Iran Invasion Will Not Be Announced

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." ===> John Donne (1573-1631)

"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." ===> Sir Edmund Burke (1729-1797) - (Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents, 1770)

A Path to Peace with Iran
By Scott Ritter

The problems that plague Washington DC on the issue of Iran are the same problems that haunt America overall regarding Iraq -- no clear understanding of why we as a nation are doing what we are doing where we are doing it, and absolutely no system of accountability for those who are implicated, directly through their actions or indirectly through abrogation of duties and responsibilities, in embroiling America in such senseless conflict.

1 Million Dead Iranians
By Chris Floyd

When this attack comes -- either as a stand-alone "knock-out blow" or as the precursor to a full-scale, regime-changing invasion, like the earlier aggression in Iraq -- there will be no warning, no declaration of war, no congressional hearings, no public debate. The already-issued orders governing the operation put the decision solely in the hands of the president. He picks up the phone, he says, "Go," and in 12 hours' time, up to 1 million Iranians will be dead.

Don't Impeach Bush. Commit Him: A Maniacal Messianic Prepares to Fulfill His Destiny
By Ted Rall

Until I read Seymour Hersh's expose in The New Yorker and subsequent follow-up coverage by other journalists about the Bush Administration's plans to start a war against Iran, I had dismissed talk of George W. Bush's messianism as so much Beltway chatter. True, he hears voices, even claiming that God and Jesus Christ talk to him. "I believe God wants me to run for president," he told a friend in Texas. Eschewing mainstream religion, he routinely parrots the apocalyptic ravings of fringe Christianist cults:

Cheney has tapped Iranian expatriate, arms dealer to surveil discussions with Iran:

Speaking on condition of anonymity, three intelligence sources identified the Iran-Contra middleman as having been put back on the payroll, acting as a human intelligence asset and monitoring any movement in discussions about Iran's alleged burgeoning nuclear weapons program.

U.S. strike on Iran could make Iraq look like a warm-up bout

TIM HARPER
WASHINGTON BUREAU

Poison-laced missiles raining down on U.S. troops in Iraq or Afghanistan, the downing of a U.S. passenger airliner, suicide bombers in major cities, perhaps unleashing their deadly payload in a shopping mall food court. It could be 9/11 all over again. Or worse.

Iran suicide bombers 'ready to hit Britain'

By Marie Colvin, Michael Smith and Sarah Baxter

IRAN has formed battalions of suicide bombers to strike at British and American targets if the nation's nuclear sites are attacked. According to Iranian officials, 40,000 trained suicide bombers are ready for action.

Iran was not ordered to Stop Enrichment

By Mike Whitney

It's easy to get confused about developments in Iran because the media does everything in its power to obfuscate the facts and then spin the details in way that advances American policy objectives. But, let's be clear; the Security Council did NOT order Iran to stop enriching uranium.

What President Ahmadinejad Said About Israel and Iran's Nuclear Program: Full text of President's Ahmadinejad address

"Palestine is the meeting point of right and wrong. Freedom for Palestine is the present aspiration of humanity. We must believe that good will prevail and evil will disappear. We must believe that Palestine will be free soon."

U.S. Program Is Directed at Altering Iran's Politics
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN

As the Bush administration confronts the Tehran government over its suspected nuclear weapons program and accusations that it supports terrorism, a newly created office of Iranian affairs in the State Department is poring over applications for a rapidly expanding program to change the political process inside Iran.

Iran years away from having nukes':

US intelligence chief John Negroponte has said Iran's resumption of uranium enrichment is "troublesome" but the country is still years away from having enough fissile material to make a nuclear weapon.

Russia toughens opposition to Iran sanctions :

Hardening its opposition to sanctions against Iran, Russia said on Friday the U.N. Security Council should only consider such measures if it had proof the Islamic Republic was trying to build nuclear weapons.

Russia backs Iran's nuclear programme:

Russia today offered its most outspoken support yet of the controversial nuclear programme in Iran, its neighbour and trading partner.

Russia Will Not Agree to Iran Sanctions Without Proof :

Russia says again it will not agree to sanctions against Iran until Moscow sees hard evidence that Tehran's nuclear program is not for peaceful purposes

Taking matters in hand:

Ali Larijani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator and head of the Supreme National Security Council, tells Amira Howeidy that Iran does not need nuclear weapons to promote its influence in the region and that punishing Iran for pursuing a nuclear programme will damage everyone




Bush raises UN action against Iran:

US President George W. Bush said he has discussed with Chinese President Hu Jintao the possibility of the United Nations passing a motion against Iran that could order sanctions or action going up to military action.

US prepared to go it alone over Iran :

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has invoked self-defence as a potential justification for military intervention in Iran

Russians withhold judgment on Iran :

Russia will decide its stance on the Iranian nuclear crisis based on a report next week by the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the deputy foreign minister said today.

Brazil follows Iran's nuclear path, but without the fuss :

As Iran faces international pressure over developing the raw material for nuclear weapons, Brazil is quietly preparing to open its own uranium-enrichment center, capable of producing exactly the same fuel.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman: I'd Support Iran Attack:

Sen. Joseph Lieberman said Tuesday that he would back a U.S. airstrike on Iran's nuclear facilities if diplomatic options fail, becoming the first Democrat to announce his support for such a move.

Gwynne Dyer: Oil: the party is over:

Welcome to the world of US$70-per-barrel oil. That's if there is no crisis in the Gulf over Iran's nuclear ambitions. If there is, then get ready for US$140 a barrel.

Does Iran's President Want Israel Wiped Off The Map - Does He Deny The Holocaust? This is a must read:

By Anneliese Fikentscher and Andreas Neumann
Translation to English: Erik Appleby:

How Media Have Distorted the Facts in Support of an Attack on Iran.

When "Diplomacy" Means War:

By Norman Solomon

One of the nation's leading pollsters, Andrew Kohut of the Pew Research Center, wrote a few weeks ago that among Americans "there is little potential support for the use of force against Iran." This month the White House has continued to emphasize that it is committed to seeking a diplomatic solution. Yet the U.S. government is very likely to launch a military attack on Iran within the next year. How can that be?

Lock him away to stop the next war

By Phillip Adams

WE cannot wait any longer for the impeachment of George W. Bush. Far more efficient to have Bush certified. There is no need for further debate on his mental state. The US President is bonkers.

Stop Us Before We Kill Again!

By Bernard Weiner

So, if you're wondering whether the U.S. will back off from attacking Iran, or whether corporations will no longer be given the ability to dictate Administration environmental policy, or whether domestic spying on U.S. citizens will cease, or whether Scalia might recuse himself on cases he's already pre-judged -- if you still harbor any or all of those illusions, forget about it.

Forget the Middle East:
North America Harbors the World's Most Dangerous Terrorists

By Jason Miller

A Messiah complex, severely stunted emotional intelligence and profound ignorance are the defining characteristics of the man capable of making nuclear holocaust a reality within minutes.

Most Americans Do Not Trust Bush on Iran: .

54 per cent of respondents say they do not trust George W. Bush to make the right decision about whether the country should go to war with Iran or not.

US to call for freeze on Iran assets and visa curbs:

The US is pressing other world powers to consider what it called targeted sanctions against Iran as an April 30 United Nations deadline looms for Tehran over its nuclear program.

Iranian official's presence in U.S. queried:

The Bush administration yesterday was at a loss to explain the rare presence in Washington of an Iranian government official who slipped into the United States under mysterious circumstances, apparently to attend a scholarly conference.

U.S. envoy: Iran sanctions discussed:

A U.S. diplomat said Tuesday that envoys from the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany discussed sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, but failed to reach agreement on how to proceed further.

"New urgency" to curb Iran - U.S. official:

Russia said on Wednesday it wanted to refrain from taking action before a U.N. deadline set for Tehran to halt uranium enrichment expired, but a top U.S. official believed other countries were inching towards action.

[ .............................. Abbas Kiarostami and friend .....................]

The U.S. Nuclear Bunker Buster:

3 Million will die as result of attack:

Flash presentation. Must watch

Russia will deliver air defense systems to Iran - top general :

At the end of 2005, Russia concluded a $700-million contract on the delivery of 29 Tor M1 air defense systems to Iran.

China, Russia welcome Iran into the fold:

"The real intention behind the US fueling the Iran issue is to prompt the UN to impose sanctions against Iran, and to pave the way for a regime change in that country."

Bush won't rule out nuclear strike on Iran By Edmund Blair

President Bush refused on Tuesday to rule out nuclear strikes against Iran if diplomacy fails to curb the Islamic Republic's atomic ambitions.

U.S. refuses to denie report of Iran strike plans:

The Pentagon declined to comment Monday on a report that US military planning for Iran began in 2002 and has been continually updated since.



Gordon Prather: Busting empty bunkers:

Military planners told the White House that if they wanted to be sure to destroy the underground uranium-enrichment bunker at Natanz - which is to eventually hold those 50,000 gas-centrifuges, but is now empty - they'd have to nuke it.

Prominent U.S. Physicists Send Warning Letter to President Bush:

Thirteen of the nation's most prominent physicists have written a letter to President Bush, calling U.S. plans to reportedly use nuclear weapons against Iran "gravely irresponsible" and warning that such action would have "disastrous consequences for the security of the United States and the world."


Fallout: The human cost of nuclear catastrophe:

Flash presentation

Manufacturing consent for war:

Israel Warns of New 'Axis of Terror':

Ambassador Dan Gillerman cautioned that a new "axis of terror" Iran, Syria and the Hamas-run Palestinian government was sowing the seeds of the first world war of the 21st century.

Lieberman: US could attack Iran's nukes:

The US is probably incapable of completely destroying the Iranian nuclear program, but as a last resort it could attempt to knock out "some of the components" in order to "delay and deter it," Senator Joe Lieberman, the former Democratic vice presidential candidate and a serving member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has told The Jerusalem Post.

Israel may have to go it alone on Iran: report :

The head of the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, poised to enter the next cabinet, said Monday that Israel may have to take its own pre-emptive action to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons

Eric Margolis : Countdown Over Iran:

It's both fascinating and dismaying watching the manufactured `crisis' over Iran reach new intensity each week. Iran poses no real military threat to anyone, but listening to the Bush Administration or the US media one would think that that Tehran was about to unleash a nuclear holocaust on the world.

Report - IAEA informed of Iran's P-2 centrifuge programmes:

The New York Times had quoted United States security officials as saying Iran's use of P-2 centrifuges was worrisome as the process would not only accelerate the enrichment process but production of an atomic bomb.




Congressman Ron Paul: Sanctions against Iran :

We cannot underestimate the irrational, almost manic desire of some neoconservatives to attack Iran one way or another, even if it means crippling a major source of oil and destabilizing the worldwide economy.

Bombs That Would Backfire

By RICHARD CLARKE and STEVEN SIMON

The parallels to the run-up to to war with Iraq are all too striking: remember that in May 2002 President Bush declared that there was "no war plan on my desk" despite having actually spent months working on detailed plans for the Iraq invasion. Congress did not ask the hard questions then. It must not permit the administration to launch another war whose outcome cannot be known, or worse, known all too well.

The US, Iran and the End of the International Order

By Jussi Sinnemaa

As the IAEA has repeatedly acknowledged, Iran is not in violation of any of her legal obligations as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In fact, Iran has allowed far more intrusive international inspections of her nuclear facilities than required by the NPT. Iran remains the only country to have done so.

The Disintegration of Iran :

The US intends to separate the oil rich province of Khouzestan from Iran and establish a small government in that region in its drive to control Middle-East oil. But is this fear realistic, or just part of the imagination of some Iranians?

Eric Margolis: A war of nerves:

The Bush Administration has used Iran's gleeful announcement that it enriched uranium to 3.5 per cent (83 per cent is needed for nuclear weapons), to generate a major US-Iranian crisis seven months before national mid-term elections.

Retired Colonel Sam Gardiner on Iran War Plans:

"The Issue is Not Whether the Military Option Would Be Used But Who Approved the Start of Operations Already"

Rafsanjani says Gulf countries will not assist U.S. if it attacks Iran :

"Reports about plans for an American attack on Iran are incorrect. We are certain that Americans will not attack Iran because the consequences would be too dangerous," former president Hashemi Rafsanjani said in an appearance in the Kuwait parliament.

[ ................. Scene from Iranian director Jafar Panahi's Crimson Gold (2003) ..........]

U.S. could attack Iran next year - Russian expert :

"If [the U.S.] ventures a military operation, it will conduct it next year after thorough political, military and propaganda preparations," Alexei Arbatov, head of the International Security Center in Moscow, told RIA Novosti.


U.S. backup plan: invade iran by land, air, water strikes :

The United States began planning a full-scale military campaign against Iran that involves missile strikes, a land invasion and a naval operation to establish control over the Strait of Hormuz even before the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, a former US intelligence analyst disclosed on Sunday.

William M. Arkin: The Pentagon Preps for Iran:

In early 2003, even as U.S. forces were on the brink of war with Iraq, the Army had already begun conducting an analysis for a full-scale war with Iran.

Blair refuses to back Iran strike:

TONY Blair has told George Bush that Britain cannot offer military support to any strike on Iran, regardless of whether the move wins the backing of the international community, government sources claimed yesterday.

General says Iran's military ready "to project its power" :

A top Iranian military commander said on Friday that the Islamic Republic's Army and Revolutionary Guards "are today in a situation to make the Oppressor World [the United States and its allies] feel the great powers that are at Iran's disposal", the state-run news agency Mehr reported.

Bush's Insane First Strike Policy:

If You Don't Want to Get Whacked, You'd Better Get Your Nation a Nuke

General Bush's lose-lose Iranian war options:

There is something unreal about the bellicose statements coming from some sources in the Bush administration towards Iran.

Rice hints at Iran attack:

THE United Nations must consider action against Iran which could lead to the use of military force, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said last night.

Retired colonel claims U.S. military operations are already 'underway' in Iran :

During an interview on CNN Friday night, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner claimed that U.S. military operations are already 'underway' inside Iran

Israel's Peres Says Iran Leader Will Meet Saddam's Fate: -

Former Israeli premier Shimon Peres says the president of Iran is destined to meet the same fate as Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader deposed in a U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Iran: 'Israel will be annihilated by one storm':

MAHMOUD Ahmadinejad, Iran's president, caused further international outrage yesterday by calling Israel a "rotten, dried tree" which he predicted would be annihilated by "one storm".

Iran Issues Warning to US:

"You can start a war but it won't be you who finishes it," said General Yahya Rahim Safavi, the head of the Revolutionary Guards and among the regime's most powerful figures.

Rice: US seeks enforcement power against Iran:

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the UN Security Council's handling of the Iranian nuclear issue will be a test of the international community's credibility.

Russian Military Chief Says Iran Far From Nuclear Bomb :

Russia's chief of military staff says that he is confident that Iran's current nuclear activities will "not allow it the possibility, either in the near or distant future, to make a nuclear weapon."

Duma member: US, Israel enemies of Iran nuclear program:

Member of Russian State Duma Victor Alksnis said today that Israel and the United States are real enemies of Iran's peaceful nuclear program.