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A war with Iran is imminent
Editor’s note: This article is also a bit old (from February) but it talks about how the Iran war is coming around the corner. Also, its by me, which is why I’m reblogging it.
Recently, the diplomatic relations between the governments of Iran and the United States have heated up. First, the U.S. government accused the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRIG) of plotting to kill the Saudi Ambassador to the United States. Investigative journalist Gareth Porter, on the Real News Network, proved the government’s narrative on the assassination plot was an elaborate set up to implicate Iran as part of a campaign against the country and possibly lead to a war. Later a CIA drone was downed in the country and the Iranian government kept it as a trophy. Then there were reportedly bombings inside Iran. A Baltimore Sun article published today commented that these activities “suggest a covert program [in Iran] by the West or its proxies aimed at sabotaging the effort [of Iran to build a nuclear program].” For activists like those that write on Antiwar.com this is no surprise. In fact the site has a day of mass action on February 4th to stop a war in Iran. For Iranian residents, these covert actions confirm their worst fear: the United States government is meddling in their affairs.
This is not the first time the United States has intervened in Iran. In 1953, the CIA overthrew the democratically-elected President, Mossadegh (who nationalized the oil companies) in “Operation Ajax” and replaced him with the Shah by creating a popular uprising. The Shah was brutal and supported American business, basically a puppet of the United States government. Only a few years earlier, the U.S. government had conducted a military action in the country. But in 1979 the Shah left Iran for medical treatment in the United States and Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran to unite those with an anti-Shah sentiment. A few months later, in a national referendum, he was elected the Supreme Leader of an Islamic Republic. Islamic fundamentalists dominated the government and an anti-American fervor was present in the country and populace. Ever since, relations between Iran and America have been strained.
Those strains have been reignited with the rhetoric of the establishment. President Obama seemed to advocate for peaceful resolution in his State of the Union, then he said sanctions will continue. He stated that the “America[n government] is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal.” James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence said in a recent intelligence committee hearing that because of Iran’s supposed assassination attempt that “Iranian officials…are now willing to conduct an attack in the United States in response…to [threatening] US actions” and that “Iran will…sponsor future attacks in the United States.” Other government officials such as CIA Director David Petraeus and FBI Director Robert Muller confirmed these inflammatory ideas in their testimony. FBI Director Muller said that the FBI would be reorganized to investigate cyberattacks, which the Pentagon has previously declared as an “act of war.” In the international realm, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah support military action to forcefully prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons. Two laws introduced in the House of Representatives that harshly dealt with Iran received more than 400 votes.
One of the leading reasons for going to war is disabling Iran’s nuclear program. The truth is that nuclear weapons are not being produced in Iran. Ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern proves once again in a Real News Network blogpost that from conclusions made by U.S. and Israeli intelligence services, it is evident that Iran does not have nuclear weapons production. McGovern has looked at National Intelligence reports, testimony from Congress and found the same conclusion. One must understand the “propaganda of war” distributed in violation of Article 20, 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to create a war in Iran.
Under the Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) and AUMF for Iraq, President Obama could invade Iran. Obama could say he is taking “necessary actions against international terrorists” or is “prevent[ing] any future acts of international terrorism” by bringing American troops into Iran. Also the War Powers Resolution could be used to begin a war. The law states that the President can bring armed forces into a country if “imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated” or more important if a “national emergency [is] created by attack upon the United States [and its empire].” Based on previous history of the American empire, it is possible the United States government may claim an Iranian action (or U.S. action) is an “attack upon the United States” or will goat Iran into action, causing an attack on U.S. soil or U.S. vessel, justifying a war. With the escalation of the U.S. military presence around Iran, war is imminent by any measure of conjecture.
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Today’s top stories
A mix of different news…
Why Is Megaupload (Still) Censored by Google’s Piracy Filter?
http://torrentfreak.com/why-is-megaupload-still-censored-by-googles-piracy-filter-121028/File Sharers, Get Ready For Copyright Violation Warnings
http://joshdamon.tumblr.com/post/33574346138/file-sharers-get-ready-for-copyright-violationIceland’s Amazing Peaceful Revolution
http://crazyemailsandbackstories.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/icelands-amazing-peaceful-revolution-still-not-in-the-news-backstory/Walt: Getting Iran to say ‘uncle’ might not be smart
http://garysick.tumblr.com/post/34419329974/walt-getting-iran-to-say-uncle-might-not-be-smartObama’s drones
http://letterstomycountry.tumblr.com/post/34214166743/obamas-dronesDrones R Us
http://kohenari.net/post/34173258412/drones-and-electionsCanadian police need new internet surveillance tools, say chiefs: Bill C-30 would give them access to internet communications without a warrant
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/10/26/bc-jim-chu-internet-surveillance.htmlEFF Wins Renewal of Smartphone Jailbreaking Rights Plus New Legal Protections for Video Remixing
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-wins-renewal-smartphone-jailbreaking-rights-plus-new-legal-protections-videoAn interview with Paul Bahle about Robin Hood
http://truth-out.org/news/item/12367-the-happy-hero-an-interview-with-paul-buhle-about-robin-hoodThe progressive case against Obama
http://www.salon.com/2012/10/27/the_progressive_case_against_obama/Union members campaign for Obama on frontline of US election in Ohio, drawn into the two-party system (a bunch of idiots):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/28/union-obama-frontline-election-ohioThe future?: First vertical farm opens in Singapore
http://bit.ly/Yaf9NhAfter Bush v. Gore, Obama, Clinton wanted Electoral College scrapped
http://thehill.com/campaign-archive/264347-obama-clinton-backed-reforms-to-electoral-college-after-bush-v-gore -
An Iranian drone was sent over Israel.
The Iranian government continuously calls for the destruction of Israel.
But, no, no, no, Israel’s existence is the problem and it’s the one causing the problems.
They don’t call for the destruction of Israel. That’s a lie and propaganda spread by the imperial media. They also don’t have nuclear weapons. More propaganda. That being said, the country is a sick (in a bad way) place for corrupt mullahs, twisted values, etc…
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Hilarious. A resolution condemns Ahmadinejad for "violating the U.N. charter" by threatening use of force, yet U.S. Presidents have violated this provision repeatedly... →
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Head Of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards: “A War With Israel Will Occur.”
Commentary from Tyler Durden of Zero Hedge (http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-09-22/head-irans-revolutionary-guards-war-israel-will-occur).
Even as the popular ADHD affliction is preoccupied with who paid what taxes, and whether this poll shows that guy on top or this one, until tomorrow when they flip providing even more meaningless chitchat opportunities, everyone appears to have once again lost sight of the big picture, which is that two US ships continue full steam ahead toward Iran, namely the CVN-74 Stennis aircraft carrier which has crossed the Pacific ocean and is now a week away from its target, and the LHA 5 Peleliu big deck amphibious warfare ship, where they will join two other aircraft carriers and the LHD 7 Iwo Jima as summarized by the graphic below. Why is US naval presence in the Gulf soaring to a concentration not seen since the last Gulf war? The head of the Iran revolutionary guard may have an idea. From Reuters: Israel will eventually go beyond threats and will attack Iran, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying on Saturday.
As speculation mounts that Israel could launch air strikes on Iran before U.S. elections in November, Mohammad Ali Jafari told a news conference that the Jewish state would be destroyed if it took such a step. “Their threats only prove that their enmity with Islam and the revolution is serious, and eventually this enmity will lead to physical conflict,” Jafari said when asked about Israeli threats to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported.
“We are making all efforts to increase our defensive capabilities so that if there is an attack … we could defend
ourselves and other countries that need our help with high defensive capabilities.”And just to be clear:
“A war will occur, but it’s not clear where or when it will be,” Jafari was quoted as saying on Saturday. “Israel seeks war with us, but it’s not clear when the war will occur.” “Right now they see war as the only method of
confrontation,” he said.And when a war does break out, the only question is what China, Russia and India will do. Iran’s stance is clear: “If they (Israel) start something, they will be destroyed and it will be the end of the story for them,” Jafari said, according to ISNA. One thing is guarranteed: in one-two weeks US naval presence in the 5th
Fleet will be unprecedented, consisting of at least 3 US aircraft carriers, and 2 amphibious warfare groups, excluding any other naval support the rest of the developed world will throw in.In other words, if for some reason the US needs a big diversion in the days just before the election, it is sure to get
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Less than six minutes: debunking propaganda about Iran's nuclear weapons! →
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Nations must unite against world’s hegemonic Zionism: Ahmadinejad
See on Scoop.it - Occupied Palestine
Iran’s president says the world nations need unity to stand up to the global hegemony of Zionism.
See on presstv.irWhat’s interesting is how late Osama Bin Laden and Ahmedinejad have one thing in common: blatant anti-Semitism. They use conspiracy theories that Jews will take over the world and all that ridiculousness to justify ridiculous measures.
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For President Obama, the combination of negotiations, new sanctions aimed at Iran’s oil revenues and increased military pressure is the latest — and perhaps the most vital — test of what the White House calls a ‘two track’ policy against Iran. In the midst of a presidential election campaign in which his opponent, Mitt Romney, has accused him of being ‘weak’ in dealing with the Iranian nuclear issue, Mr. Obama seeks to project toughness without tipping into a crisis in the region. At the same time he must signal support for Israel, but not so much support that the Israelis see the buildup as an opportunity to strike the Iranian nuclear facilities, which Mr. Obama’s team believes could set off a war without significantly setting back the Iranian program.
–U.S. Adds Forces in Persian Gulf, a Signal to Iran, The New York Times
Acts of aggression as campaign tactics. From our “paper of record” no less.
This may be the most obvious example of the imperial mindset you will read today. Only the citizens of an empire are fed this kind of marketing-as-news. Note the “delicate balance” at work here:
But this delicate signaling to both Iran and Israel is a complex dance. Senator John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said that the administration must strike a fine balance between positioning enough forces to deter Iran, but not inadvertently indicate to Iran or Israel that an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites is imminent or inevitable.
“There are a lot of expectations to manage,” Mr. Kerry said in an interview. “People need to know you’re serious, but you must also leave room for peaceful resolution. It’s very important not to take steps that send the wrong messages here.”
And an example of not sending the wrong message is:
“Don’t even think about it,” one senior Defense Department official said. “Don’t even think about closing the strait. We’ll clear the mines. Don’t even think about sending your fast boats out to harass our vessels or commercial shipping. We’ll put them on the bottom of the gulf.” Like others interviewed, the official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the diplomatic and military situation.
“Complex dances” “Delicate” situations. You wouldn’t understand. Just leave it to the experts. They have your best interests at heart. Also, this is good for Obama’s image, and his team needs to look “tough” for the upcoming election (“perhaps the most vital test”) so who cares about
openly aggressive“purely defensive” foreign policy decisions in the most volatile shipping lane in the world?And finally, the “message” being sent (the right one, we wouldn’t want to “send the wrong messages here.”):
The Navy has doubled the number of minesweepers assigned to the region, to eight vessels, in what military officers describe as a purely defensive move. […]
Since late spring, stealthy F-22 and older F-15C warplanes have moved into two separate bases in the Persian Gulf to bolster the combat jets already in the region and the carrier strike groups that are on constant tours of the area. Those additional attack aircraft give the United States military greater capability against coastal missile batteries that could threaten shipping, as well as the reach to strike other targets deeper inside Iran.
And the Navy, after a crash development program, has moved a converted amphibious transport and docking ship, the Ponce, into the Persian Gulf to serve as the Pentagon’s first floating staging base for military operations or humanitarian assistance.
The initial assignment for the Ponce, Pentagon officials say, is to serve as a logistics and operations hub for mine-clearing. But with a medical suite and helicopter deck, and bunks for combat troops, the Ponce eventually could be used as a base for Special Operations forces to conduct a range of missions, including reconnaissance and counterterrorism, all from international waters.
Stay tuned for “the Ponce”, which, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary, means “a man who lives off a prostitute’s earnings.”
(via theamericanbear)This has little to do with Iran and more with the “strategy of mass extraction” Michael T. Klare talks about in the documentary, Blood and Oil. The American elite want to protect the oil flow that’s all. It’s not in the interest of the 99% as it is just another provocation to cause war. We are basically goading them into attacking American ships or soldiers. A disasterous policy if you ask me.
(via theamericanbear)
10 months ago / 9 notes / Source:
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This is very true. Iran is not trying to engage, but the U.S. may force it do so (I hope not.)
(via raw-r-evolution)
