerned for Safety

By JOSEPH FREDERICK Associated Press NEW YORK October 3, 2012 (AP)

The lawyer for an Iranian cameraman who accompanied President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the U.S. for the U.N. General Assembly and is seeking asylum said Tuesday that his client did so because he was concerned for his safety if he went back to Iran.

Paul O'Dwyer is representing Hassan Gol Khanban, who is in his 40s and has been a videographer with the Iranian News Agency for years. Khanban has traveled abroad with Ahmadinejad before.
O'Dwyer said his client had been asked to do things by the Iranian presidential delegation that he had refused to do and was concerned about what would happen upon returning to Iran, which prompted his defection.


AP In this Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012 photo, Hassan... View Full Caption

"He was feeling threatened because of what he thought would happen when he went back," O'Dwyer said in an interview with The Associated Press. "There were demands made on him by the presidential detail while he was here to do things that he did not want to do. He was obviously very, very concerned about what the repercussions to him would be when he went back to Iran for disobeying those orders."

O'Dwyer said his client's wife and two young children have left Iran, as well. Khanban "is very, very concerned obviously about his family. His immediate family who have left Iran, and his extended family who are still in Iran, and obviously he is concerned for himself," he said.

O'Dwyer said an application for Khanban's asylum has been submitted to the Department of Homeland Security's Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Defecting Iranian cameraman brings CIA priceless film of secret nuclear sites

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report October 5, 2012, 1:01 AM


Hassan Golbankhan and Rev Guards chiefs

Debkafile reveals one of the CIA’s most dramatic scoops in many years, and epic disaster for Iran.

Our most exclusive Iranian and intelligence sources disclose that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s personal cameraman, Hassan Golkhanban, who defected from his UN entourage in New York on Oct. 1, brought with him an intelligence treasure trove of up-to-date photographs and videos of top Iranian leaders visiting their most sensitive and secret nuclear and missile sites.

The cameraman, who is in his 40s, is staying at an undisclosed address, presumably a CIA safe house under close guard.

He stayed behind when Ahmadinejad, after his UN speech, departed New York with his 140-strong entourage. For some years, Golkhanban worked not just as a news cameraman but personally recorded visits by the Iranian president and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of top-secret nuclear facilities and Revolutionary Guards installations.

When he left Tehran in the president’s party, his luggage was not searched and so he was able to bring out two suitcases packed with precious film and deliver it safely into waiting hands in New York.

The Iranian cameraman has given US intelligence the most complete and updated footage it has ever obtained of the interiors of Iran’s top secret military facilities and various nuclear installations, including some never revealed to nuclear watchdog inspectors. Among them are exclusive interior shots of the Natanz nuclear complex, the Fordo underground enrichment plant, the Parchin military complex and the small Amir-Abad research reactor in Tehran.

Some of the film depicts Revolutionary Guards and military industry chiefs explaining in detail to the president or supreme leader the working of secret equipment on view. Golkhanban recorded their voices.

Our sources also disclose that, in late September, he took the precaution of sending his wife and two children out of Iran on the pretext of a family visit to Turkey. They are most likely on their way to the United States by now.

From his years as a member of the loyal Bassij militia, the cameraman earned the complete trust of Iran’s security services and was able to reach his professional pinnacle as personal photographer for the two most eminent figures in the country, Khamenei and Ahmadinejad, with the task of recording their most confidential pursuits.

This was his second visit to New York. The first time, a year ago, US intelligence was able to make contact and persuade him to defect with his stock of priceless photos and film.

Although Golkhanban’s defection to the United States and request for asylum was disclosed to the media some days ago, Tehran has not made any comment.

[Malsua]

I hope they don't screw this guy over. Of course he could be playing some kind of game. It's hard to believe anything this guy might say.

[American Patriot]

Think tank issues warning on Iran nukes

By George Jahn
-
Associated Press
Monday, October 8, 2012

• Enlarge Photo
  ** FILE ** In this Sept. 11, 2012, photo, Israeli Prime Minister ... more >

VIENNA — Iran now could produce enough weapons-grade uranium to arm a nuclear bomb within two to four months, but still would face serious “engineering challenges” and much longer delays before it would be able to use the material in an atomic warhead, a respected U.S. think tank said Monday.


While Iran denies any interest in possessing nuclear arms, the international community fears it may turn its peaceful uranium-enrichment program toward weapons making — a concern that is growing as Tehran expands the number of machines it uses to enrich uranium.


And as apprehension increases, so does anxiety that Israel will make good on threats to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities before that Islamic republic reaches the bomb-making threshold.


In a strident call for an internationally drawn “red line” on what he said is Iran’s move toward nuclear arms, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sept. 28 the world has until next summer at the latest to stop Tehran before it can build an atomic bomb.


Flashing a diagram of a cartoonlike bomb before the U.N. General Assembly, he said Iran is ready to move to the “final stage” of making such a weapon by then.


For now, U.S. military and intelligence officials say they don’t believe Iran’s leadership has made the decision to build a bomb, while also warning that the country is moving closer to the ability to do so.


The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) did not make a judgment on whether Iran plans to turn its enrichment capabilities toward weapons making.


But in its report made available to the Associated Press ahead of publication Monday, it drew a clear distinction between Tehran’s ability to make the fissile core of a warhead by producing 55 pounds of weapons-grade uranium from its lower enriched stockpiles and the warhead itself.


“Despite work it may have done in the past,” Iran would need “many additional months to manufacture a nuclear device suitable for underground testing and even longer to make a reliable warhead for a ballistic missile,” the report said.


Additionally, ISIS — which often advises Congress and other branches of U.S. government on Iran’s nuclear program — said any attempt to “break out” into weapons-grade uranium enrichment would be quickly detected by the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors Tehran’s known enrichment sites.


With Washington likely to “respond forcefully to any “break-out” attempt, Iran is unlikely to take such a risk “during the next year or so,” said the report.


Still, the report suggested a narrowing window as Iran positions itself to increase enrichment.


Iran now has more than 10,000 centrifuges enriching uranium at its main plant at Natanz, about 140 miles southeast of Tehran, making low-level material.


Additionally it has about 800 machines turning out 20 percent enriched uranium at Fordo, a bunkered structure fortified against air attack near the city of Qom, as well as about 2,000 more installed but not yet running.


Uranium enriched to 20 percent can be turned into weapons-grade material much more quickly than low-enriched uranium.


Read more: Think tank issues warning on Iran nukes - Washington Times http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...#ixzz296NptxcA
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

[American Patriot]

Iran fired on a US unmanned drone on 1 November....

the plane was in international space

[American Patriot]

Act of war.


Iran fired at unarmed US drone, Pentagon says

Published November 08, 2012

FoxNews.com

DroneReuters.jpg

Undated handout image courtesy of the U.S. Air Force shows a MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft. (Reuters)

Iran fired on an unarmed U.S. drone last week as it was hovering in international airspace, the Pentagon announced Thursday.

Spokesman George Little said the incident occurred Nov. 1 at 4:50 a.m. ET. He said the unarmed, unmanned drone was conducting "routine surveillance" over the Persian Gulf when it was "intercepted" by Iran. He said the MQ1 Predator drone, which was not hit, was not in Iranian airspace.

Little said the U.S. government has protested to the Iranians. Asked about how the U.S. could respond, he said: "We have a wide range of options from diplomatic to military."

Little stressed that the drone was flying 16 nautical miles off the coast of Kuwait in international waters, and never entered the 12-mile limit that would constitute Iranian territory.

The Pentagon announced the incident as the administration imposed a new round of financial sanctions against Iranian officials and entities. They marked the first sanctions since President Obama's re-election Tuesday. According to the Treasury Department, the move was "related to the Iranian government's human rights abuses, its support of terrorism and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps."

The drone encounter comes after a U.S. drone crashed in Iran late last year. Iran claimed to have shot it down, but U.S. officials said it merely malfunctioned and crashed.

Little said he thinks the Nov. 1 encounter is the first time an unmanned drone was shot at in international waters over the Gulf. He said the U.S. will continue to run surveillance missions in the region.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012...#ixzz2Bf8EB2fI

[American Patriot]

Iranian Fighter Jets Fired On Unarmed US Drone
Adam Taylor | 32 minutes ago | 895 |

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General Atomics MQ-1 Predator Drone

MSGT SCOTT REED
Two Iranian fighter jets fired on an unarmed US drone last week, according to reports on CNN.

According to Pentagon sources, the drone was in the international airspace of Kuwait. It was not hit in the attack, and it was not clear if the two fighter jets were actually trying to down the drone.

The incident happened just a few days before the US election as the drone conducted surveillance on crucial Gulf oil shipping lanes.

Fox News have confirmed the news with the Pentagon.

CNN reporters on air questioned whether the act could be considered an "act of war".

Iran downed a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel drone late last year, and are thought to have studied the technology.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/irani...#ixzz2Bf8RF76Q

[American Patriot]

November 8th, 2012
02:00 PM ET


FIRST ON CNN: Iranian jets fire on U.S. drone

By Barbara Starr
Two Iranian Su-25 fighter jets fired on an unarmed U.S. Air Force Predator drone in the Persian Gulf last week, CNN has learned.
The incident raises fresh concerns within the Obama administration about Iranian military aggression in crucial Gulf oil shipping lanes.
The drone was in international airspace east of Kuwait, U.S. officials said, adding it was engaged in routine maritime surveillance.
Although the drone was not hit, the Pentagon is concerned.
Two U.S. officials explained the jets were part of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps force, which has been more confrontational than regular Iranian military forces.
The Obama administration did not disclose the incident, which occurred just days before the presidential election on November 1, but three senior officials confirmed the details to CNN.
The officials declined to be identified because of sensitive intelligence matters surrounding the matter.
The drone's still and video cameras captured the incident showing two SU-25s approaching the Predator and firing its onboard guns.
The Iranian pilots continued to fire shots that went beneath the Predator but were never successful in hitting it, according to the officials.
U.S. military intelligence analysts are still not sure if the Iranian pilots simply were unable to hit the drone due to lack of combat skill, or whether they deliberately were missing and had no intention of bringing down the drone. But as one of the officials said, "it doesn't matter, they fired on us."
The official confirmed the United States protested the incident but has not heard back from Iran.
Iran has, at times, been confrontational in the region. In January, the U.S. military and coast guard had close encounters with Iranian Navy vessels which approached at high speeds and exhibited provocative behavior.

[American Patriot]

Iran warplanes fired on U.S. drone over Gulf: Pentagon




WASHINGTON | Thu Nov 8, 2012 3:17pm EST



(Reuters) - Iranian warplanes fired multiple rounds at an unmanned unarmed U.S. surveillance aircraft in international airspace over the Gulf last week, but the craft was undamaged and returned safely to its base, Pentagon spokesman George Little said on Thursday.


President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta were both advised early on about the unprecedented incident, which occurred at about 4:50 a.m. ET (0850 GMT) on November 1.


Iran was later warned through diplomatic channels the United States would keep conducting surveillance flights in the region and would protect its military assets, Little said.


"The United States has communicated to the Iranians that we will continue to conduct surveillance flights over international waters over the Arabian Gulf consistent with longstanding practice and our commitment to the security of the region," Little told a Pentagon briefing.


"We have a wide range of options from diplomatic to military to protect our military assets and our forces ... and will do so when necessary," he added.


The incident came a year after a CIA drone crashed in Iran - giving the Islamic Republic access to sensitive American technology.


The MQ-1 "Predator" military drone involved in the latest incident on November 1 was conducting routine surveillance over the Gulf 16 nautical miles from Iran when it was intercepted by Russian-made Iranian SU-25 "Frogfoot" aircraft and was fired upon with guns, Little said.


Another Pentagon spokesman confirmed that two SU-25s were involved.


Asked whether the Iranians may have been firing warning shots, Little said the U.S. assessment was that the Iranian aircraft were aiming to shoot down the U.S. drone.


"Our aircraft was never in Iranian air space. It was always flying in international air space. The internationally recognized territorial limit is 12 nautical miles off the coast and we never entered the 12 nautical mile limit," Little said.


The Pentagon said relevant officials in Congress were informed of the incident. Little declined to say which military service owned the drone.

[Malsua]

Just fly some escorts up there that splash those Iranian planes from over the Horizon. Oh wait, that only happens in the sane world. In Obamaland, we'll issue an apology to the Iranians and send them a check for their spent ordinance.

[American Patriot]

Yeah, I sent Ryan a private email about this before I posted anything. I said roughly the same "Nothing is gonna happen".

[American Patriot]

Iran Implicitly Confirms Attack on US Drone


November 09, 2012

Iran is vowing to confront any aircraft that enters its airspace, one day after the Pentagon said Iranian warplanes fired on an unarmed U.S. drone over international waters in the Persian Gulf.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Massoud Jazayeri did not explicitly confirm the incident in his comments to the FARS news agency on Friday. But he said Iran would "give a decisive response to any aerial, ground or sea aggression."

Pentagon spokesman George Little said Thursday the unmanned Predator was outside Iranian waters on a routine classified surveillance mission November 1 when an Iranian military plane fired at, and missed, the drone.

Little says the United States informed Iran that it is prepared to safeguard its forces and will continue surveillance operations over the Persian Gulf in line with the U.S. commitment to security in the region. He said the U.S. is not ruling out either a military or diplomatic response.

Though the U.S. routinely conducts surveillance missions over to Iran to check on nuclear facilities and other sites, the Pentagon says this is the first time Iran has fired on one of its drones. Iran says it shot down an American unmanned aerial vehicle last year over Iranian territory. U.S. officials say that aircraft landed unintentionally.

The Pentagon usually does not comment on classified missions. But Little says the report of the attack on the drone was leaked.

[American Patriot]

This is an act of war.

[American Patriot]

War with Iran? 5 ways events overseas could shape Obama's second term.

By the time President Obama renews his oath of office at the United States Capitol next January, he may have only a few short months to avoid another war in the Middle East – this one over Iran’s advancing nuclear program.
The threat posed by Iran’s uranium enrichment program is the most urgent example of the foreign-policy challenges that face Mr. Obama. Some, like Iran, won’t wait for Inauguration Day. Others, like the use of drones or the threat of global warming, should receive new or renewed attention over the course of a second term.
Here are five overseas issues that will likely confront Obama in the next four years.

- Howard LaFranchi, Staff writer
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Enlarge
In this 2007 file photo, an Iranian technician works at the Uranium Conversion Facility just outside the city of Isfahan, Iran. (Vahid Salemi/AP/File)


1. Iran

Mention “grand bargain,” and most Washington watchers will be forgiven for thinking domestically and in terms of the deal Obama will be trying to reach with Republicans to avoid the “fiscal cliff’ of mandatory budget cuts and tax hikes.
But there’s another grand bargain hanging out there like hard-to-reach fruit, and that’s one envisioned between Washington and Tehran that would verifiably end the threat of Iran’s nuclear program, ensuring there is no path to an Iranian nuclear weapon. In exchange, the US would lift onerous economic sanctions – and potentially even normalize relations.
But reaching such a grand bargain is by no means a short-term proposition, with most regional experts agreeing that the interim steps are daunting enough. Dormant international negotiations with the Iranians (and which include the US) may well get going again in the wake of the US elections – especially given the severe bite that international sanctions have made in the Iranian economy.
An interim deal would address the most threatening aspects of Iran’s uranium enrichment program, but prospects are dim for reaching such a deal before Israel decides Iran has crossed a “red line” in its stockpiling of enriched uranium – perhaps next spring or summer, some analysts say.
Within weeks of Obama’s second inauguration, the Iran nuclear issue could lead to a new paroxysm of tensions and renewed speculation over the dire global consequences of another Middle East war.

[MinutemanCO]

Hold on a second. Something ain't passing the smell test here. Obama was working closely with the Iranians regarding some closed door deal having to do with temporary cessation of urnanium enrichment. Obama seems to have established communications with the president of Iran and the Ayatollah. Whether or not their relationship is one that is good for our country is irrelevant. My point is this... (to state the obvious) if Obama is now buds with the freaks of Iran, why would they commit an act of war with the US? Something more sinister is brewing.

[American Patriot]

Easy way for them to get parts for their drones... easy way for us to pass information, engineering stuff, diagrams and items to reverse engineer... without getting caught like Clinton did.