Largest Ever, Upcoming U.S.-Israel Joint Drill Sending Message to …

www.theblaze.com1/8/12

Arrow 3 Defense Missile Launch Test (Photo credit: Israeli Defense Ministry via Israel Hayom). A planned American-Israeli missile defense exercise is receiving special attention on the heels of a 10-day Iranian naval exercise …

Israel and US to hold joint missile drill | Aerospace & Defence News

aerospace.firetrench.com1/9/12

Israel and the United States are to hold a joint missile defence exercise, the Israeli military said late on Thursday. ASDNews … Last week it test-fired three missiles during war games east of the strait at the entrance to the Gulf. …

An upcoming American-Israeli missile defense exercise is receiving special media attention because it comes on the heels of a ten-day Iranian naval exercise, plus Iranian threats of closing the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli Defense Forces played down the timing of the announcement, calling such periodic exercises “routine:”

“These exercises, which are part of a long-standing strategic partnership, are planned in advance and part of a routine training cycle designed to improve the interoperability of our defense systems. Like other bi-lateral exercises, Austere Challenge 12 represents another milestone in the strategic relationship between the US and Israel, as well as a step forward in promoting regional stability".

“The exercise scenario involves notional, simulated events as well as some field training, and is not in response to any real-world event".

“The exercise has been planned for at least two years and therefore has no relevance to any world events".

The AP quoted a senior military official who said on condition of anonymity:

"Thousands of American and Israeli soldiers from different units will take part, and the drill will test multiple Israeli and U.S. air defense systems against incoming missiles and rockets".

In a speech last month, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta previewed the exercise, citing it as an example of what he called,

"The administration’s unprecedented levels of defense cooperation with Israel to back up our unshakable commitment to Israel’s security".

And on Sunday’s Face the Nation, Panetta stated two red lines for the U.S.:

"Our red line to Iran is do not develop a nuclear weapon. That’s a red line for us. I think they need to know that, that if they take that step, that they’re going to get stopped. We made very clear that the United States will not tolerate the blocking of the Straits of Hormuz. That’s another red line for us and that we will respond to them.".

See also, What Would Trigger A US Strike On Iran’s Nuclear Facilities?

And Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey on the same show said he believes,

" Iran has the capability, for a period of time to block the Strait of Hormuz, but we would take action and reopen the Straits".

Efraim Inbar, who is director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University, says that even if it’s not intended as a response to Iranian moves:

“Any military exercise has political implications. The military organ is always connected to political even if that’s not the intention on the part of the Americans or Israelis. It’s a clear political signal to the bad guys. After we saw the military exercise by the Iranians last week, everybody with political sensitivity tends to believe this is a counter-flexing of muscle".

Inbar also addressed expressions of isolationism in the U.S., something which has been gaining more media attention due to the presidential campaign of GOP candidate Ron Paul:

“This type of exercise expresses the importance of Israel to the U.S. particularly when the U.S. is seen as being weak in the region. It is leaving Iraq, it is on its way out of Afghanistan. Israel is probably the only place a U.S. military airplane will eventually be able to land in the Middle East".

“U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation is beneficial to both sides. The U.S. is a super power and we are a small state but in our area contrary to what isolationists say in the U.S., we all still need allies, or what used to be called ‘calling stations’. Israeli ports are open to the U.S. In fact, the only port where the U.S. can probably bring ships safely in the Eastern Mediterranean is to Israel. Looking at the other countries: Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, the Mediterranean is becoming an Islamist lake".

And an Israeli Air Force officer emphasized that not only Israel gains from the relationship:

“The Americans are eager to conduct this exercise, we are their laboratory in the field of missile defense. A laboratory because Israel has extensive firsthand experience of absorbing incoming rockets and missiles from Hamas and Hezbollah and regularly activates its Iron Dome system to combat the threat".

The Telegraph reported from London that the UK will deploy its largest warship, the HMS Daring, to the Persian Gulf to,

“send a significant message to the Iranians”.

The UK destroyer is due to arrive in late January.

And Oil Supplies?

Western powers have agreed a contingency plan to tap a record volume from emergency stockpiles which could replace nearly all the Gulf oil that would be lost if Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz.

Related posts:

1. Is Israel A Significant Asset To US National Interests?
2. Is The End Of The Ahmadinejad Regime Finally In Sight?
3. The Wall Of Lies

Stuxnet may have up to 4 malware siblings made on the same …

venturebeat.com12/29/11

Stuxnet has been called the most sophisticated computer worm ever created. We know there are siblings to the malware which took down Iran's nuclear centrifuges, but now Kaspersky labs is saying there may be up to four …

'Stuxnet weapon has at least 4 cousins' «

warsclerotic.wordpress.com12/29/11

Stuxnet has already been linked to another virus, the Duqu data-stealing trojan, but Kaspersky's research suggests that the cyber weapons program that targeted Iran may be far more sophisticated than previously known. …

According to new research by the Russian computer security firm Kaspersky Lab, the Stuxnet virus that damaged Iran’s nuclear program last year is likely one of at least five cyber weapons developed on a single platform.

Costin Raiu, who is Kaspersky’s director of global research & analysis said,

"The platform is comprised of a group of compatible software modules designed to fit together, each with different functions".

"It’s like a Lego set. You can assemble the components into anything: a robot or a house or a tank".

"When a machine becomes infected with Duqu or Stuxnet, the programs search for two unique registry keys on the PC linked to Duqu and Stuxnet, that are then used to load the main piece of malware onto the computer".

"The viruses have not yet been seen in the wild and it’s unclear whether they, like Stuxnet, have been built to cause failures at nuclear plants, or engineered for another purpose".

Kaspersky believes that Tilded traces back to at least 2007 because specific code installed by Duqu was compiled from a device running a Windows operating system on Aug. 31, 2007.

* Right now the words, "malware", "malicious", and "infected" are being used when describing the Stuxnet family but other words may be needed if the programmers’ intent is to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons – My opinion.

The Search For Missing Family Members

Security experts detected the malicious software by ‘keys’ in Stuxnet itself which suggest that it is looking for other family members to communicate with.

Duqu, which is a trojan horse program related to Stuxnet was detected in industrial systems earlier this year searches for Stuxnet and other Duqu machines that contain other members of the family.

Duqu is a scout program that is designed to steal information which can later be used in cyber attacks on industrial control systems, most likely producing a crippling cyber attack.

And what’s really amazing is that both Stuxnet and Duqu appear to be searching for three other relatives that have not been found yet.

Who’s Designed The Software?

Right now, experts believe that either the US or Israeli programmers did, and are doing the work, and some believe that the countries are working together.

Related info can be found at:

How Safe Are US Military Computer Systems?

Iran Confirms Stuxnet Caused Damage To Nuclear Sites!

Related posts:

1. The West Must Stop Iran From Obtaining Nuclear Weapons
2. Is Muhamad Elbaradei A Practicing Muslim?
3. Is Ahmadinejad On The Way Out?

AMERICA'S DRIVE FOR MIDDLE EAST … – The Race for Iran

www.raceforiran.com12/28/11

We largely agree with his more specific criticisms of Kroenig's article, although we take issue with his drive-by assertion that some of the Iranians who would be victims of a U.S. attack on their country “despise the clerical …

Preparing to Attack Iran with Nuclear Weapons: “No Option can be …

centurean2.wordpress.com12/28/11

Preparing to Attack Iran with Nuclear Weapons: “No Option can be taken off the Table.” by Michel Chossudovsky. Global Research, December 26, 2011. “When a US sponsored nuclear war becomes an “instrument of peace”, …

Seems like Obama understands that Panetta is an anti-Semite!

According to a just released report, the "Israelis went ballistic", after US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said earlier this month that,

"An attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities could consume the Middle East in a confrontation and a conflict that we would regret".

Israeli Ambassador to Washington Michael Oren lodged a formal diplomatic protest, which prompted the White House to reassure Jerusalem that the administration had its own "red lines" that would trigger a strike on Iran and that there would be no need for Israel to operate unilaterally.

And a short time later Panetta told CBS’s ’60 Minutes’ that,

"Should Iran proceed with developing a nuclear weapon then we will take whatever steps necessary to stop it".

Will Israel Attack First?

Three senior US military officials have confirmed that analysts in the Pentagon were trying to predict which developments in Iran could lead to a preemptive Israeli strike on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities.

The report said that despite repeated requests going back to 2009, Netanyahu’s government has not agreed to ask the US for permission or give significant advanced warning of any pending strike.

What Are The Red Lines?

Matthew Kroenig, who served as special adviser on Iran to the Office of the Secretary of Defense between July 2010 and July 2011, offered some of the possible, "red lines" for a military strike on Iran.

"If Iran expels international nuclear weapons inspectors, begins enriching its stockpiles of uranium to weapons-grade levels of 90%, or installs advanced centrifuges at its main uranium-enrichment facility in Qom".

Kroenig also mentioned that the Islamic Republic announced in 2009 that it was set to construct ten new uranium enrichment sites.

"I doubt they are building 10 new sites, but I would be surprised if Iran was not racing to build some secret enrichment facilities".

"Progress on new facilities would be a major factor in our assessment of Iran’s nuclear program and shape all aspects of our policy towards this including the decision to use force".

And in a recent Foreign Affairs article he argued that the US should strike Iran’s facilities!

Related posts:

1. Obama Will Err If He Tries To Prove A Nuclear Iran-Palestinian Linkage
2. The West Must Stop Iran From Obtaining Nuclear Weapons
3. Joint US-Israel Missile Drill Will Be The Biggest Ever

Supreme Leader Ups Ahmadinejad Fight – TIME

Fox News

Supreme Leader Ups Ahmadinejad Fight TIME … Oct. 19, 2011 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivers his speech under portraits of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah ALi Khamenei (L) and Iran's founder of Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (R) on the eve of the 22nd anniversary …Iran's Supreme Leader Warns Ahmadinejad's Post Could Be RemovedFox News A strange vision of AyatollahNews.Az all 238 news articles »

Iranians see Ahmadinejad as disconnected from alleged plot – Washington Post

Telegraph.co.uk

Iranians see Ahmadinejad as disconnected from alleged plot Washington Post Vahid Salemi/AP – In front of portraits of the late Iranian revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, left, and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, sings Iranian national anthemin June. By Thomas Erdbrink, TEHRAN — As … Will the Washington Bomb Plot Force Obama Into War With Iran?TIME (blog) Iran's Act of WarWall Street Journal US Moves to Isolate Iran, Push Stronger International ActionBusinessWeek Telegraph.co.uk -The Voice of Russia all 9,841 news articles »

Iran’s Supreme Leader Warns That Ahmadinejad’s Post Might Be Removed

Iran’s most powerful figure recently warned that the post of "elected president" might have to be scrapped, which was equal to bringing out the big guns!

Since the mere mention of eliminating Iran’s highest elected office shows the severity and scope of the ongoing power struggle that’s taking place between Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Background To The Statement

For months, Iran’s ruling theocracy has been putting more and more pressure on Ahmadinejad, as well as arresting many of his allies for attempts to challenge the near-absolute authority of the cleric-ruled system that has controlled Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The Khamenei Theat Is Serious!

The blunt words by Khamenei on Sunday suggest a twofold agenda:

Diminish Ahmadinejad.

Demonsrate to those in the wings that Iran’s rulers are ready to take drastic measures if they deem it necessary!

Views From Inside

Mehrzad Boroujerdi who follows Iranian affairs at Syracuse University says:

"There is bad blood, Khamenei is trying to make it very clear that the system can only handle so much discord and that he holds the stronger cards".

And this is one of the first clear hints from the ruling clerics that they’re ready to use hardball strategies during the parliamentary elections in March.

Khamenei and his allies are expected to use their many tools, including the ability to vet and block candidates, to steamroller Ahmadinejad’s backers, and to push Ahmadinejad, who was once Khamenei’s protege, further into the political margins.

Huma Rights And The Nuclear Program

The ruling power structure in Iran, which includes not only hard-line clerics, but also the hugely influential Revolutionary Guard, appears increasingly eager to stop the internal bickering.

This squabbling is viewed as a very unwelcome distraction at a time when the country is confonting critical issues, such as whether to restart nuclear negotiations with the West, complaints about its human rights record, and most recently U.S. allegations that a special unit of the Guard was linked to a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington.

"This is not a time when Iran wants anything that will rock the boat".

said Boroujerdi.

The Political System

Under Iran’s Islamic republic system, both the president and the parliament are elected, but the system is overseen by an unelected clerical hierarch that vets candidates for office; is also in charge of the powerful judiciary; and is tightly linked to the Revolutionary Guard.

"The president is elected by direct vote of the people, which is a good and effective method,"

Khamenei told a gathering in the western city of Kermanshah.

"But if someday, probably in the distant future, it is felt that a parliamentary system is better, there will be no problem to change the current structure".

How Would It Work In Practice?

In theory, cutting out the elected president post would streamline the ruling clerics’ control by allowing them to weed out everyone that was not allied to the parliament.

The lawmakers, in turn, would then presumably pick a less confrontational prime minister.

The History

After the Islamic Revolution, Iran’s system included a prime minister as head of government and a president, but it was then seen as a merely ceremonial position.

The prime minister’s post was already dropped once however, in 1989 by the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after internal bickering that was similar to today’s.

The Future

Although Khamenei made no mention in his speech about the unraveling of the former system, he did say:

"Rrefreshing" the political order. It means changing policies, which can prevent stagnation".

Khamenei didn’t however raise any objections to the forming of new political parties in Iran, which already has dozens of factions and blocs that effectively serve as parties.

But his comment should perhaps be seen as a subtle nod towards a more aggressive party-style campaign in the upcoming parliamentary races.

William O. Beeman, who is a University of Minnesota professor that has written on Iranian affairs says:

"The supreme leader has fired a clear warning shot. He is telling anyone trying to challenge the system, ‘Look, we are tired of this and we are willing to turn the clock back if needed’".

Related posts:

1. Is The End Of The Ahmadinejad Regime Finally In Sight?
2. Ahmadinejad Has Far Greater Problems Than U.N. Sanctions
3. How Or Why Did Obama Lose The War In Iraq?

Obama approves secret sale of 'bunker buster' bombs to Israel

Eli Lake has a scoop for Newsweek outlining President Obama's secret approval of bunker busting bombs to Israel, which could presumably be used in an attack on Iran. The deal was cut early in the Obama administration. …

Publish Date: 09/24/2011 15:47

http://mondoweiss.net/2011/09/obama-approves-secret-sale-of-bunker-buster-bombs-to-israel.html

US sold bunker-busting bombs to Israel: report

Washington (AFP) Sept 23, 2011 – President Barack Obama secretly authorized the sale of 55 powerful bunker-busting bombs to Israel, Newsweek magazine reported Friday.

Publish Date: 09/25/2011 1:08

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_sold_bunker-busting_bombs_to_Israel_report_999.html

A New Feud Between Turkey And Iran

What Iran Is Saying

A key aide to Iran’s supreme leader said on Saturday that,

"Turkey must radically rethink its policies on Syria, the NATO missile shield and promoting Muslim secularism in the Arab world, or face trouble from its own people and neighbours".

And in an interview with the semi-official Mehr news agency, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s military adviser described Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s invitation to Arab countries to adopt Turkish-style democracy as,

"Uunexpected and unimaginable".

Following The Summer Of Discontent

Turkey and Iran, the Middle East’s two major non-Arab Muslim states, are now vying for influence in the Arab world as it goes through the biggest shake-up since the Ottoman Empire fell, and it’s a rivalry that is seriously straining their previously close relations.

Although cheering crowds greeted Erdogan on his recent tour of North Africa, Tehran accused Erdogan of bowing to U.S. interests by opposing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on street protests, and by agreeing to NATO’s missile defence.

Major-General Yahya Rahim-Safavi said via the Mehr news agency:

"The behaviour of Turkish statesmen towards Syria and Iran is wrong and, I believe, they are acting in line with the goals of America".

"If Turkey does not distance itself from this unconventional political behaviour it will have both the Turkish people turning away from it domestically and the neighbouring countries of Syria, Iraq and Iran reassessing their political ties".

The Islamic Awakening?

Khamenei has dubbed the Arab uprisings an "Islamic awakening", and predicts that peoples in the Middle East that have overthrown dictatorial, Western-backed regimes will follow the path Iran took after its 1979 Islamic revolution.

Many analysts say however that the uprisings have for the most part been secular in nature.

The Gap Between Turkey And Iran

Erdogan’s advocacy of secular Muslim democracy, which is something that he extolled during his tour of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya last month, is far from the message that the Islamic Republic of Iran wants to spread throughout the region and Iran’s Rahim-Safavi said:

"I think the Turks are treading a wrong path. It might very well be that the path was set for them by the Americans".

"The Turks have so far committed a few strategic wrongs. One was Erdogan’s trip to Egypt and his presentation of the secular model there. This fact was unexpected and unimaginable since the Egyptian people are Muslims".

While Tehran has publicly urged its close ally Syria to listen to people’s legitimate demands, Erdogan has predicted Assad will be ousted "sooner or later" and is set to impose sanctions on Damascus despite a veto on U.N. action by Russia and China.

Turkey, Iran And The Missiles

It’s likely that Turkey’s decision to deploy a NATO missile early warning system angered Tehran the most, since it’s views the deployment as a U.S. ploy to protect Israel from any counter-attack, should the Jewish state target Iran’s nuclear facilities.

And it should perhaps be noted that the US supplied Israel with bunker-busting bombs in 2009.

Turkey, Iran And Israel

Rahim-Safavi said,

"Trade ties with Turkey, which is an importer of Iranian gas and exporter of an array of manufactured goods would be in jeopardy if Ankara does not change tack".

"If Turkish political leaders fail to make their foreign policy and ties with Iran clear, they will run into problems".

"And if, as they claim, they intend to raise the volume of contracts with Iran to the $20 billion mark, they will ultimately have to accommodate Iran".

And all this at a time when many were concerned that the whole Islamic middle east would line up against Israel.

Have you noticed that every time it appears that Israel will fight a deadly enemy that the enemies end up fighting each other?

Maybe Read This?

2 Chr. Chapter 20

The Ammonites and others attack Judah—Jehoshaphat and all the people fast and pray—Jahaziel prophesies the deliverance of Judah—Judah’s attackers war among and destroy themselves.

1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.

3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a afast throughout all Judah.

4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,

6 And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?

7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the aseed of Abraham thy friend for ever?

8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our aaffliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;

11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither aknow we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation;

15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the abattle is not yours, but God’s.

16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the acliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the bbrook, cbefore the wilderness of Jeruel.

17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the asalvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.

18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.

19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; aBelieve in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; bbelieve his prophets, so shall ye cprosper.

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.

22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they awere smitten.

23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy aanother.

24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

Whether you’re religious or not, the above perhaps bears thinking about?

Related posts:

1. Joint US-Israel Missile Drill Will Be The Biggest Ever
2. Israel India Ties Are Stronger After Mumbai
3. The Israeli Heart

A Bold Rejection of America's Failed Diplomacy Sends Obama

Vetoing a Palestinian statehood bid at the Security Council will significantly damage one of President Obama's main foreign policy goals: to cast the U.S. as a champion of Arab freedom and democracy in a turbulent and …

Publish Date: 09/18/2011 4:36

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/09/17/1017848/-A-Bold-Rejection-of-Americas-Failed-Diplomacy-Sends-Obama-Administration-Scrambling

Obama's Foreign Policy Fails on Afghanistan, Israel – The Daily Beast

He was supposed to change Washington. But the president's strategy in the Middle East and Afghanistan has lacked courage and creativity—and pales in comparison with Bush's.

Publish Date: 09/07/2010 5:42

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/09/06/obamas-foreign-policy-fails-on-afghanistan-israel.html

Weasel Zippers » Blog Archive » Iran: Ahmadinejad Wants …

weaselzippers.us12/27/11

Now, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is stepping into the dispute. He wants to settle it by promoting government-approved apparel for women, garments intended to introduce an array of clothes that are “Islamic and …

The Latest from Iran (29 December): Ahmadinejad … – EA WorldView

www.enduringamerica.com12/29/11

0730 GMT: The registration period for candidates for March's Parliamentary election does not end until Sunday, but President Ahmadinejad is already on the campaign trial. Yesterday in Ilam in western Iran, he addressed a …

Shocked

Iran was apparently shocked by the imposition of the latest round of sanctions, and particularly those that were imposed by the Europeans.

The Soft Underbelly Has Been Targeted

Iran could most likely deal with almost every kind of sanction except the one the one that has just been imposed on it, and that is it’s need for refined fuel and outside investment to finance the rebuilding of its crumbling oil wells.

No More Playing Games

At the end of June, the U.S. Congress and Senate approved by a large majority a law banning global companies there are engaged in ties with Iran’s oil and gas industry from operating in the U.S. The law is a very comprehensive and very strict law, which alone and without EU sanctions would hopefully cause Iranians to rise up and oust their almost universally hated regime. Iran is a huge producer of crude, but perhaps surprisingly, it has to export much of its crude to be refined because it doesn’t have anywhere near sufficient refining capabilities for the crude that it uses and exports.
It’s been spending it’s huge profits from oil on exporting terror and not on its refineries or oil field maintenance.

The Sanctions Are Already Being Felt

Some major energy giants that sell fuel for Iranian cars and planes have already announced that they’ll be terminating their ties with the rogue, crumbling state and the French company Total has already put an end to its Iran business.

But It Gets Much Worse For Iran

The European Union also imposed sanctions in June and the decision was taken by all EU heads of state, and as of early July new investments by European companies and states in Iran’s energy, oil, and gas industry will be banned.
This is an absolute, comprehensive, and far-reaching boycott and technical assistance and the transfer of goods and services to Iran’s oil and gas industry will also be disallowed.

Anger And Fear In Iran

The EU is Iran’s number one economic partner and around 80% of Iran’s revenues come from oil and gas. Iran’s wells are growing old and although there’s and ongoing need to renovate them, there is no money to do so unless it comes as a foreign investment, which is now banned. “The US and EU will be gravely punished” Tehran says, and it’s now calling the Germans “Israel’s slaves”.
Iran is now saying that the Russians and the Chinese abandoned them, which isn’t true, but they didn’t support them either.

The End Of The Regime?

The Iranian regime bases its legitimacy on two fundamental pillars.

1) Spiritual leadership.

2) The will of the people.

The Iranian masses no longer believe that the regime is giving spiritual leadership and they and the young both feel that they were cheated in the elections.
The Iranian people are easily capable of overthrowing the regime and they were the ones that brought the regime to power.

Now Is The Time To Stand Firm

The U.S. and the EU must now stand firm and not be tricked by slick offers from Iran.
Actions and not empty words are what the world now needs to see from Iran!
Far better for the Iranians to topple the regime than for the U.S. or Israel to have to bomb it.

Related posts:

1. Is Ahmadinejad On The Way Out?
2. Ahmadinejad Has Far Greater Problems Than U.N. Sanctions
3. The West Must Stop Iran From Obtaining Nuclear Weapons

ANN » Iranian parliament MP: Ahmadinejad's position brought …

ann.az12/28/11

“What good did these sanctions bring to the country?,” asks Musavi. “These issues need attention.” After Musavi made the statement, some of Ahmadinejad's supporters attempted to make a clash, however the attempt failed. …

December 22, 2011 – Economic Affairs – Iran Daily Brief

www.irandailybrief.com12/22/11

Ahmadinejad stressed that the Iranian economy was facing no problems and was moving forward smoothly. He said the dropping rate of gasoline consumption in the country was just one achievement of the targeted subsides …

Iran marked its one year anniversary of what most consider to be totally rigged elections that led to demonstrations, torture and death just three days after the U.N. leveled its fourth round of sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program,

The anniversary passed quietly due mainly to the fact that opposition leaders called of protests to avoid more brutality and possible deaths.

So Has The Opposition Been Quelled?

In spite of many commentators saying that Friday’s quiet streets show that the Green Movement has died, I’d say that it’s simply been muted and that more rage is fomenting just below the surface.

Whatever happens to the Green Party in the future, what it achieved in the past is incredibly important, because it brought about the de-legitimization of the Iranian regime.

The protests by young people, merchants, intellectuals, and religious leaders that took to the streets to protest the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the way in which the regime responded to them convinced nearly all Iranians that the Islamic Republic is neither Islamic nor a republic.

The Iranian regime bases its legitimacy on two fundamental pillars.

1) Spiritual leadership.

2) The will of the people

The First Pillar

When the regime cracked down on the protesters, its brutality and savagery were seen by Iranians and the rest of the world in real time. People witnessed beatings and murders live on their TV screens and read about the rape and torture on Twitter.

Death and torture is nothing new in Iran, but it was previously always carried out quietly and discreetly, and for the most part without the public’s knowledge.

Huge numbers of the deeply religious masses who looked to the State for spiritual guidance either saw the barbarity first hand or later heard about it by word of mouth and they were deeply shocked, and they feel betrayed and are unforgiving.

The Second Pillar

The second pillar upon which the Islamic Republic bases its legitimacy is the will of the people and despite its autocratic tendencies, the Iranian regime goes to great extremes to maintain popular sovereignty, and it is a sign of how seriously Iranians take their elections that more than 70% of the country voted in the last one.

So to hear that the elections were rigged does not sit nicely.

The Straw That’s Breaking The Camel’s Back

Iranian analysts have been warning for many years now about the country’s slow drift toward military dictatorship, and in the eyes of many the Revolutionary Guard’s usurpation of the nation’s police force during the protests confirmed their worst fears.

The transfer of power to the Republican Guard which Iranian law expressly forbids has now been formalized and the Revolutionary Guard currently controls almost all the levers of Iran’s government, and through its subsidiaries in the oil, natural gas, and telecommunications industry, it now controls nearly one third of Iran’s annual budget.

Ahmadinejad And The Mullahs

Ahmadinejad, who was a member of the Revolutionary Guard has been steadily distancing himself from the mullahs who used to run the country, and his cabinet has ceased attending meetings of the Expediency Council, whose members represent the interests of the clerical elite.

Ahmadinejad has stated publicly that, “administering the country should not be left to the Supreme leader, the religious scholars, and other clerics”, and the regime’s religious credentials are now being seriously questioned by some of the most senior religious figures and institutions in Iran.

Before his death, the Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri issued a fatwa calling the government illegitimate, and the hard-line conservative Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, who was until recently one of Ahmadinejad’s most vocal supporters is now voicing criticism of the government.

Ahmadinejad’s relationship with the religious establishment has in fact become so strained that some of the most prominent members of the powerful Assembly of Experts, which is a conservative religious body that chooses the supreme leader, boycotted his swearing-in ceremony, as did every single family member of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who was the Islamic Republic’s founder.

The Regime Is Rightly Fearful

The regime is deathly afraid of its population since its leaders know full well that the Republic itself came into being on the heels of a popular uprising.

Explicit comparisons of the current regime to the reviled dictatorship of the shah have become commonplace in post-election Iran and not just by the opposition, but by some of Iran’s most reliably conservative politicians including the speaker of parliament and the current adviser to the supreme leader.

In Conclusion

It’s too early to predict exactly what is going to unfold in Iran but it can be said with certainty that Iran is on the verge of the most significant social explosion it has experienced in three decades.

Related posts:

1. Is The End Of The Ahmadinejad Regime Finally In Sight?
2. Is Ahmadinejad On The Way Out?
3. Joint US-Israel Missile Drill Will Be The Biggest Ever

Obama’s More Obvious Foreign Policy Failures

Following his inauguration, Obama was fast out of the traps and began alienating U.S. allies almost immediately!

He started with America’s closest and strongest ally first by ordering a bust of Winston Churchill returned to the U.K. because the Brits supposedly tortured his grandfather in Africa in the 50s. In case the Brits didn’t get the message he compared the British Empire to South Africa’s apartheid regime and also to the former Soviet Union.

He then attempted to bully Israel and achieved nothing accept driving a wedge between the U.S. and its second closest ally.

Seemingly undeterred he moved on to the Russians and carefully prepared the way by stabbing two other allies in the back, namely the Czech Republic and Poland who had agreed to having U.S. missiles in their countries.

He did however manage to make Putin and Medvedev laugh all the way to the bank by suggesting that they clamp down on corruption, and didn’t even get a thank you for canceling the missile deployment on their borders, and it seems likely that he got snubbed by members of the Duma.

It’s claimed on some websites that the footage was doctored, but the explanation given as to how it was done only half explains it.

Obama then strove to win Muslim admiration, and not only failed but embarrassed the majority of Americans by literally bowing and scraping.

Obama then offered Iran serious negotiations and carrots but they had little time for him since they were too busy torturing, raping and killing demonstrators, and building new underground nuclear facilities. Obama’s reaction to the atrocities was to voice his appreciation for the “robust debate” that was taking place.

And last but not least, the Chinese smothered domestic coverage of a presidential visit but did give the world the spectacle of the American commander in chief getting a talking-to about fiscal responsibility from a Communist chieftain. The Chinese then sent a delegation to the U.S. and much to the surprise of those meeting them, the Chinese wanted to know who was going to finance Obama’s intended Health Bill.

Not So Wonderful Copenhagen

Two additional humiliations then occurred in Copenhagen, the first when the Olympic Committee delivered the bad news that the president’s effort to play hometown booster had failed utterly, before he even landed back in the U.S. and the second when the Chinese, Indians and Brazilians gave him very short shrift during the supposed Global Warming talks.

Afghanistan – To Do Or Not To Do

The decision to reinforce U.S. military in Afghanistan came after an excruciating and almost year long hesitation and dithering that undermined the confidence of our fighting men and allies, and stating that the U.S. would start pulling out after 18 months pleased the Taliban no end and seriously weakened any resolve that anti-Taliban tribes might have had.

France’s President, Nicolas Sarkozy perhaps asked the most worrying question, “Est-il faible?” (Is he weak?) and if the answer appears “Yes”, a year from now then the U.S. and the free world will be in deep trouble.

Have There Been Foreign Policy Successes?

I have simply described some of Obama’s obvious foreign policy failures, but he may have had successes too, and if I have overlooked them then please post a comment and they will be published.

And the same goes for any failures that I may have overlooked.

Related posts:

1. Can America Spend Its Way Out Of Deficits?
2. Does Obama Want To Learn from George W. Bush’s Mistakes?
3. Slapping Friends Around And Kissing Up To Enemies Has Been A Failure

Dreams of a Muslim Dictator – Obama: Israeli Scientist Wins Nobel …

obamasellsusatoislam.blogspot.com10/28/11

Israeli Scientist Wins Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Obama what did your beloved Muslims win the Art in beheading, making war , stoning women, honor killings or burning people alive? Ariel Schalit/Associated Press …

A Hypothetical Question About The Nobel Peace Prize

thewhitedsepulchre.blogspot.com12/13/11

Obama/Biden – Obama won the Peace Prize, and then went off to bomb the c*** out of Libya, get involved in Pakistan, and then carefully maintain the other wars that we had on our plate. So….There's long been talk of …

It Will Be Like An Albatross Around His Neck

President Barack Obama said Thursday that he was, "surprised and deeply humbled" to win a Nobel Peace Prize and sought to downplay the accomplishments, but he was most certainly thinking, "Why couldn’t they have waited?", because it’s almost the last thing that he would have wanted right now.

The award sadly became the brunt of jokes after Yasser Arafat was awarded it in December, 1994 with no one in the world seemingly believing that Arafat wanted peace except the selection committee.

Obama has achieved nothing on the peace front so far, and winning the prize puts him in an even more difficult position than he was in before winning it.

He has to make a decision within the next week or so as to whether to send 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan, and will have to decide within a few months as to whether to bomb Iraq’s nuclear facilities, and a decision will have to be made about Iraq during his tenure as President.

If he sends additional troops to Afghanistan, and/or bombs Iran then it will seem highly incongruous after just having been award the Nobel Peace Prize, and if he doesn’t then he will be accused of not having taken action because of the prize.

The prize will single him out like the mark of Cain for his opponents and will be like an albatross around his neck.

Ah ! well a-day !
What evil looks
Had I from old and young !
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

One would have hoped that the selection committee would have learned something after awarding Arafat the prize, but they seem to be completely out of touch with the world stage, and to have totally misjudged the world’s reaction to awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Obama.

Even Obama’s most ardent fans are scratching their heads in bewilderment today and asking how he could have been in the running for the prize after only twelve days in office, which is when the Nobel nomination deadline ended.

It is sad that the value of the price has gone beyond being devalued, and will henceforth have such negative connotations, that one can fairly easily imagine people refusing to accept in coming years, and the Guardian even suggested today that Obama should have rejected it.

Below is a short roundup of reactions from across the political spectrum.

Wealth of Nations : How Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Surprise Is …

Click here for our photo tour of Obama’s rise from Barry to Barack. (Photo credit: Gerald Herbert / AP) Barack Obama’s big surprise win this morning produced more than a few "huhs?!?" heard ’round the world. Our personal favorite came …

PostPartisan – A Nobel for a Good Two Weeks? – NObama Blog

Ruth Marcus: “Mom!” my 12-year-old yelled from the kitchen. “President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize!”

I told her she had to be mistaken.

This is ridiculous — embarrassing, even. I admire President Obama. I like President Obama. …

Obama's Nobel Peace Prize – Daniel Pipes – The Corner on National …

Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize [Daniel Pipes]. “He won what?” is the first universal reaction. And second, at least on the Right: “Why did they do that?” Even the Nobel committee’s citation does not pretend Barack Obama has actually achieved …

President Obama 'surprised and deeply humbled' by Nobel Prize …

awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Obama sounded a deferential note. President Barack Obama said Thursday he was “surprised and deeply humbled” to win a Nobel Peace Prize and sought to downplay the accomplishments.

Huffington Post: Obama's Nobel Peace Prize: HuffPost Bloggers Weigh In

President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize early Friday morning, and HuffPost bloggers have offered opinions that range from skeptical to angry to adulatory.

Related posts:

1. Who Won The Chinese Peace Prize?
2. Nobel Prize-Winning Physicist Resigns Over Global Warming
3. Barak Obama – The New President