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Iran News

This page is to track Iran and more specifically President Ahmadinejad, who is currently making the way clear for the 12th Mahdi, who could possibly fulfill the role of false prophet of Biblical end-times fame. (my take as of now) He has also declared the desire to see Israel "wiped off the map" and other such statements. Persia is one of the attackers in the Gog/Magog invasion attempt on Israel in the last days. While I don't know for sure how it will all play out, the relevant news about this subject will be posted here so that it's all in one place for reference.

This page may take some time to load. For size reasons I have archived topics by year: |2006|2007|2008|

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  • Journalist: Brace for guerilla warfare in Golan (December 31, 2006) - Israel's poor performance against Hizbullah last summer boosted support for President Bashar Assad 's popularity among the Syrian people who are ready for confrontation with Israel, a senior Syrian journalist told Ynet. "There is no doubt that the Lebanon war and the Israeli defeat are a source of encouragement, and also a source for recruiting the Syrian people who see itself as a pioneer and example to other Arab people. It is looking at how the Lebanese defeated and expelled the Israelis from their land while its land remains occupied. "The Syrian people understood the possibility that a war will break out, even at the price Damascus and Syrian cities being bombarded," a senior Syrian journalist told Ynet. His words reflect the Syrian regime's mood as Israel continues to shun Syrian peace overtures. Assad has been signaling willingness to talk peace with the Jewish state, but on the other hand, the journalist says, "The principle is that so long we haven't freed our land in a peaceful path, we are entitled to do so militarily. The Syrian people in the occupied Golan Heights have the right to return to their homeland." He said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's ruling out of talks with Syria is a sign that, "Israelis are not serious about talks with Syria … one time they demand that Syria sever its ties with Israel, another time to sever ties with Hizbullah – and another time with Hamas. All this show that the Israelis look for excuses in order not to deal with the real issue – fully withdrawing from the Golan Heights." more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
  • Iran: Mahdi will defeat archenemy in Jerusalem  (December 31, 2006) - A triumphal religious prophecy has appeared on an Iranian official state media website, heralding the return of the Shiite messiah. According to the website, "Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) will appear all of a sudden on the world scene with a voice from the skies announcing his reappearance at the holy Ka'ba in Mecca." The Islamic Republic of Iran broadcasting (IRIB) website said in a program called 'The World Towards Illumination,' that the Mahdi will reappear in Mecca and form an army to defeat Islam's enemies in a series of apocalyptic battles, in which the Mahdi will overcome his archvillain in Jerusalem. The series has been regularly updated throughout November and December. "The Mahdi's far sightedness and firmness in the face of mischievous elements will strike awe. After his uprising from Mecca all of Arabia will be submit to him and then other parts of the world as he marches upon Iraq and established his seat of global government in the city of Kufa. “Then the Imam will send 10 thousand of his forces to the east and west to uproot the oppressors. At this time God will facilitate things for him and lands will come under his control one after the other," the website declared. "After his appearance the Imam would remain in Mecca for some time, and then go to Medina... a descendant of the Prophet's archenemy Abu Sofyan will seize Syria and attack Iraq and the Hejaz with the ferocity of a beast… finally Imam Mahdi sends troops who kill the Sofyani in Beit ol-Moqaddas (Jerusalem), the Islamic holy city in Palestine that is currently under occupation of the Zionists," the IRIB added. more... | Iran | Israel | Islam |
  • Iran's oil revenue running dry, Iran's economic woes could make the country unstable (December 25, 2006) - Iran is suffering a staggering decline in revenue from its oil exports, and if the trend continues income could virtually disappear by 2015, according to an analysis published this week in a journal of the National Academy of Sciences. Iran's economic woes could make the country unstable and vulnerable, with its oil industry crippled, Roger Stern, an economic geographer at Johns Hopkins University, said in the report and in an interview. Iran earns about $50-billion (U.S.) a year in oil exports. The decline is estimated at 10 to 12 per cent annually. In less than five years exports could be halved and then disappear by 2015, Mr. Stern predicted. For two decades, far longer than its designation by U.S. President George W. Bush in January 2002 as part of the “axis of evil,” the United States has deployed military forces in the region in a strategy to pre-empt emergence of a regional superpower. Iraq was stopped in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, but a hostile Iran remains a target of U.S. threats. The U.S. military exercises have not stopped Iran's drive. But the report said the country could be destabilized by declining oil exports, hostility to foreign investment to develop new oil resources and poor state planning, Mr. Stern said. Mr. Stern's analysis, which appears in this week's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, supports U.S. and European suspicions that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons in violation of international understandings. But, Mr. Stern says, there could be merit to Iran's assertion that it needs nuclear power for civilian purposes “as badly as it claims.” He said oil production is declining and both gas and oil are being sold domestically at highly subsidized rates. At the same time, Iran is neglecting to reinvest in its oil production. “With an explosive demand at home and poor management, the appeal of nuclear power, financed by Russia, could fill a real need for production of more electricity.” more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Given Ahmadinejad's belief that the end of times and Muslim domination of the world is at hand, is he thinking about the future of their country as a distinct nation and trying to preserve it, or is he utilizing all his resources now to advance the cause of Islam across the world and wipe out Israel? You be the judge, but an unstable Islamic nation bent on world domination while pursuing nuclear technology and chanting "death to Israel" and "death to the USA" while promising to "wipe Israel off the map" catches my attention. Especially in light of Bible prophecy which states that Persia will be part of the coalition that attempts to destroy Israel. God will stop them for now though. It will be interesting to see it come together. Keep watching!
  • Syrian guerrillas 'to launch resistance within months' (December 11, 2006) - Baath official tells WND new militant organization ready to attack if Israel doesn't vacate strategic land. If Israel does not vacate the Golan Heights within months, a guerrilla organization allegedly formed in Syria will soon launch "resistance operations" against Israeli positions and Jewish communities in the Golan, an official from Syrian President Bashar Assad's Baath party told WND in an exclusive interview. "If in the coming months an agreement is not forged between Israel and Syria [for an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan], the Committees will begin attacks," said the official, who spoke on condition his name be withheld during an in-person interview with WND and with the G. Gordon Liddy national radio show. The official was referring to the Committees for the Liberation of the Golan Heights, a Hezbollah-like guerrilla organization Baath party sources claim was formed in Syria to attack Israeli positions in the Golan. The Baath official told WND Syria learned from Hezbollah's military campaign against Israel that "fighting" is more effective than peace negotiations with regard to gaining territory. Hezbollah claims its goal is to liberate the Shebaa Farms, a small, 12-square-mile bloc situated between Syria, Lebanon and Israel. The cease-fire resolution accepted by Israel to end its military campaign in Lebanon this past summer calls for negotiations leading to Israel's relinquishing of the Shebaa Farms. The Baath official told WND Syria's new Committees for the Liberation of the Golan Heights was formed this past June and that the group consists of Syrian volunteers, many from the Syrian border with Turkey and from Palestinian refugee camps near Damascus. He said Syria held registration for volunteers to join the Committees in June. The official said attacks by the Committees may include the infiltration of Jewish communities in the Golan, rocket attacks against Israeli positions or raids of Golan-based Israeli military installations. He said all attacks would be launched from the Syrian side of the border. The Golan Heights is strategic mountainous territory captured by the Jewish state after Syria used the terrain to attack Israel in 1967 and again in 1973. The Heights looks down on major Syrian and Israeli population centers, but there are a few areas where the Israeli and Syrian sides are level. Military officials here long have maintained returning the Golan Heights to Syria would grant Damascus the ability to mount an effective ground invasion of the Jewish state. The Heights has a population of about 35,000 – approximately 18,000 Jewish residents and 17,000 Arabs, mostly Druze. The Arab residents retain their Syrian citizenship, but under Israeli law they can also sue for Israeli citizenship. About a dozen officials from Assad's Baath party live and operate in the Golan. WND first reported in June on the alleged formation of the Front for the Liberation of the Golan. One month later, a man identified as the leader of the Front gave an interview to state-run Iranian television. Israel is taking the information seriously. Amos Yadlin, head of the IDF's intelligence branch, told the Knesset in October that Syria is indeed in the early stages of forming a Hezbollah-like group.  more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Would Israel attack Syria preemptively if they believe this will happen or because it begins to happen? If so, we may see Isaiah 17 soon. They've threatened to before.
  • Modern day Gog and Magog (December 10, 2006) - Similarities between Ezekiel's prophecies, today's Mideast reality uncanny. Current world events are beginning to increasingly resemble the 2,500 year old bible prophecy made by Ezekiel in chapters 38-39. Ezekiel foresaw the rise of Russia (or Turkey, depending on the interpretation) in a coalition with Iran and other Middle Eastern countries (Sudan, Ethiopia and Libya). The coalition is foretold to attack Israel from the north in a bid to destroy it during the earth's "last days," commonly known as the "war of Gog and Magog." Throughout history it was thought that the prophecy had been put on hold, until perhaps today when it seems frighteningly more feasible. In Joel C. Rosenberg's book "The Ezekiel Option," the author points to Ezekiel's prophecies in chapters 36-37, which have largely come true. Rosenberg then asks the obvious question: If prophecies such as "the rebirth of the State of Israel, the return of the Jews to the Holy Land after centuries in exile, the re-blossoming of desolate desert land to produce abundant food, fruit and foliage, and the creation of an exceedingly great army" materialized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, then why shouldn't the next prophecies come true in our lifetime?  more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Keep watching!
  • Dore Gold: Israel must prepare for different reality (December 7, 2006) - Will Baker-Hamilton report change US view of Israel? Former UN ambassador says 'willingness of report's author to talk to Iran, Syria is a very alarming development'. Maj. Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan: Israel shouldn't worry about report but rather lack of leadership and vision. The Baker-Hamilton report  handed over to US President George W. Bush on Wednesday is being considered with the utmost severity in America. The majority of the report deals with Iraq, but a significant portion addresses the Israel-Arab conflict, which the report sees as the heart of the Mideast unrest. So how will the report affect Israel? Former UN Ambassador Dore Gold says, "Israel will have to prepare for completely different reality." Maj. Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan states that "the report shouldn't worry Israel. What should worry Israel is a lack of leadership and vision." "The Baker-Hamilton report is indicative of a growing trend in both American parties," said Gold. "This approach sides with a US withdrawal from Iraq . Within two years American presence in Iraq will be minimal. "Another thing, and this is more important, the very willingness of the reports' author to start a dialogue both Iran and with Syria , is an alarming development. It's alarming because the United States isn't requiring any preliminary conditions for this dialogue, and there is no mention of the Iranian nuclear program which continues to advance. "The recommendation in this report, to talk to Syria and Iran despite the fact that they're responsible for the growing instability in Iraq, will only encourage them to continue employing their policies." Gold says that "the report proves that Israel has been unsuccessful in conveying a clear message to the US elite regarding the Iranian threat. How can the United Stated see Iran as a stabilizing force in Iraq when Iran is funding and supplying arms to terror factions, both in Iraq and in Lebanon." Gold said that things will change both in short and long terms. more... | Iran | Israel | Islam | America |
  • Terrorists rejoicing over new Iraq 'plan' (December 6, 2006) - Reaction to Study Group: 'Allah and his angels' responsible, 'era of Islam and of jihad' declared A high level U.S. commission's recommendations for an eventual withdrawal from Iraq and for dialogue with Iran and Syria proves "Islamic resistance" works and America will ultimately be defeated, according to senior terrorist leaders interviewed by WND. The militants, from the largest Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, welcomed the policies outlined by the Iraq Study Group, which they claim recognizes Islam is the "new giant of the world." The group is led by former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker. "The report proves that this is the era of Islam and of jihad," said Abu Ayman, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad in the northern West Bank town of Jenin. The Islamic Jihad terror group is responsible for every suicide bombing in Israel during the past two years. "[With the Iraq Study Group report], the Americans came to the conclusion that Islam is the new giant of the world and it would be clever to reduce hostilities with this giant. In the Quran the principle of the rotation is clear and according to this principle the end of the Americans and of all non-believers is getting closer," Abu Ayman said. According to Abu Abdullah, a senior leader of Hamas' so-called military wing, Baker's report is a victory for Islam brought about by "Allah and his angels." "It is not just a simple victory. It is a great one. The big superpower of the world is defeated by a small group of mujahedeen (fighters). Did you see the mujahedeens' clothes and weapons in comparison with the huge individual military arsenal and supply that was carrying every American soldier?" exclaimed Abu Abdullah, who is considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades, Hamas' declared "resistance" department. "It is no doubt that Allah and his angels were fighting with them (insurgents) against the Americans. It is a sign to all those who keep saying that America, Israel and the West in general cannot be defeated on the ground so let us negotiate with them," Abu Abdullah said. Abu Abdullah said following a withdrawal from Iraq, the U.S. will be defeated on its own soil. "America must understand that with anti-American governments in Latin America and with Islam growing and reinforcing, including in the U.S. itself, the next step would be a total defeat on their (American) land, not a relative one like they are facing in Iraq," he said. Abu Nasser, the second-in-command of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group in the West Bank, called the Iraq Study Group report a "great victory" from which other jihadist organizations can learn. "The Iraqi victory is a great message and lesson to the revolutionary and freedom movements in the world. Just to think that this resistance is led by hundreds of Sunni fighters who defeated hundreds of thousands of Americans, British and thousands of soldiers who belong to the puppet regime in Baghdad. What would be the situation if the Shiites will decide to join the resistance?" commented Abu Nasser. The Al Aqsa leader said his group learned from the "Iraqi resistance" that jihad will ultimately destroy Israel. The Al Aqsa Brigades is the declared "military wing" of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party. "If Israel will not start negotiating its withdrawal we are ready to launch the new stage of the intifada," Abu Nasser said. Islamic Jihad's Abu Ayman said after the U.S. "defeat" in Iraq is finalized, insurgents there should move to the West Bank and Gaza to help destroy Israel. "We hope that after chasing the occupation from Iraq, these jihad efforts and experiences will be transferred to Palestine, and yes, I mean that we expect these fighters will come to Palestine as part of a big Islamic army." See Ezekiel 38,39. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | America |
  • Ahmadinejad: Iranian Nation To Crush Enemies (December 6, 2006) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Wednesday that the Iranian nation has achieved victory in the field of nuclear energy and will crush its enemies. Ahmadinejad's remarks came as he addressed residents of Tonekabon city on the second day of his visit to the northern province of Mazandaran. "The Iranian nation is nearing the pinnacle of nuclear victory through the efforts and wisdom of its talented youth. It is now recognized as a strong and courageous nation and a model for regional states," he said. He added: "The Iranian nation has walked the path of nuclear technology and is about to reach its end with the grace of God and through resistance. "There remains just one step to be taken before complete victory. We will hold a big, nationwide nuclear celebration by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2007)." Addressing enemies of Islamic Iran, he said: "Enemies of the nation with their ill intentions should know that Iranians will insist on their right to peaceful nuclear energy." He urged all Iranians to do what they can to speed up the country's development and turn it into a model for regional states. more... | IranIslam | How does their achieved victory with nuclear energy equate to crushing their enemies? I thought the developing of nuclear energy was to be for peaceful purposes. It seems to me that he's boasting of how it will help crush their enemies.
  • Follow God Or Vanish, Ahmadinejad Tells West (December 6, 2006) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned Western leaders to follow the path of God or "vanish from the face of the earth". "These oppressive countries are angry with us ... a nation that on the other side of the globe has risen up and proved the shallowness of their power," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the northern town of Ramsar, the semi-official news agency Mehr reported Wednesday. "They are angry with our nation. But we tell them 'so be it and die from this anger'. Rest assured that if you do not respond to the divine call, you will die soon and vanish from the face of the earth," he said. The outspoken president also maintained Iran's defiance over its controversial nuclear programme, saying it was on course to fully master nuclear technology. "Thank to God's help, we have gone all the way and are only one step away from the zenith. "We hope to have the big nuclear celebration by the end of the year (March 2007)," Ahmadinejad said, echoing comments he has made on numerous occasions in recent months. A defiant Iran has refused to suspend its uranium enrichment work, a process that the West fears could be extended to make nuclear weapons. Iran however insists its nuclear programme is solely aimed at generating energy. France's Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Wednesday after a Paris meeting on Tehran's nuclear programme that the UN Security Council is agreed "there will be sanctions" on Iran, though their extent is yet to be decided.| Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | It sure sounds like he knows something we don't, eh? I wonder what he sees Iran's "zenith" as being? Could it be an attack on Israel?
  • Iran Urges Arab Countries To Eject US Military (December 5, 2006) - Iran's top national security official urged his Arab neighbors Tuesday to eject the US Military from American bases in the region and instead join Tehran in a regional security alliance. Ali Larijani told Arab leaders attending a conference here that Washington is indifferent to their interests and will cast them aside as soon as they are no longer useful. | Iran | Islam |
  • Iraqi Christians plead for help from White House (December 5, 2006) - Faced with growing repression by Muslims, Christians from an ancient tradition in Iraq are calling on American political leaders for help before their entire community is extinguished. Christian Assyrians and some of their supporters demonstrated in front of the White House yesterday, highlighting an alarming trend reported by the U.N.: While representing just 5 percent of the Iraqi population, 40 percent of the refugees fleeing the country are Assyrians. One of the speakers at the rally, Nina Shea of Freedom House's Center for Religious Freedom in D.C., told WND that because of the "ethnic cleansing," the Christians want an autonomous district in Iraq they can administrate. The zone, called the Nineveh Plains Administrative Unit, would allow Assyrians and other Christians to practice their faith, speak and teach their language, and work their land without fear of persecution. Unlike the Sunnis and Shiites, the Christians have no militia and are completely defenseless, Shea said. "They need to administrate their own governmental unit to protect themselves," she said. "Otherwise, with the chaos and violence and persecution targeting Christians for religious reasons, which the U.N. has documented, they will disappear. Shea insisted it's in the interest of the U.S. to take a stand. With the loss of the highly educated and skilled Christians, she argued, Iraq is "experiencing a brain drain as well as sane drain – a force of moderation and a bridge to the West." | Iran | Islam | America | Coming soon to a town near you, Christian killers. I don't think it's as far away as most think. Imagine this kind of situation in your neighborhood. What would you do? I hope you would get as close to Christ as you can and remember you are an eternal being, saved by the blood of Christ. Have no fear, but be ready to face these things. Each situation is different, and while I believe the church will be gone before this kind of persecution comes to America, in this volatile world, you never can tell. Keep watching!
  • Turkey Seeks To Boost Iran Ties (December 4, 2006) - Turkey and Iran have agreed to further strengthen trade and diplomatic ties following a one day visit to Tehran by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Sunday. Erdogan was in Tehran to hold talks with Iranian leaders over regional issues, bilateral relations and Iran’s controversial nuclear energy program. Speaking at a press conference prior to returning to Turkey late Sunday, the Turkish Prime Minister said that Ankara considered its ties with Tehran to be of great importance and was pleased that the relationship was improving. Turning to international affairs, Erdogan said that both Turkey and Iran attached great importance to territorial integrity of Iraq. “I saw that Turkish and Iranian authorities have similar view on this matter. The situation in Iraq affects whole region. We focused on how we can stop the clash of sects there,” he said. Regarding Lebanon, Erdogan said that it was time for unity and solidarity in that country and that Turkey, Iran and Syria should work together to help resolve the problems there. Iran’s First Vice President Parviz Davudi said that Turkey and Iran were two important countries of the Islamic world and that they should work to boost bilateral relations. Not only the region but also whole international community would benefit from a return to stability in Iraq, he said. Erdogan also said that the two countries were working to boost their bilateral trade to $10 billion, though there was a need for greater balance as Iranian exports of natural gas account for much of this volume. | Iran | Gog/MagogIslam | I think the Muslims will start to unite together against a common enemy very soon and I think we know who that enemy is, Israel. Notice that Gog/Magog includes Russia, Turkey, and Iran. Should this news come as a surprise? Not with our Bible's open!
  • Syria smuggling missiles to Hizbullah (December 4, 2006) Long-range missiles, as well as truckloads of advanced anti-tank missiles originating in Iran and Syria, have been smuggled to Hizbullah in Lebanon during the past four months since the war ended this summer, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The IDF destroyed most of Hizbullah's long-range missile array during the month-long war, including the Iranian-made Fajr and Zelzal. But according to new intelligence obtained by the defense establishment, in the four months since the war, Hizbullah has received weapon convoys carrying short-range missiles, anti-tank missiles and long-range missiles. Most of the weapon convoys crossed into Lebanon from Syria at night. With the increasing possibility that Hizbullah protests, launched in Beirut on Friday, would topple the US-backed government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, the Israeli defense establishment had decided not to take any chances and on Sunday raised the level of alert in the North. Israel is concerned that the Lebanese instability will ignite the situation along Israel's northern border. Hizbullah, Military Intelligence believes, might use the Lebanese political instability as an excuse to launch attacks against Israel - not necessarily by renewing Katyusha rocket attacks like the ones used during the 34-day war this past summer, in which 4,000 rockets were fired at Israel, but by firing anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli aircraft flying over Lebanon to collect intelligence. more... | Iran | Gog/MagogIslam |
  • Mullah: Iran-Turkey-Syria cooperation helps preserve Iraq (December 4, 2006) - Mullah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani told the visiting Turkish PremierTayyip Erdogan cooperation among regional states notably Iran, Turkey and Syria is among major factors in safeguarding Iraq's territorial integrity and removing insecurity. Mullah said that due to common interests, offering plans by these countries on Iraq and holding joint commissions could be effective in this respect. The Expediency Council chairman remarked in the meeting that finding a solution to Iraqi problem needs an Islamic-International initiative for which the Organization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) is a suitable body for exchanging consultations and providing a plan for restoring security and tranquility to the war-torn country. He also noted that formation of a joint working group by Iran, Syria and Turkey would positively affect not only developments in Iraq, but also those in Lebanon and Palestine. | Iran | Gog/MagogIslam | The alliances will come about. We know this because the Bible talks specifically about Iran and Turkey attacking Israel along with Russia (ancient Scythians). As you've heard me say in the last newsletter, I believe Isaiah 17 speaks to why Syria is not included in this attack. According to that chapter, they leave the cities because of the children of Israel. Could the defense agreement between Syria and Iran be the "hooks in the jaws" that bring them all against Israel? Keep watching!
  • Ahmadinejad Predicts Collapse of Israel, U.S., U.K. (November 26, 2006) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predicted the collapse of Israel, the U.S. and Britain, attacking what he called their "oppressive behavior." "The Zionist regime is on a steep downhill towards collapse and disgrace," Ahmandinejad told supporters at a rally of Basiji militia forces near Tehran today. In a reference to the U.S. and U.K., he said "the collapse and crumbling of your devilish rule has started." The speech was carried live on state television. Iran doesn't recognize Israel, and Ahmadinejad drew international condemnation after saying in October 2005 that Israel should be "wiped off the map." The U.S. and Iran have had no diplomatic ties since 1980 following the seizure of diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. The U.K., which has an embassy in Tehran, is among the three European countries pushing for sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. The Iranian president also called on neighboring countries to drive out "foreign occupiers," in a reference to U.S.-led forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The people of the region are well able to establish regional security," the president said in the speech near the shrine of the Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. "The presence of foreigners is the source of discord and conflict." Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, whose visit to Tehran yesterday was postponed because of the curfew imposed on Baghdad since Nov. 23, will fly to the Iranian capital tomorrow, state television reported separately today. The Iraqi president's trip to Iran is aimed at "expanding bilateral ties in business, trade and transport affairs," the report said. Iraq security will not be the main issue discussed in this meeting, the Iranian Foreign Ministry's press office said on Nov. 21. | Iran | Israel | Islam | America | He sure is being cocky, like he knows something we don't. He's expecting the 12th Mahdi and the end of the world. The world sees room for negotiations. Perhaps the world should understand more of the destiny surrounding the 12th Mahdi.
  • Russian rocket deliveries to Iran started (November 24, 2006) - Russia has begun deliveries of the Tor-M1 air defence rocket system to Iran, Russian news agencies quoted military industry sources as saying, in the latest sign of a Russian-US rift over Iran. "Deliveries of the Tor-M1 have begun. The first systems have already been delivered to Tehran," ITAR-TASS quoted an unnamed, high-ranking source as saying Friday. The United States has pressed Russia to halt military sales to Iran, which Washington accuses of harbouring secret plans to build a nuclear weapon. Moscow has consistently defended its weapons trade with Iran. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said the contract for 29 rocket systems, signed in December last year, was legitimate because the Tor-M1 has a purely defensive role. ITAR-TASS reported that the rockets were to be deployed around Iran's nuclear sites, including the still incomplete, Russian-built atomic power station at Bushehr. In August, Washington announced sanctions against several companies, including Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport, for supplying technology to Iran that could allegedly be used to develop missile technology and weapons of mass destruction. Under the sanctions no US company can deal with foreign companies on the sanctions list for two years. A spokesman for Rosoboronexport contacted by AFP would not confirm or deny the reports about the Tor-M1 delivery, which were also issued by the Interfax news agency. The Tor-M1 is a low to medium-altitude missile fired from a tracked vehicle against airplanes, helicopters and other airborne targets. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Makes you wonder what other military weaponry Russia has sold to Iran...
  • Bush warns Syria, Iran after Lebanon killing (November 21, 2006) - US President George W. Bush accused Syria and Iran of fomenting violence and instability in Lebanon, as he condemned the assassination of Lebanese cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meanwhile made a hasty telephone call to Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, amid signs of US concern over the fate of the Beirut government which emerged from Lebanon's 'cedar revolution.' "Today we saw again the vicious face of those who hate freedom," Bush told American troops in Hawaii during a trip home from Asia. "We strongly condemn the assassination today in Lebanon of Pierre Gemayel." Bush did not apportion direct blame but called for an investigation into "those people and those forces" behind the killing of the anti-Syrian Christian leader. "We support the Siniora government and its democracy and we support the Lebanese people's desire to live in peace and we support their efforts to defend their democracy against attempts by Syria, Iran and allies to foment instability and violence in that important country," said Bush. The killing came against a backdrop of global calls, so far resisted by the United States, for a dialogue with Syria and Iran over chaos in Iraq. But Bush's tone, further bolstered in a written statement on the killing, appeared to cast further doubt on already slim chances of such a diplomatic opening. "Syria's refusal to cease and desist from its continuing efforts to destabilize Lebanon's democratically elected government" was a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, Bush said. "We also demand that Syria treat Lebanon as a genuinely sovereign neighbor, establishing full diplomatic relations with Lebanon," he said. The president said the assassination made it even more important for the United Nations Security Council to seek justice in the killing of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri last year. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | EU/UN | Islam | America |
  • Iran Slowly Securing Its Grip Around Israel (November 20, 2006) - A nuclear threat is only one of several Iranian problems facing Israel as the Islamic Republic increases its influence in Gaza and Lebanon. Bush says he would "understand" an Israeli attack on Iran. The Iranian government is sending money to Gaza, gradually extending its influence over the region surrounding Israel. The Islamic Republic has donated $120 million to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, according to an announcement last Thursday by PA Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar. The PA official met in Tehran with Ali Larijani, the head of national security in Iran. Palestinian Authority terrorists in Gaza have become major beneficiaries of Iranian largesse recently, according to the AFP news service. “Iran has handed out, until now, over $120 million and says it will supply more aid. Its support is very important for us,” said the PA foreign minister. PA terrorists have significantly stepped up their Kassam rocket attacks against southern Israeli communities recently. Sderot residents have said the rockets are increasing in accuracy, and now contain more explosives as well as ball bearings to maximize damage upon impact. Meanwhile, international efforts to stop Iran’s nuclear development activities have slowly ground to a halt. Despite threats by the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions against the Islamic Republic if it did not end its uranium enrichment program by the end of August, the program continues uninterrupted, and no action has been taken against Iran. U.S. President George W. Bush said Sunday night he would "understand" if Israel attacked the Islamic Republic, but that America would not help the Jewish State to do so. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | The world is aligning against Israel and quiet about Iranian influence and Muslim terrorism. It's clear that Iran is funding terrorism, but they defiantly continue because nobody can afford to stand against them right now. At least that's how it would seem. We will see their defiance crescendo in the near future when they attack the nation of Israel along with Turkey, Russia, and other Muslim nations. Read Ezekiel 38,39. It will be God who puts a stop to their attack, and I think that will play right into the antichrist's hand, playing the great bringer of peace on the world stage. He will fool the majority of the world though.
  • Iran calls for summit with Iraq, Syria (November 20, 2006) - Iran has invited the Iraqi and Syrian presidents to Tehran for a weekend summit with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to hash out ways to cooperate in curbing the runaway violence that has taken Iraq to the verge of civil war and threatens to spread through the region, four key lawmakers told The Associated Press on Monday. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has accepted the invitation and will fly to the Iranian capital Saturday, a close parliamentary associate said. The Iranian diplomatic gambit appeared designed to upstage expected moves from Washington to include Syria and Iran in a wider regional effort to clamp off violence in Iraq, where more civilians have been killed in the first 20 days of November than in any other month since the AP began tallying the figures in April 2005. The Iranian move was also a display of its increasingly muscular role in the Middle East, where it already has established deep influence over Syria and Lebanon. "All three countries intend to hold a three-way summit among Iraq, Iran and Syria to discuss the security situation and the repercussions for stability of the region," said Ali al-Adeeb, a lawmaker of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party and a close aide to the prime minister. more... | Iran | Islam | I wonder if Iraq will suddenly get peaceful once the heads get together. If original Babylon is a part of end-time prophecy, we could expect to see that area have a big turn-around soon. Perhaps that will be part of the false peace, once all the Muslim nations are united in their hatred for Israel. The hatred is too deeply bred to just go away, so don't expect any upcoming peace to be real.
  • Annan urges Syria and Iran to help Lebanon (November 19, 2006) - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan pressed Syria and Iran yesterday to help promote the stability of Lebanon after the resignation of six of its government ministers. Annan spoke by telephone with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syrian head of state Bashar Al Assad about developments in Lebanon and the need for governments in the region and around the world "to promote the stability and the unity of Lebanon", UN chief spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Annan urged the two presidents to counsel Lebanon's leaders "to exercise patience and resolve their differences through dialogue", Dujarric said. Five ministers from Shiite groups Hezbollah and Amal quit the Lebanese Cabinet a week ago when talks over giving the opposition a greater say in government collapsed. A sixth minister, loyal to pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, resigned on Monday. Meanwhile, Lahoud said the country would have a "national government" no matter what the cost. He said the situation was "delicate because what is happening violates the Taif agreement and the constitution". The Taif agreement ended Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. "I promise you that Lebanon will witness the establishment of a national government no matter what the cost and if that does not happen the price will be high, especially for future generations," Lahoud said in a statement.| Iran | Israel | Islam | We see in Ezekiel 38,39 that Persia (Iran) is one of the attackers. Their increased involvement in Lebanon to the North of Israel, where Muslim Russian and Turkish "peacekeeping troops" are being positioned, falls right in line with Bible prophecy in this regard. Also, Isaiah 17 says Damascus will be a ruinous heap. In verse 9, it talks about the strong cities being forsaken, left because of the children of Israel. Israel has been discussing pre-emptive attacks against Damascus, Syria because it houses so many terrorist leaders and is responsible for much of the weapons smuggling going on. Israel has good reasons to attack Damascus, mainly all the threats coming from Damascus about Israel's demise: Oct. 11, Sept. 21, July 12, and Israel's warning and threat to hit Damascus specifically on July 1. It's all in Bible prophecy about the end times and it's being reported in the news today. Keep watching!
  • Iranian Paper: Great War to Wipe Out Israel Coming (November 15, 2006) - Iranian newspapers Kehyan and and Resalat have urged Muslims around the world to prepare for a 'great war' to destroy the State of Israel. The newspapers published the editorials, translated from Persian by MEMRI , the Middle East translation service, to mark 'Quds' day on October 20, an Iranian 'holiday' calling for the "liberation" of Jerusalem and war against Israel. "Hizbullah destroyed at least half of Israel in the Lebanon war... Now only half the path (to its destruction) remains," an editorial in the conservative Keyhan newspaper declared. Messianic nukes? Awaiting the Iranian messiah / Yaakov Lappin A glimpse into the apocalyptic ideology gripping the Iranian government "It was proven that, by means of an offensive operation that need not be equal to Israel's moves, it is possible to neutralize the Zionist navy," the article said triumphantly. It continued: "Just as in one 33-day war more than 50 percent of Israel was destroyed, and the hope of its supporters for the continued life of this regime was broken, it is likely that in the next battle, the second half will also collapse." "On that day... Jordan will not be able to prevent the Jordanian Islamists from operating through the long Jordan-Palestine border, and the millions of Egyptian Islamists... will not let the Sinai-Israel border remain quiet, and the Syrian Golan Heights will not remain as a (mere) observer of the battle. That day is not so far off." The Resalat newspaper struck a similarly bellicose tone with an editorial entitled "Preparations for the Great War." "The great war is ahead of us, (and will break out) perhaps tomorrow, or in another few days, or in a few months, or even in a few Years... Israel must collapse," the newspaper said. It added: "For the first time in the 60 years of its disgraceful life, the Zionist regime - the West's beloved in the Middle East - tasted the taste of defeat, and the citizens of this regime trembled at the menace of Hizbullah's missiles… The nation of Muslims must prepare for the great war, so as to completely wipe out the Zionist regime, and remove this cancerous growth. Like the Imam (Ayatollah) Khomeini said: 'Israel must collapse.'" | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
  • Ahmadinejad: Israel’s destruction near (November 13, 2006) - According to the Iranian media Monday, Iranian President Mahoud Ahmadinejad declared that Israel was destined to ‘disappearance and destruction’ at a council meeting with Iranian ministers. “The western powers created the Zionist regime in order to expand their control of the area. This regime massacres Palestinians everyday, but since this regime is against nature, we will soon witness its disappearance and destruction,” Ahmadinejad said. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
  • 'Israel Must Prepare For Full-Scale War' (November 13, 2006) - Israel has to prepare for a full-scale war, in which Syria will be an important player, an Israeli military official told the British Sunday Times. "The challenge from Iran and Syria is now top of the Israeli defense agenda, higher than the Palestinian one," another official said. The recent war with Hizbullah and the threat that Iran could achieve nuclear weapons capability have led Israel to reexamine its defense strategies, and focus on the region's two major supporters of terrorism, IDF sources have said recently. One conclusion is that Israel has allocated too much time and energy to addressing the terror threat posed by Palestinian groups in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. According to London's International Institute for Strategic Studies, both Iran and Syria have ballistic missiles whose range extends over most of Israel, including Tel Aviv. Funds have reportedly been approved for the construction of appropriately equipped shelters. Eyeing Syria, the IDF has formed a new infantry brigade, known as Kfir (young lion), as a countermeasure against Syria's commando forces, which are considered "better" than Hizbullah guerrillas, a military source informed the Times. The IDF is also reportedly integrating three elite brigades in preparation for them cooperating on deep cross-border operations into Syria and Iran. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Hmm... And it just so happens that Israel is looking at having to go to war with Syria and Iran! On top of that, we have Russian-Muslim and Turkish "peacekeeping troops" piling up on the Northern border of Israel in Lebanon. There were also the Iranian Republican Guards that were found dead in Lebanon during the earlier war this year. Given Isaiah 17, Ezekiel 38, and Ezekiel 39 I think this is a pretty big coincidence, eh?!
  • Iran in UN protest over Israel 'military threats' (November 12, 2006) - Iran has complained to the United Nations over a "series of threats" after an Israeli official refused to rule out a military strike against the Islamic republic, the IRNA agency reports. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, submitted the complaint to Secretary General Kofi Annan and the Security Council on Friday following the comments by Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Ephraim Sneh. "The letter, underlining threats from Sneh and other Israeli officials, regards these statements as illegal, ridiculous and a sign of the Zionist regime's criminal policies and terrorist intentions," the state agency said. Sneh had told the Jerusalem Post on Friday he considered military action against Iran as a "last resort. But even the last resort is sometimes the only resort." His comments were seen as the clearest statement yet by an Israeli official that military strikes against Iran over its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear activities were not excluded. more... | IranIsrael | I can't believe this, ok I can. What a bunch of manipulative whiney babies. Let me remind everyone of the kinds of comments from Ahmadinejad about wiping Israel off the map that may lead Israel to leave war with Iran on the table of possibilities. I'll bet this whining is looked at with sincerity in the UN though. As sick as this kind of stuff makes me, it fits with Bible prophecy yet again. The whole world is uniting against Israel calling good bad and bad good. Another clue of Satanic influence is how he is always 180 degrees out of phase with the Truth. Like Hitler knew well though, if you say it loud enough and long enough, people will believe you. I hope this newsletter is presenting the Truth being declared in that same fashion and encourage you to share it with anyone you know that might be interested in watching too.
  • Awaiting the Iranian Messiah (November 12, 2006) - He challenges the largest superpower on earth, threatens a regional superpower with annihilation, and mocks international efforts to keep tabs on his nuclear program. Where does the unswerving confidence of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad come from? To whom did Ahmadinejad refer when he told the United Nations in September: “I emphatically declare that today's world, more than ever before, longs for…the perfect righteous human being and real savior who has been promised to all peoples and who will establish justice, peace, and brotherhood on the planet. Almighty god [Allah]…make us among his followers and among those who strive for his return and his cause? According to Shiite Islam, the 12th Imam, named Mahdi, is the awaited messiah who will establish the rule of Islam around the world–following a massive war during which Islam's enemies are expected to be decimated. Iran's official state Web sites are filled with information about the Islamic republic's messiah. “Imam Mahdi was unseen from the eyes of common people, and nobody could see him except [a] special group of Shiites...After the martyrdom of his father, he was appointed as the next imam. Then he was hidden by god's [Allah’s] command, and he was just observable by the special deputies of his own,” the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Web site declares. The Web site also contains a special hadith (traditional) prayer, to be recited on the birthday of the Mahdi: “Today is Friday, a day you are expected to come; the faithful will be free of cares and troubles when you shall arrive and, with one strike, shall put an end to the intrigues of the infidels.” Speaking to Ynetnews, Professor Raymond Tanter, one of the authors of the forthcoming book, “What Makes Iran Tick”–which explores the Shiite Islamist ideology of Iran–said there was no questioning the belief of Iran's leaders in the coming of the Mahdi. Tanter, President of the Iran Policy Committee–a Washington-based organization comprised of former officials from the White House, State Department, Pentagon, and intelligence services–said: “The Iranian leadership, particularly Ahmadinejad, welcome the apocalyptic vision of the return of the hidden Imam. And all the strains of Islam believe in the eventual return of the Mahdi, also known as the 12th Imam, or the Shiite messiah. After a period of great destruction, once the forces of evil are defeated, the so-called 12th Imam is supposed to reign over a period of great prosperity. “When Ahmadinejad was mayor of Tehran, he set up an urban renewal program that would make it easier to facilitate the Mahdi's return. He created passageways and roadways that would allow the Mahdi to return triumphantly. He operationalized this concept. The Iranian president did not view himself as the Shiite messiah though. more... | Iran | Islam | Ezekiel 38,39 - Gog/Magog is my best guess right now. Given the news we've been seeing, all the players are set up, even so far as troops building up on the Northern border of Israel, and all the world is actually requesting it, including Israel! Ahmadinejad defiantly declares the soon destruction of the state of Israel publicly and everything seems pretty set up for it. I think the 12th Mahdi will end up being the false prophet who will bring Islam to bow before the beast. He's expected to come out of a well which reminds me of Revelation 13 calling him the beast that comes from the earth. It's looking more and more like the Pope will be bringing much of the Catholic church to eventually worship the beast from the sea along with Islam and all other religions in an all-inclusive new world religion that will have one man at it's head. It seems to fit, but each is their own judge. Keep watching!
  • Iran Vows To Hit Back If Israel Attacks (November 11, 2006) - Iran's armed forces on Saturday vowed to hit back against any military strike after a top Israeli official refused to rule out attacking the Islamic republic over its disputed nuclear program. "The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will firmly respond to any military and threatening move," Brigadier General Ali Fazli, spokesman for Iran's latest round of 10-day war games, said. "The Iranian armed forces, which realize the different threats, have the capacity and capability to confront them," he added. Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh had told the Jerusalem Post on Friday he considered military action against Iran as a "last resort. But even the last resort is sometimes the only resort." His comments were seen as the clearest statement yet by an Israeli official that military strikes against Iran over its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear activities were not excluded. "The enemies of the Islamic republic are too weak and too abject to be a threat for a powerful Iran," added Fazli, who did not specify what the nature of Iran's response would be. Iran has been showing off its military prowess in recent days in the 10-day "Great Prophet II" war games, which have seen its fire its Shahab-3 longer range missile for the first time in maneuvers and test-fire new weaponry. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
  • Eye of the Storm: The 'Iranization' of Syria (November 3, 2006) - While there is much talk of continued Syrian machinations in Lebanon, little attention is paid to an Iranian plan to remodel Syria into a Khomeinist state. The Teheran-Damascus axis that challenges the United States in the Middle East was first formed in 1980 when Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in the hope of destroying the newly created Islamic Republic. At first, the Khomeinist regime in Iran and the Ba'athist dictatorship in Syria seemed unlikely allies. The Khomeinists followed a radical Shi'ite ideology aimed at global jihad in the name of their brand of Islam. The Syrian Ba'athists, on the other hand, were secularists inspired by an Arabized version of National Socialism aimed at uniting Arab countries under one flag and one party. The Iran-Iraq war brought the two together for a simple reason: the Syrians knew that if Saddam won he would become the unrivaled Arab supremo, marginalizing the Syrian Ba'ath and eventually toppling the regime of President Hafez Assad. The mullahs knew that only Syria could prevent a unified Arab bloc to back Saddam. The mullahs had to pay for Syrian support in the form of cut-price oil and an annual cash handout of $150 million. In 1982 the two furthered their alliance by sponsoring the Lebanese branch of Hizbullah. All along, however, the Syrians were careful not to be totally hooked to the Iranian strategy. Hafez Assad insisted on meeting every American president and maintained close contact with Washington. He was also ruthless when it came to Islamist tendencies, even if that meant massacring thousands of people. Even in Lebanon, Assad did not put all his eggs in the Iranian basket and insisted on having his own Shi'ite outlet in the form of Nabih Berri's Amal movement. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Islam |
  • Russia, China won't back Iran sanctions (November 2, 2006) - Russian and China indicated that they will not support a draft U.N. resolution imposing tough sanctions on Iran for its refusal to halt its nuclear enrichment program. The comments by Russia's foreign minister and China's U.N. ambassador were the strongest reactions yet to the draft by the two key U.N. Security Council members, and signaled difficult negotiations ahead on the resolution drawn up by Britain, France and Germany. "We cannot support measures that in essence are aimed at isolating Iran from the outside world, including isolating people who are called upon to conduct negotiations on the nuclear program," the Interfax news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying Wednesday. China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya said "there are still different views on what kind of actions the council needs to do under the current circumstances." Wang said "the major concern" is that some members want tough sanctions like those in the resolution that the council approved on Oct. 14 to punish North Korea for conducting a nuclear test. more... | Iran |
  • Russia says believes Iran's nuke program peaceful (October 31, 2006) - Russia said on Tuesday it believed Iran's nuclear program was peaceful, and a political dialogue, not sanctions, must be used in talks with Tehran. "We do not have information that would suggest that Iran is carrying out a non-peaceful (nuclear) program," Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov told a news conference in Moscow. "We believe that the possibilities for continuing political discussion around this problem (Iran's nuclear program) have not been exhausted," he said. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation on Monday that talks over Iran's nuclear dispute were being hindered because the European side did not have enough authority. "The most important problem in continuing Iran and Europe's negotiations (over the nuclear issue) is the European side's lack of enough authority (to take decisions)," an Iranian television report quoted Ahmadinejad as telling Putin. In a statement on Monday, the Kremlin said Putin had told the Iranian leader that Moscow favored further talks. Iran says negotiations are the only way to resolve the dispute. But Iran's failure to meet a U.N. deadline to halt enrichment has opened up the possibility of U.N. sanctions. European states have prepared a draft sanctions resolution but Russia has voiced misgivings. "Sanctions should not be adopted for their own sake," Ivanov said. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana held months of talks with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani. But those talks did not reach a deal and Solana said this month it was up to Iran to decide if talks should continue. more... | IranIslam | EU/UN | Solana | Next thing you know, this will be used as a reason to pass the EU constitution giving power to Javier Solana so he can make a difference in Iranian negotiations. Like Herb says, Solana is sorely needed as a Foreign Minister by the European Union, they know it and Solana knows it. This could be used for a power play.
  • Report: Iran, Syria are Russia's top military clients (October 31, 2006) - Iran and Syria are the leading defense clients of Russia in the Middle East, according to a new report. The Congressional Research Service said Iran and Syria were the biggest Middle East importers of Russian weapons from 2002 through 2005. In a report, CRS said the orders marked Russia's return to the Middle East weapons market, Middle East Newsline reported. "The principal purchasers of Russian arms were: Iran [$1.7 billion], Syria [$800 million],Yemen [$500 million], Libya, and Israel [$300 million each]," the report, entitled "Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations 1998-2005," said. Later, industry sources said the Israeli purchase from Russia comprised the procurement of Il-76 air transports. They said the cargo aircraft were relayed to India as part of Israel's airborne early-warning and control system project, valued at $1.1 billion. China, a missile and light arms exporter, was also cited as a leading supplier to the Middle East. CRS said that from 2002 through 2005, Egypt was the leading purchaser of Chinese systems, with orders that totaled $400 million. Iran and Saudi Arabia followed with $300 million and $200 million, respectively. "The value of China's arms transfer agreements with Iran rose from essentially nil in 1998-2001 to $300 million in the 2002-2005 period," the report said. The United States was cited as the leading supplier of military platforms and systems to the Middle East in 2002-2005. Egypt was the leading client of the United States, with $5.2 billion, followed by Saudi Arabia and Israel, with $4.2 billion and $2.5 billion, respectively. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Is it any wonder Russia is so supportive and protective of these two? They're even all prophesied to attack Israel together! If that isn't a hint at how close we are, what about the fact that Muslim Russian troops along with Turkish troops are being sent to Israel's Northern border right now.
  • Israel Must Prepare For Iran to Push the Button - Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz (October 21, 2006) - Iranian president said earlier there is no reason for Israel “the greatest insult to human dignity” to exist and it would soon disappear. Halutz also warned Israel to prepare for possible war with Syria, whose missile threat to Israel's population is similar to that of Hizballah. Another of his outrageous speeches was delivered Friday to a pro-Palestinian rally marking the Islami Republic’s “al Qods Day” (Jerusalem Liberation Day). In further inflammatory remarks, Ahmadinejad said “the world knows the US and Britain are enemies of the Iranian nation.” He warned European nations not to harm Iran, saying that if anger in the region boiled over, Europe would get hurt because of its support for Israel. “Europe must distance itself from Israel at once. That is Iran’s ultimatum. “He went on to brand the UN Security Council and its decisions “illegitimate.” DEBKAfile adds: These words amounted to an Iranian threat of harm to the European UN forces deployed in Lebanon unless they left forthwith. His harsh words followed two events: one, the Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert’s statement in Moscow this week after he met with Russian leaders: “They need to fear that something that they do not want to happen will happen. In no case, Olmert stressed, “will we reconcile with nuclear arms in Iranian hands. There is no margin for error here.” The other event was the arrival in the Persian Gulf of the giant US carrier Iwo Jima with its Expeditionary Strike Group to join the American naval, air and marine might piling up opposite Iran’s shores. Next week too, the Security Council convenes to discussion a form of sanctions against Iran for refusing to desist from enriching uranium. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
  • Iran Warns of Revenge Over Israel (October 20, 2006) - Iran's president has warned that Muslims around the world will take revenge on states which support Israel against the Palestinians. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again questioned the extent of the Holocaust, when German Nazis murdered six million Jews. Israel was founded on "claims about the Holocaust" for which the Palestinians were paying the price, he told a rally. He was speaking on Jerusalem Day, when there are large demonstrations in Iran in support of the Palestinians. BBC Tehran correspondent Frances Harrison says the tone of the speech was hard-line, even by Mr Ahmadinejad's standards. Implicit threat Mr. Ahmadinejad called Israel's leaders a "group of terrorists" and appeared to threaten any country that supports it." You imposed a group of terrorists... on the region. It is in your own interest to distance yourself from these criminals... This is an ultimatum. Don't complain tomorrow." The "ultimatum" was directed at European states in particular. "We have advised the Europeans that the Americans are far away, but you are the neighbors of the nations in this region," Mr. Ahmadinejad said. "We inform you that the nations are like an ocean that is welling up, and if a storm begins, the dimensions will not stay limited to Palestine, and you may get hurt." more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | America |
  • Ahmadinejad Predicts Israel's Collapse, Warns of 'Boiling Wrath' (October 20, 2006) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has predicted Israel would collapse and warned that its allies face the "boiling wrath" of the people if they continue to support the Jewish state. The renewed assault on Israel by Ahmadinejad -- who has been castigated by world powers for his frequent anti-Israeli outbursts -- came as tens of thousands marched through Tehran in an annual pro-Palestinian protest. "This regime (Israel) will be gone, definitely," Ahmadinejad, who has previously called for Israel to be "wiped from the map" and described the Holocaust as a myth, told the protestors. "You (the Western powers) should know that any government that stands by the Zionist regime from now on will not see any result but the hatred of the people," he added. "The wrath of the region's people is boiling." "Efforts to stabilise this fraudulent regime have completely failed, thank God ... This regime has lost the rationale of its existence," the president said. Ahmadinejad described his warning as an "ultimatum" for Western powers. "You should not complain that we did not give a warning. We are saying this explicitly now." "If a hurricane starts be rest assured that the dimensions of this hurricane will not be limited to the geographic borders of Palestine," he added. "This regime (Israel) will take its supporters to the bottom of the swamp." "The best solution is for you to take all the components of the regime and take it away," Ahmadinejad said. Chanting "Death to Israel" and predicting the "Triumph of Palestine", tens of thousands of people had earlier converged on Tehran University, where Ahmadinejad gave his speech, to mark Iran's Quds (Jerusalem) Day. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | America |
  • Ahmadinejad: God told me we would win (October 16, 2006) - Iranian president says has been in touch with God, who reassured him Tehran victory against West is guaranteed. While the West is preparing to impose sanctions on Iran, due to the country's failure to suspend its nuclear activities, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is still optimistic. "We shall win," he was quoted in the Iranian media as saying Monday, and added: "One day I will be asked whether I have been in touch with someone who told me we would win, and I will respond: 'Yes, I have been in touch with God'." "We must not be afraid of them," he stated, hinting to the western countries. Ahmadinejad also noted that although he was at times mocked for his preoccupation with spiritual matters and his use of "divine" words," he was nevertheless certain that Iran would prevail, after having secured the support of international public opinion for its cause. Meanwhile, Iranian news agencies reported Monday that Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi addressed the possibility of an attack on Iran and said, “If Americans and Zionists want to try their luck in Iran, they will experience a larger defeat than in Iraq.” Safavi added during a memorial service held at his headquarters: “We are obligated to our fallen to maintain the readiness and deal a powerful blow on the enemies in case of an attack. “The Basij (branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and the Revolutionary Guards are so strong they will not allow the enemy to even think of launching an operation against Iran,” he said. “The blood of our shahids will bring about not only the liberation of Jerusalem and Karbala (Iraq) but the liberation of all mankind from the evil powers of the world; the blood of our shahids boiled the blood of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon, and they will overcome the evil Americans and Israel.” more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | This shows the fearlessness because I really believe that he believes that. Or at least he's trying to deceive the population into higher morale for a more willing army. However, since hatred of Israel is taught from the mosques and is beyond any territorial division, it's only a matter of time before all of Islam unites together against Israel and those who refuse to convert to Islam. Look at history and watch it repeat.
  • IDF: Syrian Army In Battle Positions (October 15, 2006) - Brigadier-General Yossi Beyditz, head the Research Department in the IDF Directorate of Military Intelligence, told Cabinet Sunday that, “(Syrian President Bashar) Assad is preparing his army for a confrontation with Israel.” “Assad has not returned the army to its pre-Lebanon war positions,” Beyditz said. However, he added that the Syrian army is not prepared to attack, but rather to defend the country against a possible Israeli offensive "These are artillery cannons, missiles and rockets positioned in forward positions. He is preparing for a defensive and not offensive response. He estimates that Israel would want to attack him," he said. He added: "Assad continues to support Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hizbullah. We have unequivocal proof on his direct involvement in smuggling weapons to Lebanon. In the past there was no proof," he said. "The Syrians continue to sabotage attempts to implement UN Resolution 1701 and also to harm (Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad) Siniora's sovereignty and create a majority block against him in the government," he added. "Bashar Assad continues him wave of equivocal messages. Once he speaks about sticking with a peace strategy and simultaneously speak of a confrontation and about us as not ready for a political process and he in fact means both options: a political arrangement according to Assad's known conditions, but prepares that army for a confrontation with Israel," the officer said. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
  • Iran’s supreme ruler Ali Khamenei delivers war sermon, symbolically totes Kalashnikov DEBKAfile (October 14, 2006) - Khamenei speaking at Tehran University on Oct. 13, the third Friday of Ramadan,. He is holding an automatic AK 47 rifle in his right hand in a pose reminiscent of Yasser Arafat and Saddam Hussein at their most belligerent. His sermon was tantamount to a declaration of war by Iran and its Middle East allies: Syria, Hizballah and the Palestinian Hamas against the United States and Israel. The Kalashnikov accentuated his words. | Iran | Islam | Israel | America | They're on the war path and they believe they have Allah on they're side. Of course they do, but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will overcome in all things. We need to be aware of the power over the fear of death that religious belief can bring. We should know that ourselves as Christians if we believe it. Muslims believe the things they're taught from infancy and are brainwashed to be willing to kill themselves and others for their god. So when faced with the arguement that negotiations are possible, listen to their two-faced responces to the world then to their own people. It is the religion that controls the people, not the politics in Islam. The politics are something they have to fake until they can fulfill their religious duty, to dominate the world for Allah. Hear Iranian President | Hear Syrian Cleric   http://memritv.org/
  • Anti-Tank Missiles Smuggled Into Gaza (October 13, 2006) - The IDF released information Friday that indicated the pace of weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip was increasing. A senior army officer said terror groups were arming at an "unprecedented" pace, Channel 2 reported, and some officials were calling for a re-evaluation of the IDF's strategy in Gaza. Despite intense IDF activityAddMinn along the security fence in recent days and non-stop air strikes on Gaza weapons depots, terror groups have been importing more than two tons of TNT per month through tunnels burrowed under the Philadelphi corridor along the Egyptian border. Aside from the usual merchandise of explosives, light weapons and ammunition, some 20 advanced anti-tank missiles have found their way into Gaza - a development the IDF has feared since the end of the war in Lebanon, officials said. Several anti-tank missiles have been fired at troops and vehicles in the army's latest forays across the security fence. In two separate incidents Friday, Palestinians targeted tanks operating in Khan Yunis, but failed to inflict casualties. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Just negotiate with them. The missiles mean nothing, it's just self-defense for the ones who keep trying to kill the Jews. In case you missed it, that was extreme sarcasm intended to point out the futility of negotiating with those clearly gearing up for war. At least Israel isn't oblivious even if the rest of the world seems to be since they're still supporting the poor beleaguered "Palestinians." I recommend everyone read the REAL history of the land of Israel and the deceptions that have gone into deceiving the whole world into taking the side against Israel. From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict over Palestine by Joan Peters
  • Tehran Arms Hamas for a Double-Barreled War Option and Gaza as Second Lebanon (October 13, 2006) - The military pacts Palestinian Hamas interior minister Said Siyam signed with his Iranian counterpart Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi in Tehran on Oct. 12 are designed to transform Hamas’ military wing, the Ezz e-Din al Qassam, into a crack operational arm of the Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and Gaza into a second Lebanon. Syam was in Tehran for two days at the head of a 7-man delegation. DEBKAfile’s Iranian sources report Tehran has committed to training Hamas’ rapid deployment force of 6,500 men in Hizballah combat tactics, with the accent on missiles, especially the anti-tank variety which were used with devastating effect against Israeli tanks in the Lebanon War. The force will be sent over in batches for six-week courses at Revolutionary Guards installations in southern Iran. Iran will foot the $60 million bill for the training as well as for the top-notch weaponry. The Hamas military delegation flew from Cairo to Dubai and on to Tehran. Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and intelligence chief, Gen. Omar Suleiman, were apprised of the Hamas leaders’ trip and the military accords they were to sign, but did nothing to detain the travelers. This was taken by Hamas and the Iranian government as signaling Cairo’s assent to the Hamas-Iranian transaction, a green light for the trips through Egypt of trainee groups to and from Iran and a continuing blind eye to the delivery of Iranian armaments via Egypt to Gaza. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Nobody's trying to stop them. Israel will have to worry about the condemnation of the world if they do anything. Israel doesn't have many allies in the world. Zechariah 12:1-6 - I believe this verse is talking about the time since June 7, 1967. Israel has consistently held back the Muslim attackers against all odds and everyone that comes against Israel is driven back. There's even a case to be made that hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Wilma, and Rita were a direct result of US meddling in giving away land for peace. Eye To Eye by Bill Koenig
  • The naval exercise to be held by US, Bahrain and allies later this month brings a massive concentration of American naval, air and marine might to the Persian Gulf (October 13, 2006) - US officials said the exercise starting Oct. 31 will practice interdicting ships carrying weapons of mass destruction and missiles. DEBKAfile’s military sources report: US naval, air and marine forces are massing in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and eastern Mediterranean opposite Lebanon and Syria. The big USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (picture) arrives by Oct. 21. Facing these units are Iranian Revolutionary Guards naval, air and marine units together with the Iranian armed forces on full war preparedness. The forthcoming DEBKA-Net-Weekly discusses this menacing maneuver at length in its coming issue out on Friday. The US announcement came as the US and other powers discussed sanctions on North Korea, including searching its ships following Monday’s nuclear test. It followed shortly after they also agreed on a Security Council session next week to impose sanctions on Iran. The US spokesman said the exercise, in which Bahrain, Kuwait, France, Britain, Canada and others will take part, will demonstrate “our resolve and readiness to act” against nuclear proliferation. South Korea will be an observer. Clearly the Bush administration has more forceful “repercussions” in mind for Iran than diplomacy. Iran will no doubt respond to the demonstrative exercise, the massing of US forces around its shores and the threat of UN sanctions by a counter-stroke that raises tensions in the region and involves Iraq and/or the countries on Israel’s border – Lebanon and Syria. | Iran | Islam | America |
  • Iran's target: 3,000 dead Americans by Nov. 7 (October 11, 2006) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's president, has given the order: Raise the American death count in Iraq to 3,000 before the Nov. 7 general election. This news came from a high-level Israeli leader. The death count in the month of September was 65 and stands at 28 thus far for the month of October. The dead and wounded in Iraq to date number 23,212. The total number of dead stands at 2,744 – Iran is 256 body bags away from achieving its goal, which means it will have to accelerate the death count to approximately nine Americans per day in Iraq. American and Iraqi forces are fighting various battles with Iran's Mahdi Army. Muqtada al-Sadr, Iran's personal envoy in Iraq, is receiving funding, intelligence and armaments from Iran. Al-Sadr is to Iraq what Nasrallah is to Lebanon. According to Moshe Ya'alon, former chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (and who also endorsed "Showdown with Nuclear Iran"), 85 percent of all IEDs that kill Americans in Iraq are imported from Iran. Iran has a definite purpose in trying to get the body count in Iraq up to 3,000; they believe that number will do enormous damage to President Bush during the mid-term elections Nov. 7. Iran has expertise in influencing American elections. The 1980 campaign against then-President Jimmy Carter was very successful. The founder of Israeli intelligence, Isser Harel, told me in September of 1980 that Iran would take Jimmy Carter out of the White House by humiliating him and refusing to release the hostages until Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president. He also told me that America's first terrorist attack would be on New York City's tallest building. (This story appeared in the Jerusalem Post Sept. 30, 2001.) Ahmadinejad's desire to influence U.S. elections is just another in a series of events this year that bear his imprimatur: more... | Iran | America |
  • Call for Israel to leave Shebaa farms area (October 11, 2006) - Hizbullah will resume its military campaign against Israel unless it withdraws from the disputed Shebaa farms area and other pockets of territory occupied during this summer’s 34-day war, Nabih Berri, speaker of the Lebanese parliament, has warned. “If Israel does not pull out we will have to drive them out,” said Mr Berri, who acted as a link to the militant organisation during this summer’s war with Israel, in an interview with the Guardian. Hizbullah will remain armed and fully operational in south Lebanon, despite the newly-deployed UN forces, until Israel withdraws from all Lebanese territory and ceases its ongoing air, sea and land violations, Mr Berri added. “The Unifil presence will not hinder Hizbullah's defensive operations. The resistance doesn't need to fly its flags high to operate, it's a guerrilla movement; it operates among the people,” he said. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
  • Israel Raises Prospect of War in 2007 (October 10, 2006) - For the first time in more than a decade, Israel's military has raised the prospect of a Middle East war. Military sources said the Intelligence Corps has warned of the possibility of war in 2007. The sources said the corps, in its annual intelligence assessment, has notified the General Staff that Syria represented the greatest danger of war over the next year. "The main message was that the chance of war with Syria in 2007 was greater than during 2006," a source said. "This does not mean that it will happen. It means that there is a reasonable change of it taking place." The annual assessment relayed to the General Staff was expected to be revised over the next few months. The Cabinet would receive the annual assessment toward the end of 2006. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
  • Ahmadinejad's political mysticism (October 7, 2006) - On June 25, 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president of Iran. He beat former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in a run-off election, winning a reported 60 percent of the vote. Ahmadinejad's election was a clear sign the ruling powers in Iran had decided to move in an ultra-conservative direction. The mullahs evidently had rejected the strategy of reform as a way to appease the widespread domestic dissatisfaction sweeping through Iranian society. The ruling clerics feared that a Gorbachev style perestroika would be seen a sign of weakness, a strategy the mullahs believed would backfire on them, just as it had backfired on the Russian communist rulers who were trying at the end of the 1980s to prevent the breakup of the Soviet Union. Today the ultra-conservative mullahs that compose the minority ruling Iran are not prepared to tolerate internal dissent or civil disobedience. Instead, under Ahmadinejad, the regime intends to reinforce a strict Islamic moral code that would end Western-type freedoms such as free speech via the Internet. Even the mildest forms of "indecent behavior," such as young lovers holding hands in public or women who do not properly cover their heads and faces with the traditional hejab when leaving the home, risk severe punishment. In accepting the victory, Ahmadinejad gave a short but significant statement, emphasizing both his devotion to the late Ayatollah Khomeini and to the radical Islamic revolution Khomeini had led. "Iran has high capacities and can promulgate Islamic civilization worldwide," he said, as he vowed to fulfill the ideals of Imam Khomeini as well as meet the demands of the Iranian people. These words were carefully chosen. Ahmadinejad's spiritual and moral roots are deeply embedded in the radical Islamic revolution brought forth upon Iran by Khomeini. His words affirmed his conviction that the Iranian revolution was destined to be a worldwide revolution. more... | Iran | Islam |
  • DEBKAfile’s sources: Tehran and Damascus are gearing up for a pre-emptive Syrian attack on Israel to ward off a US strike on Iran’s nuclear sites (October 7, 2006) - Our military and Washington sources read as preparatory justification the Syrian ruler Bashar Asad’s statement Saturday, Oct. 7, that he expects an Israeli attack. He was speaking in an interview to Kuwaiti paper al-Anba. Asad’s Iranian-backed war plan would serve the purpose of forcing the Americans to divide their military assets between a strike against Iran and the defense of their allies in the Persia Gulf, Israel and US forces in Iraq. Both are seriously looking at a Syrian attack on the Golan which would escalate into a full-blown Syrian-Israeli war and a second Hizballah assault from Lebanon. Asad’s remark that during the Lebanon hostilities, he was under pressure from the Syrian population to go to war against Israel and liberate the Golan is the most direct threat of belligerency of all his four Golan statements in the last month. He is implying that he stood up to the pressure once but may not do so again. And for the benefit of the Americans, the Europeans, the Saudis and the Egyptians - all of whom are pretty fed up with him – Asad is posing as the picture of self-restraint; anyone else in his place, he implies, would have taken advantage of the Lebanon war and made a grab for the Golan. Therefore, he is saying, he deserves to be treated with the respect due to a strategic asset by Western and moderate Arab powers instead of being targeted for an ouster. The Syrian ruler would not threaten war without guarantees from Iran. According to DEBKAfile’s sources, Asad and Iran’s supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are prompted by the following motives:
    • Tehran is not prepared to wait passively for the Americans to build up their assault force in the Gulf and strike its nuclear facilities. A pre-emptive attack would suit them better.
    • Tehran and Damascus have not missed the debilitating crisis in which Israel’s political and military leadership are sunk since the Lebanon war. They do not propose to wait until the IDF pulls itself together enough to handle fresh aggression.
    • Both accept Israel’s deputy prime minister Shimon Peres’ assessment that Israel’s cities are not prepared for missile attack. Iran and Syria take it for granted that Israeli leaders understand they cannot afford to launch missiles against either one of them for fear of reprisal in kind.
    • Syria believes that if Hizballah could stand up to the Israeli army in Lebanon, its commandoes can capture sections of the Golan and walk off with an easy victory.
    • Tehran figures that the Bush administration is coming to the end of its patience in Iraq and preparing for a major review of its position there. The influential U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, John Warner, said Friday that Iraq's government had 60 to 90 days to control the violence that threatens civil war or the United States would have to reconsider its options. This gives the Maliki government in Baghdad up to December or January to de-escalate if not halt the sectarian war engulfing the country.

    Iran, Syria and Hizballah would not be averse to disrupting the American Iraq timeline by attacking Israel and putting the Bush administration on the spot, forced to address three warfronts simultaneously. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | America | This could be Israel's reason to pre-empt the Syrian-Iranian pre-emption and we could see the destruction of Damascus in Isaiah 17. This could be the hooks in the jaws" that brings Iran, Russia, Turkey, and the other players against Israel fulfilling Ezekiel 38,39. This in turn could help allow the Jews to rebuild the temple on the Temple Mount. This, of course, sets the stage for the revealing of the man of sin, the abomination of desolation. Keep watching!

  • Iran: Sanctions won't derail enrichment (October 5, 2006) - The U.S., Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia will confer Friday in London to assess Iran's defiant refusal to suspend uranium enrichment. They are expected to refer the nuclear case to the U.N. Security Council for talks next week on possible sanctions, diplomats said Thursday. Russia's foreign minister, however, said he believes it is too soon to impose sanctions on Iran and that further efforts are needed to push Tehran to negotiate. To avoid alienating the Russians and the Chinese, any sanctions are likely to be relatively mild, including embargoes on missile and nuclear technology, and possible travel bans and other penalties on Iranian officials involved in their country's nuclear program. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated Thursday his country would not be frightened by threats to impose sanctions. "Those who threaten Iran by sanctions and embargo should know that this nation lived under the hardest situation in the past 27 years and achieved nuclear technology. This nation will not be frightened by the threats," state-run television quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. more... | Iran | EU/UN | America | Ok guys, keep talking and talking. Iran needs more time to prepare for war so just keep trying to talk to them even though they aren't listening. In more than just this situation with Iran, the political correctness, work-it-out-with-everybody mentality will end up negotiating ourselves to death...literally. The leaders of Islam have made their point clear, our destruction, and we shouldn't negotiate with those who have promised death to us who won't convert to Islam. The only One that will save us is Christ so if you're still living in the world, it's time to wake up and look to the One who will save your soul, Yeshua (Jesus). If you think this life is hell, avoid the next one
  • Iran Making Worldwide Move to Bring Islamic War to American and Israel Soil (September 26, 2006) - The forces of terrorism are organizing a worldwide armada of strategic nations to launch an offensive against the United States and Israel in the near future—not only from the Middle East, but also from locations in Central and South America, Northern Iraq, and the Palestinian territories. From Syrian and Iranian rearming of Hezbollah to Israel’s north, to a movement by Hamas to gain a stronger foothold in the seemingly defunct Palestinian government, to a meeting of Non-Aligned Nations in Cuba, the Islamofascist world is gathering allies and is beginning to coalesce a strategic offensive, that unchecked, could turn both Israel and the United States into an unprecedented war zone. DEBKAfile, a prominent and well respected intelligence news service, reports that Iran and Turkey appear to be preparing to launch a military strike in Northern Iraq against anti-Turkish and anti-Iranian Kurdish rebels that will enable Turkey to seize 40% of Iraq’s oil producing territory and Iran will knock out key Israeli observation sites used for early warnings of Iranian attacks. Meantime, Iran has parlayed behind the scenes agreements with Venezuela and Cuba to consider deploying Iranian missiles in those countries as a defense against a U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. At the same time, Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah told some 800,000 supporters at a "victory" rally Friday that no army could disarm his paramilitary Shi'ite terror group. Nasrallah claimed that his guerrillas have replenished their arsenal and already have more than 20,000 rockets as United Nations peacekeeping troops insists they have no responsibility to stop the Hezbollah arms build-up. As disturbing is the chilling of relations between the Bush Administration and the Olmert government in Israel. The Bush Administration has supported a coalition government of elected Hamas terrorists and the Palestinian Authority—reportedly without consulting Israel, signaling a new direction in U.S.-Israeli relations. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | America | He's looking to incite Islam to join him. This is another sign, I believe, that he's getting ready to do something soon. Maybe before the year is out? Perhaps the attack against Israel with Turkey, Russia and friends? They're saying it, I don't know what else we need to believe them. But we will see Bible prophecy fulfilled 100%
  • Russia to deliver 80 tons of fuel to Iran NPP - Atomstroiexport (September 26, 2006) - Russia and Iran signed Tuesday a supplementary agreement on the delivery of 80 metric tons of nuclear fuel to a nuclear power plant in southern Iran in March 2007, the head of Russia's nuclear exporter said. Russia is helping Iran build the plant at Bushehr, 400 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of the capital, Tehran. The NPP is being constructed under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog. Sergei Shmatko, the head of Atomstroiexport, Russia's nuclear power equipment and service export monopoly, said the supplementary agreement also stipulated a date for the plant's commissioning. "We have signed a supplementary agreement to the contract for the construction of the Bushehr NPP," Shmatko said. "The agreement stipulates that the date for the power generating launch will be November 2007, and that the plant will be commissioned in September 2007." Last Monday, Sergei Kiriyenko, the head of Russia's Federal Nuclear Power Agency, told journalists on the sidelines of the 50th International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference in Vienna that the Bushehr NPP would be launched in November 2007. "The Bushehr nuclear power plant will be commissioned in September 2007, and the power generating launch will take place in November 2007," Kiriyenko said. At a meeting Tuesday with Mahmoud Janatian, a vice president of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Shmatko said the fuel would be delivered no later than six months prior to the plant's commissioning. more... | Iran |
  • Hizbullah Moving Rockets to Palestinian Camps (September 26, 2006) - Hizbullah has been transporting rockets and heavy weaponry to Palestinian camps in south Lebanon just a few miles from the Israeli border, according to Lebanese officials. The officials told WND the office of Lebanese Prime Minister Faud Sinora sent a letter last week to Abbas Zakir, the Palestinian Authority's most senior representative in Lebanon, outlining the alleged Hizbullah weapons transfers into Palestinian camps. The letter noted "unusual activity" in and near the Palestinian camps, including the coming and going of trucks suspected of carrying weapons. Hizbullah has been transporting rockets and heavy weaponry to Palestinian camps in south Lebanon just a few miles from the Israeli border, according to Lebanese officials. The officials told WND the office of Lebanese Prime Minister Faud Sinora sent a letter last week to Abbas Zakir, the Palestinian Authority's most senior representative in Lebanon, outlining the alleged Hizbullah weapons transfers into Palestinian camps. The letter noted "unusual activity" in and near the Palestinian camps, including the coming and going of trucks suspected of carrying weapons. The reports follow a WND article last month quoting Lebanese officials claiming Hizbullah, with the help of Iran, started building underground war bunkers in Lebanon's Palestinian camps. During its 34-day confrontation with Hizbullah in Lebanon that began July 12, Israel destroyed scores of complex Hizbullah bunkers that snaked along the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border. Military officials said they were surprised by the scale of the Hizbullah bunkers, in which Israeli troops reportedly found war rooms with advanced eavesdropping and surveillance equipment they noted were made by Iran. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | This is where my concern comes from in the "peacekeeping" troops that are going to the Lebanon border from Russia and Turkey. There is clearly an arms infrastructure there in Southern Lebanon and unarmed troops acting as peackeepers in Lebanon wouldn't have far to go to get their weapons they've been stockpiling in these bunkers. It's about 130 miles from the border to Jerusalem. In less than a day troops could rush Jersualem, but as we know from prophecy, God will wipe them out. He's going to 1/6th them, or in our decimal terms, He's going to decimate them. Then the world will know that He is the God of Israel. Ezekiel 38:18-23
  • War Signals? (September 21, 2006) - As reports circulate of a sharp debate within the White House over possible US military action against Iran and its nuclear enrichment facilities, The Nation has learned that the Bush Administration and the Pentagon have moved up the deployment of a major "strike group" of ships, including the nuclear aircraft carrier Eisenhower as well as a cruiser, destroyer, frigate, submarine escort and supply ship, to head for the Persian Gulf, just off Iran's western coast. This information follows a report in the current issue of Time magazine, both online and in print, that a group of ships capable of mining harbors has received orders to be ready to sail for the Persian Gulf by October 1. As Time writes in its cover story, "What Would War Look Like?," evidence of the forward deployment of minesweepers and word that the chief of naval operations had asked for a reworking of old plans for mining Iranian harbors "suggest that a much discussed--but until now largely theoretical--prospect has become real: that the U.S. may be preparing for war with Iran." | Iran | America |
  • Military Orders Suggest Iran Attack (September 18, 2006) - Two recent orders by the American military have led some observers to conclude that the U.S. is preparing for an attack on Iran. One order was a "Prepare to Deploy" command sent to a submarine, an Aegis-class cruiser, two minesweepers and two mine hunters, telling the ships’ commanders to be ready to move by Oct. 1. The other was a request from the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) for a fresh look at long-standing U.S. plans to blockade two Iranian oil ports on the Persian Gulf. The orders created a buzz within the military because there are few places in the world where minesweepers could be significant – chief among them, the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, where about 40 percent of the world’s oil passes each day. "Coupled with the CNO’s request for a blockade review, a deployment of minesweepers to the west coast of Iran would seem to suggest that a much discussed – but until now largely theoretical – prospect has become real: that the U.S. may be preparing for war with Iran,” according to a special report in Time magazine. more... | Iran | America |
  • Iran Adopts North Korean War Strategy (September 15, 2006) - Iran has adopted North Korea's war strategy against the United States. U.S. intelligence sources said Iran has invested in the production of North Korean command and control systems for a missile war against the United States. The sources said Iranian engineers and military officers have been training in Pyongyang to wage a nuclear war against a much stronger opponent. "Teheran has assessed that the United States is preparing a massive strike to destroy Iran's nuclear weapons program," an intelligence source said. "The Iranians see North Korea as its only ally in any defensive effort." Over the last year, the sources said, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has conducted exercises in both Iran and North Korea to test nuclear war scenarios. They said about a dozen senior IRGC engineers attended the North Korean launch of the Taepo Dong-2 intermediate-range missile in July 2006. NICOSIA [MENL] -- Tension has increased between the military and government in the Republic of Cyprus. Cypriot government sources said senior officials have become alarmed over attempts by a clique of senior military commanders to determine decisions regarding the defense budget and the National Guard. The sources said some of the commanders were believed to have been receiving support from the communist Akel Party. "Outrageous things are going on in the armed forces," former Defense Minister Socrates Hasikos, today an opposition parliamentarian, said. more... | Iran |
  • Iran Fires Artillery into Iraq, Captures 7 Border Guards (September 12, 2006) - Iran has shelled Iraq and captured seven of its soldiers in an escalation of ongoing skirmishes. Iraqi officials said the Iran Army fired artillery shells into Iraq last week and captured seven soldiers northeast of Baghdad. This was the most serious incident between Iran and Iraq in 2006. Last year, Iraq reported Iranian Navy clashes with Iraqi patrols, Middle East Newsline reported. On Saturday, the Iraqi Defense Ministry reported the Iranian capture of seven members of an Iraqi border patrol. The ministry said the Iraqis were detained while they were stationed at the Hankin border terminal near Haila. The ministry said an investigation has been launched. In August, Kurdish officials in Iraq said the Iran Army shelled suspected insurgency strongholds in northern Iraq. Iran has acknowledged fighting along the border. The state-owned Iranian news agency Irna said on Sept. 7 that Iran captured seven Iraqi soldiers who crossed into Iran's Ilam province. more... | Iran |
  • Iran Resumed Weapons Airlift to Hizballah via Beirut Friday as Soon as Israel Ended its Air Blockade (September 11, 2006) - Iran’s first post-blockade arms flight departed Dubai Friday, Sept. 8, to test the ground at Beirut international airport for Israeli air force or UN reactions. DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the forbidden goods were unloaded and sailed through the airport unhindered. Tehran therefore determined to send two further bulk consignments in the next 48 hours aboard commercial flights from the Persian Gulf. Our sources report the arms crates listed were on the documents as “computer equipment. Handle with care.” They were offloaded onto trucks which drove in convoy to Hizballah headquarters in Baalbek. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, determined to end Israel’s air blockade on Lebanon, promised solemnly that UN monitors would control incoming passengers and goods at Beirut airport. But he failed to make the Siniora government follow through on this pledge. The Lebanese prime minister immediately barred the airport to UN inspections. The five German air monitors agreed on were only allowed to establish a checkpoint for controlling arms smuggling at a distance of one kilometer from the international airport. DEBKAfile reports they are standing idle because the trucks carrying forbidden cargoes are able leave the airfield and bypass their checkpoint by alternative routes. more... | Iran | Israel | Islam |
  • How Hi-Tech Hezbollah Called the Shots (September 9, 2006) - Hezbollah's ability to repel the Israel Defense Forces during the recent conflict was largely due to its use of intelligence techniques gleaned from allies Iran and Syria that allowed it to monitor encoded Israeli communications relating to battlefield actions, according to Israeli officials, whose claims have been independently corroborated by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). "Israeli EW [electronic warfare] systems were unable to jam the systems at the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, they proved unable to jam Hezbollah's command and control links from Lebanon to Iranian facilities in Syria, they blocked the Barak ship anti-missile systems, and they hacked into Israeli operations communications in the field," Richard Sale, the longtime intelligence editor for United Press International, who was alerted to this intelligence  failure by current and former CIA officials, told Asia Times Online. more... | Israel | Islam | Iran |
  • Iran President Urges West To Follow God's Path (September 7, 2006) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged the West to turn to God's path and said on Wednesday that failure to do so would tempt fate. Iran is embroiled in a nuclear stand-off with the West, which accuses Tehran of seeking to build atomic bombs, a charge Tehran dismisses. Ahmadinejad says Western powers use such accusations as a ploy to hold back Iran's development. "Those who do not respond to the invitation (to follow God's will), as we said, will have no good fate," said Ahmadinejad, who is a devout Shi'ite Muslim and only the second non-cleric to be president of the Islamic Republic. Ahmadinejad -- whose speeches are often peppered with religious and anti-Western remarks -- rebuffed accusations that Iranian policy constitutes a threat to the United States and again challenged President Bush to a live television debate. Washington has said the call for a debate is a diversion. more... | Iran | America | They're sure trying to get us to convert.
  • Powers Should Not Isolate Iran: Annan (September 5, 2006) - The international community should not isolate Iran, which has indicated it will cooperate in the reconstruction of Lebanon, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan told a Spanish newspaper. "The international community should count on Iran, not isolate it," Annan said in an interview with El Pais in Qatar which was published on Tuesday. Annan spoke to El Pais after a weekend visit to Tehran as part of a Middle Eastern tour to shore up the ceasefire that ended fighting between Israel and Iranian-backed Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas. "The general perception is that Iran is acting on its own, giving money to Hizbollah. In my conversations in Tehran, I asked the Iranians to work with other countries in reconstruction. They accepted my request, which is a very helpful attitude," Annan said. Iran's stand-off with Western powers over its nuclear program can only be resolved via negotiation, he said. more... | Iran | EU/UN |
  • Iran Enriching Uranium Ahead Of UN Deadline: Paper (August 30, 2006) - Iran has begun enriching a new batch of uranium just days ahead of a U.N. deadline for Tehran to suspend atomic fuel work or face possible sanction, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog, plans to disclose Iran's new enrichment work in a report due out on Thursday, the newspaper said, citing officials in Washington and European capitals who have been monitoring Iran's efforts. The newspaper said the officials stressed that Iran's new work involved small quantities of uranium being enriched to an extremely low level that could not be used for nuclear weapons. The U.N. Security Council has given Iran until Thursday to suspend uranium enrichment -- a process which can produce fuel for civilian reactors or material for nuclear bombs -- and has threatened to consider sanctions unless it does so. Iran has said it would not stop its nuclear activities, which it contends is for generating electricity. "We've seen no indication that Iran intends to comply with the U.N. Security Council's condition of suspending its nuclear program," Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told the Post in an interview. "Should it not comply by Thursday, and should the IAEA report confirm Iran's continued efforts to enrich uranium, the U.S. will move to begin sanctions discussion at the United Nations, and we expect a sanctions resolution to be passed," Burns said. | IranEU/UN |
  • These Are the Facts Herb L. Peters (August 26, 2006) - While putting together the map above a had a thought: "This is not speculation. These are the facts!" You see, we all have seen those prophecy charts and maps in our old Bible prophecy books that where based on the author's understanding of the prophecies. And, here I was, creating a map about recent events, and it looked like what was in those old books. As I've been reporting, we may have the two big players of end-time prophecy moving a peacekeeping force into the Middle East -- the EU and the UN. Their stated goal is to bring a lasting peace. Also as I've been reporting, the 10-nation WEU alliance is the backbone of the EU's new force, which is the backbone of the UN's peacekeeping force. For someone like me who believes in prophecy and has followed the rise of the WEU alliance from its beginning, the recent news is almost overwhelming. If you've read my book, you may understand why. Let's take a closer look at where the WEU peacekeepers will be deployed. Like I mentioned before, these events aren't speculation -- they're the facts on the ground EU/WEU  |  Russia |  Iran |  Arab League. The scary part is, all the players appear to be in place for the 70th week of Daniel. The only thing missing may be the religious element to the UN -- or is it? My friend Constance Cumbey called a few minutes ago and directed me to the Website of the Eighth World Assembly of Religions for Peace. And, guess whose smiling face showed up? That's right, Club of Rome President, His Royal Highness Prince El Hass bin Talal. Remember? We were asking where the religious element to the UN came in. Bingo!  As I write in my book, the EU's Javier Solana is a member of the Spanish chapter of the Club of Rome. The club's primary purpose is the creation of what they call global governance. That explains the club's interest in the UN. And, since the Club of Rome's president is the person pictured above, establishing a global religion appears to be part of their agenda. In fact, take a look at what I found on the World Assembly of Religions for Peace Website. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | EU/UN |
  • 'Ahmadinejad Would Sacrifice Half of Iran to Wipe Out Israel (August 25, 2006) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, if he ever became the supreme decision maker in his country, would "sacrifice half of Iran for the sake of eliminating Israel," Giora Eiland, Israel's former national security adviser, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. At present, Eiland stressed, the ultimate decision maker in Iran was Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 67, whom he said was "more reasonable." But, Eiland went on, "if Ahmadinejad were to succeed him - and he has a reasonable chance of doing so - then we'd be in a highly dangerous situation." The 49-year-old Iranian president, he said, "has a religious conviction that Israel's demise is essential to the restoration of Muslim glory, that the Zionist thorn in the heart of the Islamic nations must be removed. And he will pay almost any price to right the perceived historic wrong. If he becomes the supreme leader and has a nuclear capability, that's a real threat." In facing up to Iran's nuclear ambitions, Eiland said the United States had three possible courses of action, "all of them bad," and that a decision could not be postponed for too long, "since delay, too, is a decision of sorts." more... | IranIsrael | Islam |
  • Russia and Central Asian Allies Conduct War Games in Response to US Threats (August 24, 2006) - Barely acknowledged by the Western media, military exercises organized by Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan under the Collective Security Treaty Organization, (CSTO) were launched on the 24th of August. These war games, officially tagged as part of a counter terrorism program, are in direct response to US military threats in the region including the planned attacks against Iran. The Rubezh-2006 exercise, is scheduled to take place from August 24-29 near the Kazak port city of Aktau: "It will be the first joint military exercise undertaken by CSTO countries, and will involve 2,500 members drawn from various armed services of member states, with Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan the principal participants. Uzbekistan, which has recently rejoined the CSTO, will send observers, while the two other pact members, Belarus and Armenia, will not be taking part .( IPWR News Briefing Central Asia) Press reports from the region describe these war games as a response to US military presence and ambitions in Central Asia: "The growing militarization is connected with mutual mistrust among countries in the region, say analysts. Iranian media have speculated that the United States is using Azerbaijan to create a military counterweight to Iran on the Caspian. It is possible that the exercise conducted by the CSTO – in which Russia is dominant – represents a response to concerns about United States involvement in developing Kazakstan’s navy. Observers say Russia is leaning more and more towards the Iranian view that countries from outside should be banned from having armed forces in the Caspian Sea." Experts say the US is trying to step up the pressure on Iran, as well as to defend its own investments in Azerbaijan and Kazakstan. It is also trying to guarantee the security of the strategically vital Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | EU/UN | Hmm... Looks like Russia and company are flexing their muscles in defense of Iran. Surprised?
  • DEBKAfile Exclusive: American electronic warfare experts in Israel to find out how Hizballah’s Iranian systems neutralized Israeli EW (August 23, 2006) - The American EW experts are interested in four areas. 1. The Israeli EW systems’ failure to block Hizballah’s command and communications and the links between the Lebanese command and the Syria-based Iranian headquarters. 2. How Iranian technicians helped Hizballah eavesdrop on Israel’s communications networks and mobile telephones, including Israeli soldiers’ conversations from inside Lebanon. 3. How Iranian EW installed in Lebanese army coastal radar stations blocked the Barak anti-missile missiles aboard Israeli warships, allowing Hizballah to hit the Israeli corvette Hanith. 4. Why Israeli EW was unable to jam the military systems at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, which hosted the underground war room out of which Hassan Nasrallah and his top commanders, including Imad Mughniyeh, functioned. Until the watershed date of July 12, 2006, when the Hizballah triggered the Lebanon War, Israel was accounted an important world power in the development of electronic warfare systems – so much so that a symbiotic relationship evolved for the research and development of many US and Israeli electronic warfare systems, in which a mix of complementary American and Israeli devices and methods were invested. In combat against Hizballah, both were not only found wanting, but had been actively neutralized, so that none performed the functions for which they were designed. This poses both the US and Israel with a serious problem in a further round of the Lebanon war and any military clash with Iran. more... | Iran | Israel | Islam |
  • World's Greatest Diplomat by Herb L. Peters (August 22, 2006) - According to this report, the UN's Kofi Annan is the world's top diplomat Read about it here. I don't think so. Annan may be a player, but it's certainly not because of having any special diplomatic skills. That's why I fear Annan's involvement in finding a solution to the Middle East crisis is not only unwise -- it's dangerous. So, how did Annan wiggle himself into the crisis? I suspect Annan's opening may have been the EU's Javier Solana, and Solana's opening US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. If you recall, when the crisis broke Solana first met with British Prime Minster Tony Blair. Soon after a microphone inadvertently left on caught Blair delivering a message through President Bush to give to Rice. Only a few days later Rice attended a dinner with Solana and Annan. I believe that's where it may have happened. You see, Solana developed a close relation with Rice and I believe he may have used his influence to bring Annan in to help settle the crisis. Keep in mind, part of Solana's security doctrine calls for creating a new international order through the UN. The saddest thing about all this is what happened to Israel. It's becoming obvious that the war went wrong. In fact, many Israelis are demanding an investigate to uncovered exactly what happened. The picture that's forming reminds me of what happened at the Bay of Pigs. The US government assembled a group of Cuban freedom fighters and promised air support for their invasion. At the last minute, the new Kennedy Administration called back the planes. The result was their invasion plan turned to a disaster and the freedom fighters were killed or captured. Here's what I think: As in the Bay of Pigs, I believe Israel and the US may have agreed to a well thought out plan. But, after Israel set out to fulfill that plan, the US, for some reason, suddenly changed it. The result was the well thought out plan turned to a disaster. A few days ago I was listening to Bill O'Reilly interviewing a former US Ambassador to the UN. O'Reilly asked why France talked the US into going along with a UN Resolution that later France refused to support Read about it here. The former Ambassador answered it was Rice's fault -- she said Rice should have known France is hard to work with. In other words, this former Ambassador also believed that Rice may have been deceived.  This brings us back to the dinner Rice had with Solana and Annan. You see, I too believe Rice may have been deceived -- but not by France. I suspect Rice may have been deceived by the world's greatest diplomat. And, it wasn't Kofi Annan. more... | IranIsrael Islam | EU/UN | This is some background information on Solana. More here.
  • Iran's Navy Attacks and Boards Romanian Rig in Gulf (August 22, 2006) - Iran attacked and seized control of a Romanian oil rig working in its Persian Gulf waters this morning one week after the Iranian government accused the European drilling company of "hijacking'' another rig. An Iranian naval vessel fired on the rig owned by Romania's Grup Servicii Petroliere (GSP) in the Salman field and took control of its radio room at about 7:00 a.m. local time, Lulu Tabanesku, Grup's representative in the United Arab Emirates said in a phone interview from Dubai today. "The Iranians fired at the rig's crane with machine guns,'' Tabanesku said. "They are in control now and we can't contact the rig.'' The Romanian company has 26 workers on the platform, he said. Iran, which holds the world's second-largest oil and gas reserves, is due to respond today to a European Union-led offer of incentives aimed at persuading it to halt uranium enrichment activities that are crucial to its nuclear program. Neither the press office of Iran's oil ministry nor the one of Iran's revolutionary guards could be reached for comment when called. Today is a national holiday in Iran. more... | IranEU/UN |
Israel Must Be Ready For Any Iranian Attack: Minister (August 22, 2006) -  Israel should prepare for the possibility of a missile attack from Iran, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday. "We are liable to face an Iranian missile attack. The Iranians have said very clearly that if they come under attack, their primary target would be Israel," Rafi Eitan, a member of the decision-making inner cabinet, told Israel Radio. Iran could fire missiles at the Jewish state "therefore we must prepare for what could come, and prepare the entire country for a missile strike attack, to prepare all the civilian systems so they are ready for this," Eitan said. The radio said Eitan, a former spymaster, meant that Israel should prepare its bomb shelters to protect against a possible Iranian attack. It quoted Eitan as alluding to the current international standoff with Iran over its uranium enrichment, saying if the situation deteriorates, Israel would be the first to come under attack. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map." He has said Israel "should not assume" its ceasefire with Iranian-backed Hizbollah guerrillas last week means an end to the crisis. Hizbollah fired 4,000 rockets on northern Israel during the war. Iranian cleric Amad Khatami has said that Iran would hit Tel Aviv with medium-ranged missiles it came under attack. Arms experts say Iran's Shahab-3 missiles are capable of striking Israel. Eitan's remarks also came as tensions rose between Iran and six world powers led by the United States, who have sought to persuade Tehran to halt its uranium enrichment program, with an August 31 deadline for Tehran to face possible sanctions from the United Nations. Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | If this time in the upcoming months truly is that time of the Gog/Magog invasion, Israel won't have to do a thing. God will take care of 5/6 of the attackers, leaving only 1/6 alive. Ezekiel 39:1-5
Speculation Rages About Iran's Plans For August 22 (August 21, 2006) - August 22 could usher in an apocalyptic period in the Middle East thanks to some belligerent action on the part of the Iranian regime. Or maybe not. The date was chosen by Tehran and had no obvious relevance in international diplomacy. The only formal deadline the international community is currently awaiting with regard to Iran is August 31 -- the date set by the U.N. Security Council for Iran to suspend uranium enrichment or face the possibility of sanctions. Some commentators have downplayed the importance of August 22, arguing that the decision was simply one of convenience, akin to saying "we'll respond by the end of the month." August 22 marks the end of the Persian solar month of Mordad. But others are less sanguine, noting that the date is significant in Islam, for several reasons. It coincides with the Islamic calendar date Rajab 28, the day Jerusalem fell to the Islamic warrior Saladin, in October 1187. Many Muslims regard Saladin's victory as a high point in Islamic history, and just weeks ago, Syrian fans of Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah were likening him to the 12th century Kurdish hero. On the night of August 21-22, Muslims believe Mohammed underwent his "night journey," a trip on a magical steed from Mecca via the "farthest mosque" -- later said to be al-Aqsa in Jerusalem -- and on to heaven and back. The two-stage journey is known in Islam as the "isla and miraj," and tradition holds that a divine white light appeared over Jerusalem at the time. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Today's the day if there is any validity to what some are speculating about Iran's plans for the 22nd. Will they attack Israel today? If they try to nuke Jerusalem, which won't happen because Bible prophecy has Jerusalem there throughout the millennium, it will be stopped by God. We also know that the invading army is wiped out in the mountains of Israel, so if it is today, I would expect that there would be more border buildup of troops to the North of Israel. Of course, Iran is doing military exercises right now, so they could surprise everyone. However,  I don't expect we'll see an attack today, but I do believe we will see one very soon! There are other theories on the placement of the Gog/Magog invasion, so I could be wrong on it's timing, but so many aspects are all lined up for it to occur now. Keep watching!
Iran’s Military Exercise and Apocalyptic Plans for Israel and World (August 20, 2006) - Washington is keeping a sharp weather eye out for Tuesday, August 22, which this year corresponds in the Islamic calendar to the date on which many Sunni Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on his winged horse Buraq to “the farthest mosque”, which is traditionally identified with Jerusalem. According to the Muslim legend, on that day, a divine white light spread over Jerusalem and the whole world. DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources report that information rated “highly credible” has reached US undercover agencies of a secret report presented to Iran’s supreme ruler Ali Khamenei by Abdollah Shabhazi, one of the heads of the Supreme National Security Council. He claims to expose a mega-terror plot against Jerusalem scheduled for August 22, which aims at killing large numbers of Jews, Arabs and Christians. This atrocity will reportedly arm the United States and Israel with the pretext for hitting Iran’s nuclear installations, as well its capital, Tehran, and other big cities. Shabhazi says the US and Israel need to launch a military campaign to restore the deterrent strength they lost in the Lebanon war. The massive attack will reportedly focus on the Old City of Jerusalem and its eastern suburbs. The Iranian report claims that the plotters, who are not identified, are eager to recreate the divine white light whish spread over Jerusalem in the year 632. It does not rule out the use of a non-conventional weapon. DEBKAfile reports that the authorities in Israel do not appear to be taking this threat seriously, unlike Washington – and Tehran. Deeply impressed, Iran’s rulers launched a large-scale are, sea and ground exercise Saturday, Aug. 19. The maneuver, dubbed the Blow of Zolfaghar (the sword used by Imam Ali), involves 12 divisions, army Chinook helicopters, unmanned planes, parachutists, electronic war units and special forces. State-run television reported a new anti-aircraft system was tested “to make Iranian air space unsafe for our enemies.” The massive military exercise will spread over 14 of Iran’s 30 provinces and last about five weeks. DEBKAfile adds: The point of this massive display of might is in fact to place Iran’s armed forces on the ready for the contingency of a US-Israeli offensive on August 22 as per Shabhazi’s prediction. The exercise will be moved to Tehran to prepare the capital for a potential assault. August 22, furthermore, is also the day of Iran’s formal reply to the incentives packages on offer from the West in return for halting its uranium enrichment projects. For weeks, Tehran was under pressure from the United States and Europe for an earlier reply, but insisted on August 22. Prof. Bernard Lewis, the great scholar of Islam and the Middle East offers the background in the Wall Street Journal on Aug. 8: “In Islam, as in Judaism and Christianity, there are certain beliefs concerning the cosmic struggle at the end of time - Gog and Magog, anti-Christ, Armageddon, and for Shiite Muslims, the long awaited return of the Hidden Imam… Mr. Ahmadinejad and his followers clearly believe that this time is now, and that the terminal struggle has already begun and is indeed well advanced. It may even have a date, indicated by several references by the Iranian president to giving his final answer to the U.S. about nuclear development by Aug. 22. This was at first reported as "by the end of August," but Mr. Ahmadinejad's statement was more precise.” more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | As I wrote above, I don't think this date will ultimately mark the invasion of Gog/Magog, but we'll see. Keep watching!
Iranian Army Ready For Israel Action After Lebanon War (August 19, 2006) - A senior Iranian army commander said on Saturday the armed forces were prepared for any action by Israel after what Iran has called the Jewish state's defeat at the hands of Lebanon's Hizbullah guerrillas. Ataollah Salehi, commander-in-chief of Iran's army, made his comment on the first day of army wargames, which started in the south of the country but will later extend to other areas. He did not say how long the maneuvers would last. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | One of the many reasons I think the Gog/Magog invasion is coming soon... They're basically stating it will be soon. The Iranian President has promised the Israel "problem" would be resolved soon. Click the Iran link above for more specific stories focused on Iran.
Prepare For The Next Round (August 16, 2006) - The IDF has exacted a heavy price from Hizbullah for its aggression, but failed to achieve an unequivocal victory. It was a mistake to believe that military pressure could generate a process whereby the Lebanese government would disarm Hizbullah. Neither the latest UN Security Council resolution or the deployment of an international force will be able to overcome the centrifugal political processes that have beleaguered the divided Lebanese society. Similarly mistaken was the belief that reliance on air power could paralyze Hizbullah's capacity to harm Israel by launching thousands of short-range rockets. The political and military circumstances surrounding the cessation of the fighting in Lebanon have left Hizbullah shaken but still a force to be reckoned with in Lebanon and a proxy for Syria and Iran. Subduing Syria is the key to managing the Lebanese crisis, to rolling back Hizbullah, and to weakening Iran and its radical Islamist influence in the Middle East. In order to attain victory in the next military engagement, Israel should target Damascusmore... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Keep in mind that Damascus is prophesied to be a ruinous heap in Isaiah 17:1-14.
Hezbollah Leads Work to Rebuild, Gaining Stature (August 16, 2006) - As stunned Lebanese returned Tuesday over broken roads to shattered apartments in the south, it increasingly seemed that the beneficiary of the destruction was most likely to be Hezbollah. A major reason — in addition to its hard-won reputation as the only Arab force that fought Israel to a standstill — is that it is already dominating the efforts to rebuild with a torrent of money from oil-rich Iran. Nehme Y. Tohme, a member of Parliament from the anti-Syrian reform bloc and the country’s minister for the displaced, said he had been told by Hezbollah officials that when the shooting stopped, Iran would provide Hezbollah with an “unlimited budget” for reconstruction. In his victory speech on Monday night, Hezbollah’s leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, offered money for “decent and suitable furniture” and a year’s rent on a house to any Lebanese who lost his home in the month-long war. “Completing the victory,” he said, “can come with reconstruction.” On Tuesday, Israel began to pull many of its reserve troops out of southern Lebanon, and its military chief of staff said all of the soldiers could be back across the border within 10 days. Lebanese soldiers are expected to begin moving in a couple of days, supported by the first of 15,000 foreign troops. more... | Iran | Islam | A little peek into how Iran and Islam will use the Lebanon situation to turn even more hatred toward Israel while making charity a priority to bring in more converts to the extremist Islam cause.
Neighbors Smell Blood in Israeli Cease-Fire Acceptance (August 14, 2006) - Arabs and Muslims from Iran, Hizbullah and the PA are celebrating Israel’s acceptance of the UN ceasefire, dubbing it a "surrender" and calling on Arab states to attack the new "weak" Israel. “After one month of war against Lebanon's resistance, Israelis are the absolute losers and Hizbullah is the absolute winner of the war,” Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamida-Reza Asefi said Sunday. “The occupiers of Jerusalem failed, despite their military, economic, intelligence and diplomatic backings.” The Iranian official said the Islamic Republic of Iran is “very pleased” with the ceasefire, according to state-run Iranian news agency IRNA. He warned, though, that attacks on Israel would continue as long as “occupation lingers.” He declined to outline whether occupation included retaining sovereignty in regions such as the Galilee – which Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah has termed “settlements” in his wartime addresses. "Let us not forget that as long as there is occupation there is resistance," he added. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Iran Says Disarming Lebanese Hizbollah "Illogical" (August 13, 2006) - Iran welcomed on Sunday a planned ceasefire to halt the month-long war between Lebanon's Hizbollah and Israel but described the U.N. Security Council's call for disarming the Iranian-backed group as "illogical". The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution on Friday calling for a "full cessation of hostilities" and for the implementation of a previous U.N. resolution requiring the disarming of armed groups including Hizbollah. "We are happy for the ceasefire in Lebanon. But the resolution is not balanced," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told a weekly news conference. "It does not condemn the Zionist regime (Israel) and its crimes in Lebanon." Asked about the call for disarming Hizbollah, Asefi said: "This is a totally unreasonable demand. It is illogical." "Let us not forget that as long as there is occupation there is resistance," he added. more... | IranIsrael | Islam | What about the fact that the "occupation" is the direct result of provocation by Hizbollah through the kidnapping and continued barrages of missiles on Israeli towns? The rhetoric is so one-sided from the Muslim community and yet the world always seems to take their side. Just like before WWII, Hitler used lies to get the world on his side and then turned on them all bringing about a world war. So too does it appear that WWIII will go the same way. There's much talk about Iran doing something on August 22 this year. It would certainly fit with Bible prophecy. Iran, Syria, Turkey, and several other nations are destined to attack Israel and be wiped out by God "in the mountains of Israel." Time will tell.
Ahmadinejad, Putin Discuss ME Developments By Phone (August 12, 2006) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, discussed latest developments in the Middle East, particularly the continuing war in Lebanon, in a telephone conversation on Friday. Ahmadinejad expressed Tehran's deep concern over the effects of the Zionist regime's massive strikes on Lebanon's civilian population and infrastructure which have now entered their fifth week. "We are seriously concerned that the ongoing situation (in Lebanon) would create a backlash in regional nations, inciting extreme anger among Muslim youth, in particular, over the Zionists' brutal aggression against Lebanon," said the Iranian president. He said he feared continuation of the crisis in Lebanon would create an "implosion" which, in turn, would "cause the crisis to spread to the entire region." Criticizing certain Western countries for their opposition to the 72-hour truce proposed by Russia to take effect in southern Lebanon, Ahmadinejad warned that if international organizations, the United Nations in particular, failed to take measures to end the ongoing carnage in Lebanon "they would be completely discredited." Russia earlier this week proposed a 72-hour truce to allow humanitarian aid to reach areas most affected in the war as continued diplomatic wrangling delayed a UN Security Council resolution to end hostilities. The proposal was rejected by Israel, saying it would give Hezbollah a grace period to "re-group and recover." US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton also said he could not see how the Russian proposal would help create an environment for a lasting ceasefire. more... | Iran | Israel | Islam | I'm sure he's very "concerned" about angering Muslim youth to action. His clear annihilation desires for Israel are hardly silent. This is a veiled threat just like they always use, reminding of the impending danger if we don't comply to their wishes. Look for lots more of this.
Mike Wallace Hired as Iranian Spin Doctor? (August 11, 2006) - It takes a whole lot to shock me these days, but I must admit that my jaw dropped upon hearing "retired" CBS newsman Mike Wallace gush over Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The "60 minutes" correspondent, who retired last March, was all excited about his exclusive interview with Iranian president, and to be fair it was a journalistic coup. However, after hearing Wallace discuss the interview with Sean Hannity on his radio show, if I were working for the State Department, I'd investigate whether or not Mike Wallace registered as an agent for a foreign government. Ahmadinejad couldn't buy better spin and publicity. According to CBS News, Wallace's interview will air on "CBS Evening News" on Thursday and on "60 Minutes" on Sunday. Wallace -- who has never impressed me as someone with intellectual prowess -- said that the maniacal dictator is "a rather attractive man, very smart, savvy, self-assured, good looking in a strange way. He's very, very short but he's comfortable in his own skin." I don't know about you, but I smell a dinner date on the horizon for Ahmadinejad and Wallace. I guess it's those cool sheets Ahmandinejad wears that makes Wallace's heart flutter. more... | Iran |
Iranian Cataclysm Forecast Aug. 22 (August 9, 2006) - A top expert on the Mideast says it is possible Iran could pick Aug. 22, the anniversary of one of Islam's holiest events, for a cataclysm Shiite Muslims believe will forever resolve the battle between "good" and "evil." Princeton's Bernard Lewis has written an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal advising that the rest of the world would be wise to bear in mind that for those who believe the end of the world is imminent and good, there is no deterrent even to nuclear warfare. As WorldNetDaily has reported, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has urged his people to prepare for the coming of an Islamic "messiah," raising concerns a nuclear-armed Islamic Republic could trigger the kind of global conflagration he envisions will set the stage for the end of the world. He's also said, in a WND report, that Islam and its followers must prepare to rule the world, because it is a "universal ideology that leads the world to justice." Now comes Lewis, who notes that the world must be concerned about a leader for whom the possibility of death is not a deterrent. "In this context, mutual assured destruction, the deterrent that worked so well during the Cold War, would have no meaning," Lewis wrote. "At the end of time, there will be general destruction anyway. What will matter will be the final destination of the dead – hell for the infidels, and heaven for the believers. "For people with this mindset, MAD is not a constraint, it is an inducement," he said. Lewis noted that Ahmadinejad has referred to Aug. 22 several times, including when he rejected – until that date – United Nations requests for nuclear program information. Lewis, joining several other Mideast experts who have expressed similar concerns, said Aug. 22 corresponds to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. "This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to 'the farthest mosque,' usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back," Lewis wrote. In Islam, as in other religious, certain beliefs describe the "cosmic struggle" at the end of time. For Shiite Muslims, Lewis wrote, this will be "the long awaited return of the Hidden Imam, ending in the final victory of the forces of good over evil." more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | I don't know if there is truly anything to this. If this is a reality, then we could possibly see the Gog/Magog invasion on the 22nd. With the Lebanon-Israel conflict dying down, perhaps that will be an excuse to build up troops on the border or something? Time will tell.
Iran Prepares for War With Israel and U.S. (August 2, 2006) - The authoritative Middle East News Line has confirmed that Iran has ordered preparations for war with Israel and the United States. In the first such order, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has ordered its more than 300,000 troops to prepare for a confrontation with Israel and the United States. IRGC has directed as well as participated in the Hezbollah war against Israel. “Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards and Basij [a branch of the IRGC] should prepare themselves to get even with Zionists and Americans,” IRGC commander Maj. Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi said. “The supreme leader [Ali Khamenei] will announce the time for this.” Safavi said Iran would avenge Israeli air attacks on Lebanon. He said the Israeli military was aided by aircraft and weapons from the United States. “We have to keep this sacred hatred of the enemies of Islam alive in our hearts until the time of revenge comes,” Safavi said on July 30. “I hope our nation can one day avenge the blood of innocent people in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan. I ask God to arouse the dignity of Muslims and destroy America, Israel and their associates.” Yesterday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki discussed strategy in Beirut with Hezbollah and Lebanese leaders. Mottaki’s visit, welcomed by France, took place as the Lebanese leadership was said to have drawn closer to Iran during the current war with Israel. Western intelligence sources said IRGC has deployed nearly 1,000 soldiers in Lebanon, many of them along the border with Syria. The sources said IRGC officers participated in the battle against Israel for Bint Jbail, about three kilometers from the Jewish state. So far, Iran has denied that it sent fighters to Lebanon. But Teheran has reported efforts by so-called volunteers to aid Hezbollah. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | There have been more recent reports by Israeli troops that they have found bodies wearing Iranian Revolutionary Guard uniforms in Lebanon. Also, rocket fragments found in Israel fired from Lebanon were found to be Russian-made rockets. They lie to the media and the media fails to cover certain things. Meanwhile the world blindly walks into the execution chamber while the Islamo-Facists sharpen their swords.
Ahmadinejad: "Death To Israel" (August 2, 2006) - The following are excerpts from an interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which aired on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN) on August 2, 2006. It is followed by excerpts from an interview with Iranian Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezai, which aired on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN) on August 1, 2006.

Clip # 1222–Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "Death to Israel" - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "I hereby declare that this sinister regime [Israel] is the banner of Satan. It is the banner of the Great Satan. All it does is to implement the orders of the criminal America and England. They think that the peoples are the same as they were 100 years ago. They are not aware that things have changed in the world. Today, all the peoples have awoken. The Iranian people is the standard-bearer of this awakening for all the peoples. As we can see, from the southernmost point in South America to the easternmost point in Asia, all the people are shouting a single cry. With placards in their hands and clenched fists, they shout: Death to Israel."

Clip # 1221–Secretary of Iranian Expediency Council Mohsen Rezai: Israel hould Expect Very Difficult Days in Tel Aviv and Beyond - Mohsen Rezai: "I predict that Hizbullah will deal much more decisive blows upon Israel. If Israel does not declare a cease-fire soon and does not end the war, it should expect very difficult days in cities like Tel Aviv, and even deeper inside Israel. I believe that if America and Israel use their brains and end this war as soon as possible, they may save themselves from many of the ramifications."

Iran Says US Or Israeli Attack Will Face "Raging Sea" (August 8, 2006) - Any U.S. or Israeli attack against Iran will be returned by a force 100 times stronger, the head of the Revolutionary Guards said on Monday, as pressure mounts on Tehran's atomic work and its support for Hizbollah. "There is no doubt that if these criminals attempt any operation or vicious assault, they will receive blows 100 times harder," said Yahya Rahim-Safavi, commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards. "They will not last against the raging sea of the Iranian people and the power of Islamic Iran," he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency. The U.N. Security Council has demanded Iran end its atomic work by the end of this month after Tehran failed to convince the international community its atomic scientists were only working on power stations and not on bombs. Washington has declined to rule out military strikes as a solution to the nuclear dispute. more...  | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | America | What options are there? They've said they're going to work on nukes regardless and if anyone tries to stop them, they will face a "raging sea." With Iran openly calling for the destruction of Israel, how long do you think Israel can afford to hold off that threat, not to mention the rest of the world? I have no doubt that Iran would attack, that's what Gog/Magog is all about. We could be very close to Ezekiel 38,39. Keep watching!
Iran Threatens To Use 'Oil Weapon' In Nuclear Standoff (August 7, 2006) - Iran warned Britain and the US yesterday that the international community could face a new oil crisis if the United Nations security council imposes sanctions on Tehran over its alleged attempt to acquire a nuclear weapons-making capability. Speaking in Tehran, Ali Larijani, the country's chief nuclear negotiator and head of the supreme national security council, said Iran would be reluctant to cut its oil exports. "We do not want to use the oil weapon. It is them who would impose it upon us." But Mr Larijani added that if the west did decide on sanctions, "we will react in a way that would be painful for them ... Do not force us to do something that will make people shiver in the cold." more... | Iran | America | I believe they would, and probably will. They're getting pretty cocky and for good reason. Much of the weak West just gives them whatever they demand. Read through the news and you'll see stories of Christians being shut up for speaking up about the clear dangers of this religion of hate that's spreading across the globe. How can I say that? I don't have to, listen to them. Read their own Koran. There's a reason they hate Jews, and it's not because of the lie that the Jews stole their land. The evidence is in history and the proof is in the documents that created Israel. I've seen a picture of Jerusalem before Israel was there. It was desolate except for a small number of residents. Now as soon as Israel was back in the land, they started making a big stink because according to their religion, once Islam takes a land, no other group can have it. Their goal is world domination and conversion to Islam or death. I'm afraid most people will wake up to this reality when the blade is at their neck. Until then, just giving them what they want will only lead to our downfall, of course that's Bible prophecy too. Time to make a choice.
The Prince of Persia, the Prince of Tyre, and The Prince of the Armies of Heaven Prayer Update from Israel -email subscription (August 7, 2006) - The battle we are in is a conflict which our friend Chuck Pierce has called a "confederation of demonic hosts that are aligned against God's covenant plan." These dark powers are working through evil men in high places who are speaking boastful words, "defying the armies of the Living God." Last week Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaking to an emergency meeting of Muslim leaders in Malaysia, said that the main solution for the Middle East crisis is "the elimination of the Zionist regime" (in other words, the annihilation of the Nation of Israel). While the spirit inhabiting this man breathes out curses against Zion, the Reading from the Prophets in synagogues this past weekend included

Isaiah 40:9,23,24
GET YOURSELF UP ON A HIGH MOUNTAIN, O ZION, BEARER OF GOOD NEWS, LIFT UP YOUR VOICE MIGHTILY, O JERUSALEM, BEARER OF GOOD NEWS; LIFT IT UP, DO NOT FEAR. SAY TO THE CITIES OF JUDAH, 'HERE IS YOUR GOD!' . . . HE IT IS WHO REDUCES RULERS TO NOTHING, WHO MAKES THE JUDGES OF THE EARTH MEANINGLESS. HE MERELY BLOWS ON THEM, AND THEY WITHER, AND THE STORM CARRIES THEM AWAY LIKE STUBBLE.

As this ancient evil over Persia (Iran) issues its threats through this human figurehead, so does the Prince of Tyre, through his emissary Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. Looked up to by many in Lebanon as a Messiah figure, the Hizbullah chieftain has recently taunted Israel's faith, claiming that his army's faith is far stronger than that of Israel, that Hizbullah is the "Army of Allah" which will be used to defeat Israel and the U.S. and bring a great salvation to all Islamic peoples. In Ezekiel 28 we are given a portrait of the "faith" of the Prince of Tyre-"Your heart is lifted up and you have said, 'I am El (God), I sit in the seat of Elohim'. yet you are a man, and not a god, though you set your heart as the heart of a god . . . they shall throw you down into the Pit, and you shall die the death of the slain" (vss. 1,8). There is only one "EL" and that is "EL ELYON"-GOD MOST HIGH- who in Yeshua (Jesus) His Son is GOD WITH US (Immanu-EL) -- born in Bethlehem, whose Name is now above Every Name which is Named. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Islam | NewWorldOrder | This is Christianese, but it's so true. Even America is manipulated by these dark forces in high places. It's all falling into place exactly how the Bible says it will. Even though dark times are coming, eternity follows close on it's heels. Keep watching!

Terrorists Fight Israel With Russian Weapons (August 7, 2006) - Israeli Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter has said in an interview that "all the terrorists surrounding Israel" are using Russian weapons, AFP reports. "All the terrorists surrounding Israel are using Russian and Soviet-made arms — Kalashnikov assault rifles and Katyusha rockets," Dichter told the Russian daily Vremya Novostei in an interview published Tuesday. "We don't have information about direct contacts between Hezbollah combatants and Russia, but we know quite well about Hezbollah's direct contacts with Syria and Iran," Dichter said. Russian sales of anti-aircraft missiles to Syria and Iran have been heavily criticized by the United States and Israel. Last week, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on Russian jetmaker Sukhoi and arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport, citing their weapons sales to Iran. President Vladimir Putin defended the sale of anti-aircraft missiles to Syria in 2004, saying they posed no threat to Israel. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Is it much of a surprise since Russia is clearly on the side of Iran and Syria? They've been working on a navy base in Syria, selling weapons to Iran, and who knows what else behind the scene. Not only that, but they are a potential attacker of Israel from the North, the Gog/Magog invasion. As it stands now, their missiles are exploding in Israel.
Iran Declares Its Nuclear Bad Intentions (August 7, 2006) - At what point do Americans and the rest of the world begin to take Iran’s leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, seriously? He is making no secret of his plans to acquire and use nuclear weapons against Israel, England and America. As any student in Psychology 101 learns, there is something called “projection” in which an individual “projects” onto another person their own intentions, motivations, and justifications. If I say you are planning to harm me, there’s a strong chance the truth is that I am planning to harm you. On August 1, he was addressing a rally that was carried on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN) and his speech was translated by the Middle East Media Research Center for anyone to read. Ahmadinejad was denouncing Israel’s efforts to defend itself against the rain of Iranian-supplied rockets and missiles, and of course, it was their own fault they were under attack. The crowd was chanting “Death to Israel.”  He proceeded to give his own history lesson to the crowd, but since he does not believe the Holocaust ever happened along with some other extraordinarily paranoid notions, his version is a bit skewed. “They are a bunch of Zionists. Where have they come from? As you know, the rule of hegemony and the web of colonialism strived to establish a base in the heart of the Middle East.” “A hundred years ago, they began to devise conspiracies on the basis of a diabolical plan. Bit by bit they (Jews) arrived (in what was then the British protectorate of Palestine) and backed by the devious, deceiving England, they sneaked people in, and placed them in control over the people of Palestine.”  The real history could fill a book, but suffice it to say that a very small group of European Jews, despairing of ever being accepted in their home countries, rife with anti-Semitism, concluded that Jews should immigrate to Palestine with a view to reestablishing the nation of Israel. The idea began with the publication, in 1896, of Theodor Hertzl’s “The Jewish State.” more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | America |
Russia Remains Iran’s Ally In Spite Of Supporting UN Resolution (August 6, 2006) - Iran’s top nuclear negotiator said Sunday the Islamic Republic will continue developing relations with Russia and China, despite their supporting a UN Security Council resolution. The five permanent UN Security Council members, including Russia and China, voted July 31 in favor of a resolution to set August 31 as a deadline for Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment activities. If Iran fails to fulfill the UN’s demands, economic and diplomatic sanctions may be imposed on the Islamic Republic. Ali Larijani said Iran had long-term relations with Russia and China and friends could not be judged on the basis of one action only. Iran’s nuclear program has been a source of major controversy since the beginning of the year, as many countries suspect the Islamic Republic of pursuing a covert weapons program under the pretext of civilian research, despite its claims to the contrary. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Not too shocking given the past news stories confirming this over and over and over.
Iran's smuggling of uranium from African mine uncovered (August 6, 2006) - Tanzanian customs officials have uncovered an Iranian smuggling operation transporting large quantities of bomb-making uranium from the same mines in the Congo that provided the nuclear material for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima sixty-one years ago today, reports the London Sunday Times. A United Nations report, outlining the interception last October, said there is "no doubt" the smuggled uranium-238 came from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's mineral-rich Katanga province. The Shinkolobwe uranium mine was officially closed and its main shafts covered with concrete in 1961, before the country became independent from Belgium, but U.N. investigators have reported evidence of ongoing mining operations. more... | Iran | It is for peaceful purposes! Every nation has the right to nuclear bombs... I.. I mean power.
Hezbollah Iran Missiles Slam Hadera Israel - Nuclear War Approaching? (August 5, 2006) - The only good thing about the terror group Hezbollah (Hizbollah) or Islam Party of God is that they keep their promises. Just two days ago Hezbollah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah said from Lebanon that he would strike Tel Aviv, Israel with missiles if the Israel Defense Forces attacked parts of central Beirut. A few hours ago, Hezbollah launched three Iran missiles at the Israel city of Hadera. Hadera is 70 miles south from the Lebanese border and 30 miles north from Tel Aviv. The strike was the deepest inside Israel to date in the fighting between the Jewish state and the Lebanon-based terrorists. Hezbollah is believed to have missiles that can reach Tel Aviv, but such an attack would trigger a massive Israel response. One that would most likely include Syria and Iran. Iran admitted today that it did indeed supply long-range Zelzal-2 missiles to Hizbullah. The longer-range Zelzal missiles, manufactured by Iran and are capable of reaching Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beer Sheva in the Negev. In making this announcement, Iran reinforced its statement of "wiping Israel off the map" and though bullets are not flying yet between Israel and Iran, both nations are very much at war. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Iran: We supplied Zelzal-2 to Hizbullah (August 5, 2006) - Iran admitted for the first time on Friday that it did indeed supply long-range Zelzal-2 missiles to Hizbullah. Secretary-general of the "Intifada conference" Mohtashami Pur told an Iranian newspaper that Iran transferred the missiles so that they could be used to defend Lebanon, Channel 1 reported. The extent of Iran's intimate involvement in Hizbullah attacks is starting to emerge. According to the defense establishment, the reason Hizbullah has not fired long-range Iranian-made Fajr missiles at Israel is due to Teheran's opposition. Israel now understands that without direct orders from the ayatollahs, Hizbullah is not allowed to use Iranian missiles in attacks against Israel. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | At least their honest. What amazes me is that even with their blunt honesty, nobody does anything about it. They must really think they have us where they want us. I really believe they may too. Especially considering where Bible prophecy tells us the world's going.
Is Hezbollah launching Iran's Armageddon? (August 4, 2006) - It's common wisdom to say that the war between Hezbollah and Israel is a regional struggle that also includes Iran and Syria, who have supported and supplied Hezbollah. What seems to be less understood is that this is the first war between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel, via Iran's proxy Hezbollah, and that its overarching purpose is to advance Iran's ambitions to export the Islamic revolution throughout the Middle East. Thus, while religion has always played an important role in prior Arab-Israeli wars, this time it has moved to center stage. It is the theological aspect of this conflict that makes it so explosive and could lead to its expansion. As an observer of the conflict from Iraq, I see the signs that Iran may be starting to launch the mullahs' version of an Armageddon, exploiting the religious beliefs of devout Shiites in the region. While this may sound more the stuff of prophecies than international relations, it is important to understand - especially in countries such as Lebanon and Iraq that have large Shiite populations. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran and the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Iraq are both devout believers in the "Imam" of Shia Islam. Also known as "Imam Mehdi" - hence the name of Sadr's militia, the Mehdi Army - he was the 12th grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. According to certain branches of Shia Islam, the return of the "hidden Imam" must be prepared by his followers, in a particular sequence of events. Chaos and rampant violence in the region are supposed to be among signs leading to the main battle in which the Imam will return to lead Shiites to victory. more... | Iran | Islam | NewWorldOrder | I don't know what else to add here. Islam is clearly becoming exactly the kind of vehicle that the antichrist can use to control the world. Beheading is the Muslim preferred method of execution and the Bible says that many will be beheaded for their witness of Jesus. Fortunately, Christians have a promise of escape through Christ!
Syrian Reporter: In Syria There Is Atmosphere Of Eve Of War (July 28, 2006) - Exclusive: In conversation in Damascus, senior Syrian journalist tells about sentiments in Syria ('as if there will be war any moment'); talks about military preparations in his country ('identifying your reinforcements in Golan Heights'); and estimates that Israeli pounding in Lebanon to intensify grassroots support of Nasrallah and his organization. Also in Syria, he says, Nasrallah more popular than ever -Ali Waked
As the conflict with Hizbullah in Lebanon escalates by the day, the question of Syria's involvement in the conflict becomes increasingly more relevant. "The atmosphere in Syria is in every way an atmosphere of war, or at least of the eve of war. Syrian television for the first time since the '80's has started broadcasting Syrian military marches and nationalistic songs. There is not difference between Syrian television broadcasts and Al-Manar broadcasts of the Hizbullah. The broadcasts are in preparation for war, as if Syria is involved in this war, or is going to be involved at any moment. The local newspapers and the television are conducting themselves as if they are preparing the Syrian public for war."
more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | It's only getting more intense over there. Either an amazing temporary and false peace deal will break out and the temple will be rebuilt, or greater war in the Middle East will erupt. Given the stories, it's looking more like war. Is this the beginning of Gog/Magog? We'll soon see! Keep watching!
Iran Negotiator Reportedly In Syria Talks (July 28, 2006) - A top Iranian negotiator reportedly visited Damascus on Thursday for talks on the Lebanese crisis with the Syrian and Hezbollah leaders, highlighting the three-way alliance arrayed against Israel. The reported meeting underscored the Israeli and U.S. insistence that Syria and Iran have a powerful influence with the Shiite Hezbollah organization and its guerrillas. White House spokesman Tony Snow said Syria and Iran "are playing leading roles" in the conflict in Lebanon "and need to step up" to the task of finding a solution. "We have already made it clear to both parties what is necessary, and what is necessary is for Hezbollah to lay down arms and choose a political rather than a military track," he said Thursday. Snow's remarks reinforced those of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after the Syrians held out their diplomatic hand to the United States this week. But Rice said there already were sufficient contacts with Damascus and the Syrians were aware of what they need to do _ stop supporting Hezbollah and press it to disarm. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | They don't really care how obvious they're being. This is what they want.
Ahmadinejad: Israel Pushed Self-Destruct Button In Lebanon (July 28, 2006) - Israel has ordained its own destruction by invading Lebanon, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday, according to the state news agency. Addressing the clerical staff of the Friday prayer sermons in Tehran, Ahmadinejad said Israel and its supporters "should know that they cannot end the business that they have begun." "The occupying regime of Palestine has actually pushed the button of its own destruction by launching a new round of invasion and barbaric onslaught on Lebanon," the official Islamic Republic News Agency quoted the president as saying. Iran is one of the two major patrons of Hezbollah, the Lebanese guerrilla group that began the current fighting when its fighters crossed into Israel on July 12 and kidnapped two Israel Defense Forces soldiers. The other patron is Syria, an Iranian ally. Ahmadinejad is a hardline opponent of Israel and the Jewish people. Last October he provoked an international outcry when he said that Israel should be "wiped off the map." He has repeatedly cast doubt on the Nazi Holocaust. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Syria Increases Alert Of War With Israel (July 27, 2006) - Syria has been preparing for war with Israel. Israeli intelligence sources said the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad has placed the military on alert. The sources said Syrian infantry commandos, armored units and anti-aircraft batteries have been ordered to launch preparations for an Israeli strike. "Neither Syria nor Israel is interested in a military clash but the situation is explosive and the events may potentially be incorrectly interpreted," Israeli military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday. "This could entangle Syria up in a battle against us." Last week, Syrian President Bashar Assad placed his military on alert for an Israeli strike. Israel has repeatedly said it would not attack Syria. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Keep your eye on Damascus.
Iran testing Israel ahead of confrontation? (July 27, 2006) - Tehran is using Hezbollah's confrontation with the Jewish state to test the abilities of Iranian weapons and to observe Israeli military capabilities, Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt charged in a WorldNetDaily interview yesterday. Jumblatt also said he fears Syria will take advantage of the growing crisis in Lebanon to reassert its influence in the country and convince the international community Syrian domination of Lebanon is crucial to the stability of the Middle East. He warned Damascus might initiate a wave of terror in Lebanon following Israel's military campaign there to further destabilize the country, including by assassinating the Lebanese prime minister. "Iran is bringing in [to Lebanon] sophisticated weaponry," said Jumblatt who is head of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party and is largely considered the most prominent anti-Syrian Lebanese politician. "The Iranians are actually experimenting with different kinds of missiles in Lebanon by shooting them at the Israelis. Iran is using this violence to test certain of [Israel's] abilities," Iran is accused of supplying Hezbollah was thousands of rockets the terror group has launched the past three weeks into northern Israeli population centers, including Haifa, the country's third largest city. Many of the fired rockets have been Katyushas he says were upgraded by Iran. Hezbollah is also in possession of Iranian Zalzel missiles, with a range of about 125 miles, making Tel Aviv vulnerable. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | I have no doubt that Iran is gauging Israel right now. Prophetically, Iran will attack Israel and certainly has stated the desire for that in the future publicly.
Syria's Military Flatters to Deceive (July 27, 2006) - While it is still largely true that the Syrian military remains one of the largest and best-trained forces in the Arab world, it has significantly lost every major conflict with Israel since 1948. Its combat strength has deteriorated dramatically over the past 15 years as its equipment has become increasingly obsolescent, poorly maintained and short of spare parts. The collapse of the Soviet Union created immense problems of re-supply for the Syrians, and the slowdown experienced by the Syrian economy resulted in a further downgrading of the military's combat efficiency. This said, the recent military cooperation agreement signed with Iran has offered Damascus a much-needed opportunity to update and re-equip large parts of its armed forces. Spare parts for its Russian weapons, improved electronics and new Iranian-made missile systems will provide a considerable strengthening of combat capability and a possible improvement in morale. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Report: Nasrallah is in Damascus (July 27, 2006) - A top Iranian envoy was in Syria on Thursday for talks on the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict in a meeting that brought together the guerrilla organization's two key sponsors, according to Iranian news reports. A Kuwaiti newspaper reported that Hizbullah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah was taking part in the session. Kuwait's Al-Siyassah newspaper, known for its opposition to the Syrian regime, said the meeting was designed to discuss ways to maintain supplies to Hezbollah fighters with "Iranian arms flowing through Syrian territories." Al-Siyassah said it learned of the meeting from "well-informed Syrian sources" it did not identify. According to the newspaper, Nasrallah was moving through Damascus with Syrian guards in an intelligence agency car. He was dressed in civilian clothes, not his normal clerical garb. The Mehr news agency in Iran said Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was in Damascus for meetings on the crisis, but gave no other details. Similar reports were carried by the Iranian Labor News Agency and the Fars agency. Al-Siyassah said Larijani would meet Syrian President Hafez Assad and Nasrallah. There was no mention of Larijani's travels in Iranian state-run media. None of the reports could be independently confirmed. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Anyone still think Iran's not involved?
Iran Warns the West: Ignore Us At Your Peril (July 26, 2006) - Iran warned the west yesterday that attempts to broker a Lebanon peace deal at today's Rome summit are destined to fail and it predicted a backlash across the Muslim world unless Israel's military forces were immediately reined in. Senior government officials said the exclusion from the summit of Iran, Syria and their Lebanese ally Hizbullah meant that no lasting settlement was possible. Hamid Reza Asefi, the foreign ministry spokesman in Tehran, said: "They should have invited all the countries of the region, including Syria and Iran, if they want peace. How can you tackle these important issues without having representatives of all countries in the region?" The Rome conference is to be attended by the US, Canada, Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Turkey, Russia, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, as well as the UN and the World Bank. It is due to publish a statement setting out the broad outlines of a possible deal, including the injection of a muscular international stabilisation force which Hizbullah rejected yesterday. But the mood in Rome was soured last night when an Israeli air strike hit a UN monitoring post in south Lebanon, killing four UN peacekeepers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland. Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, immediately demanded that Israel investigate the direct hit that he said was "apparently deliberate". more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | I noted in the news a couple issues ago about the promised retaliation against America and the fears of WMDs already in America. It isn't looking good and political correctness will probably end up our undoing.
Suicide Armies Launched (July 24, 2006) - Teams of Iranian suicide bombers were heading for Lebanon’s war zone last night in a terrifying bid to spark meltdown in the Middle East. Twenty-seven martyrdom-seekers have been sent to Syria on their way to front line positions. The mad fanatics, belonging to the Iranian Martyrs of Islam World Movement, have been training for months to wreak maximum havoc on military and soft civilian targets. Their aim is to spark terror which will detonate all-out war and suck Western nations into a final bloody showdown. A spokesman for the martyrs group said yesterday: “Two teams of 18 and nine have gone to Syria separately. “They have been deployed on a voluntary basis in order to get to the areas of conflict in any way they can.” The man, named only as Mohammadi, claimed the 27 were picked from 55,000 who registered in Iran. They were briefed and have completed the “relevant courses” so that they could perform both military services and helping the wounded. Mohammadi added: “If Israel would decide to occupy Lebanon again, they will carry out martyrdom-seeking operations.” more... | Iran | Israel | Islam |

War between Iran, Israel inevitable (July 24, 2006)With the decision to destroy Hezbollah by military force, the Israelis are playing for a fundamental power alignment in the Middle East. More than just a regional conflict with a local terrorist organization, Israel's fight continues to be about survival. Yesterday, Iran's President Ahmadinejad declared that by attacking Lebanon, Israel had pushed the button of their destruction. ''I advise them [the Israelis] to pack up and move out of the region before being caught in the fire they have started in Lebanon,'' Ahmadinejad told the state news agency IRNA. ''The usurper Zionists thought attack on Lebanon would create a new atmosphere for them in the region,'' Ahmadinejad charged. ''They [the Zionists] have committed a big mistake.'' Since Israel pulled out of Lebanon in 2001, Hezbollah has boasted of its ability to destroy the Jewish state. Now, should Israel succeed in crushing Hezbollah with military force, Syria and Iran face the prospect of a major political setback in the world of radical Islam. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

UNCOVERED: RUSSIAN-SYRIAN-IRANIAN AXIS (July 24, 2006) - For students of Bible prophecy, even the title of this communiqué should set off alarm sirens. I just received some electrifying intelligence data. First, from the Debka-Net-Weekly's briefing. And second, from some personal intelligence sources (I carefully guard) that confirm Debka's report. Russia, Iran and Syria have entered a defense pact that is in the process of altering the balance of power in the entire Middle East. Russia's part in the pact has been kept relatively secret for a long time. But the facts reveal a long steady Russian commitment to the Iranian nuclear program and arms supply to Syria. A Mossad General shared with me in confidence that he had personally traced the hiring and importation to Iran 283 of the defunct Soviet Union's top nuclear and missile scientists. This meeting took place in February of 1991. I shared this information with no one until nine months later when it was first made public (although strangely not followed up by the mainstream media). All Russian leaders continued and expanded this agreement to this day, especially our supposed friend, Vladimir Putin. Russia has helped the Iranian nuclear program from its inception. Hundreds of Russian scientists with their families live around the some twenty scattered nuclear related facilities. Russian 'Spetznaz soldiers' (special forces) guard all the key nuclear facilities. Iran has had some help on missile development from the North Koreans. But even their missiles are based upon Russian designs. The unmistakable culprit in China, North Korea and Iran's nuclear development has been the Soviet Union and continued by Russia. The Soviet Union's motivation for helping China and North Korea was primarily ideological. Russia's primary reason is hard cash, although now, it is taking on a strategic importance as well. So here are the disturbing hard facts about what is taking place in what can only be viewed as a dangerous anti-western strategy in the form of a Russian-Syrian-Iranian Axis. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | The alliances have been there, evident by the actions of these nations. Iran has had no issues with publicly saying what their plans are because they believe their religious books declare them the winners and they feel this time is coming soon. The master of deception is very crafty. This is the alliance that attacks Israel but is destroyed in the mountains of Israel. The question is, are we at that point in history when it happens, or are we still just seeing the alliances form? Given the war raging in Lebanon between Israel and the terrorists, and the support offered to the terrorists by Syria and Iran, I see it happening sooner rather than later. That's just an educated guess though. Keep watching!
Iran's Ahmadinejad: Israel's Destruction at Hand (July 23, 2006) - "Israel has pushed the button of its own destruction," said the Iranian president, who pulls the strings of its terrorist proxies on both of Israel's fronts. "The Zionists made their worst decision and triggered their extinction by attacking Lebanon." Ahmadinejad, addressing the 23rd Iranian Islamic Republic's nationwide meeting of the heads of educational bureaus, advised Jewish Israelis "to pack up and move out of the region before being caught in the fire they have started in Lebanon." Last week, Ahmadinejad was shown on Iranian television saying Israelis "Should know that the volcano of rage of the peoples of the region is boiling...I'm telling you...If this volcano erupts - and we are on the brink of eruption... and if this ocean rages, its waves will not be limited to the region. Ahmadinejad, seemingly responding to the first two planeloads of American Jews making Aliyah (immigrating to Israel) this summer, accused Israel of deceiving the olim. "They are even lying to the misfortunate people whom they have imported into occupied Palestine," he said. "They are using them as a shield to achieve their own goals." more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | I suppose his own words don't mean anything because there are still those trying to appease and work out political deals. Does he sound like he's going for any of that? Well, he's talking the same genocidal talk he was months ago, only now he's promising the fulfillment of it soon. Hello world, wake up!
Sleeper Hizbullah cells activated (July 23, 2006) Hizbullah "sleeper" terror cells set up outside Lebanon with Iranian assistance have been put on standby The Jerusalem Post learned on Sunday, and are likely planning attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets throughout the world. The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) confirmed to the Post Sunday night that it had instructed embassies, consulates and Jewish institutions it was responsible for abroad to raise their level of awareness in light of the conflict in the North. The assumption within Military Intelligence is that Hizbullah would only attack targets abroad if it felt pushed into a corner. According to this thinking, the Islamist group hesitates to carry out such attacks because it does not want to be associated with Global Jihad and al-Qaida. more... | Iran | Islam | They're already here. I heard and recorded a clip from Savage Nation on July 20, where he interviewed Debbie Schlessel. I don't have web space to provide it here. Sorry about that. Anyways, she has been going to mosques in the Detroit area and is sounding the warning bells. There are also active training camps in America training Muslims in combat. Remember the three beheaded border guards? It's a lot closer to home than many want to believe.
Iran planning to strike Israel? (July 22, 2006) - Tehran ordered the current Hizb'allah rocket assault on Israel in order to swamp Israeli defenses and open the door for an Iranian missile strike on Israel's population centers, wrote a group of Iranian exiles in a full-page ad published in Wednesday's Washington Times. The Azadegan Foundation, led by former Iranian diplomat Assad Homayoun, warned that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad intends to use weapons of mass destruction against the Jewish state. "We have know for some four years that Iran's clerical leadership has, mostly through Syria and with active participation from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, been pouring thousands of Zalzal-2 and Fajr rockets and missiles into HizbAllah and Iranian Revolutionary Guard (Pasdaran) units in Lebanon's Beqa'a Valley, for use against Israel. "Now they are being used. And, clearly, this is only the beginning. They are the mass barrages meant to swamp regional defenses so that Iran's strategic Shahab-3 ballistic missiles and other weapons can deliver WMD against Israel and other targets in the region." Adding to the growing sense of concern is the fact that Ahmadinejad earlier this week announced to Muslims throughout the region that a great day of "rejoicing" would soon be upon them. If Iran's aim is to divert Israel's missile defense systems away from its densely populated central regions, it appears to be working. World Tribune reported Wednesday that Israel is "urgently pooling its missile defense assets to defend against" the Hizb'allah threat in the north. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | This is straight Bible prophecy, the Gog/Magog invasion. So it wouldn't surprise me in the least. It will surprise them though! Ezekiel 38:18-23
Hezbollah Nourished by Iran, Syria Roots (July 22, 2006) - The Hezbollah military machine that has been attacking Israel draws much of its strength from two shadowy sources that are proving difficult to cut off: Syria and Iran. The two countries, which President Bush blames for fomenting terrorism and destabilizing the Middle East, provide Hezbollah with training, weapons and financing, according to Western intelligence officials who are working to stem the flow of aid. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., a House Intelligence Committee member who was briefed on the Middle East situation during a recent trip to Iraq, said Syria has more than 1,000 agents in southern Lebanon, working either directly for Syrian intelligence or compensated by Syria for information. He says they are there "to cause trouble" and help prop up Hezbollah militarily. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Again, here's some more background as to what's really going on in the Middle East. What the mainstream media seems blind to.
Hundreds of Iranian Troops Fighting in Lebanon (July 19, 2006) - Hundreds of Iranian Revolutionary Guard personnel are on the ground in Lebanon fighting Israel, security sources say. "I have no doubt whatsoever that they are there and operating some of the equipment," an Arab diplomatic source told The New York Sun yesterday. Another foreign source, based in Washington, said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps contingent in Lebanon is based in Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. He said the troops usually number a few dozen, but that the size of the force increased in connection with the hostilities that have broken out between Israel and Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, over the past week. The sources said the Iranians had directly operated a radar-guided C–802 missile that Iran acquired from Communist China and that hit an Israeli navy missile boat off the coast of Lebanon on Friday, killing four Israeli seamen. "This was a direct message to the Israelis that we are fighting the Iranians here," the Arab diplomatic source said. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard's mission in Lebanon includes keeping custody of Zalzal missiles and drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles. A report by an Israel-based research group, the Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center, identifies the units of Iran's Revolutionary Guard "deployed and active in Lebanon" as the "Al-Quds Force." The Lebanon-based Iranian force "provides military guidance and support for terrorist attacks against Israel," the report says. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Iran Official: No Part Of Israel Safe (July 19, 2006) - The speaker of Iran's parliament warned Israelis on Tuesday that no part of their country is safe from Hezbollah attack. The comments by Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel called into question Tehran's official position that it is not involved in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. "The towns you have built in northern Palestine (Israel) are within the range of the brave Lebanese children. No part of Israel will be safe," Haddad Adel told thousands of anti-Israel demonstrators in Palestine Square. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki indicated that Iran may be playing a covert role in the fighting when he said Monday that a cease-fire was feasible. He spoke after talks with the Syrian government in Damascus. Iran and its ally Syria are the principal backers of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that provoked the current fighting when its guerrillas seized two Israeli soldiers last week. On Monday, Israeli military officials said their planes had destroyed a long-range missile in Lebanon, named "Zelzal," that Hezbollah had received from Iran. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | They even say it, yet countries the world over are denouncing Israel for defending herself. The Bible says that in the end they will call good bad and bad good. These people are 180 degrees out of phase with reality.
We Soon Shall See (July 18, 2006) - How many time have you heard it was wrong to let current events interpreter Bible prophecy? The next thing you know, the person making that statement does exactly that. How? By looking at the situation that they think they see in the world, instead of looking at the prophecies that may have been fulfilled. In fact, that's one reason I believe so many of today's end-time ministries may be so far behind the curve as to what's actually going on both politically and prophetically. The current crisis in the Middle East is an example. If you only listen to the news reports and the statements coming from our world's leaders, you may think we still have a ways to go before the final prophecies can be fulfilled. However, it you look at the prophecies that may have already been fulfilled, the whole picture suddenly changes. The final events of history may already be in sight. It's amazing how just a little piece of wrong information can have such a large blinding effect. Take for example our interpretation of who the little horn is in Daniel chapter eight. If we believe it's referring to the coming Antichrist, we may be expecting to see a 10 nation alliance appear in the Eastern leg of the old Roman Empire. If , however, we believe as I do -- that chapter eight of Daniel is referring to the Greek kingdom and the rise of Antiochus Epipanes, we may be open to the idea that the 10 nation alliance could appear in Western Europe. And, you will naturally take special notice of the 10-nation Western European Union.
Here's my point: No matter how we believe about Bible prophecy, we may have already been witness to seven possible fulfillments out of ten that were foretold. We have seen:
What are the three prophecies yet remaining? If we've seen the fulfillment of the first seven, we should expect to see:
So, am I allowing current events to interpret the prophecies? Or, am I allowing the prophecies to interpret current events. We soon shall see Read about it here   I   And here. Are you ready? | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | EU/UN | I can't stress the importance of understanding how close we are to the fulfillment of many Bible prophecies. It's time to wake up!
  • Iranian President Ahmadinejad: Day of happiness for region near (July 18, 2006) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday, “The day of happiness for the region is near… The world is on the verge of great changes,” according to the Iranian news agency. Ahmadinejad added that he considered Israel’s operation in Lebanon “a type of playing with fire.” | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Does he know something about plans that will soon come to pass which will bring about his goal of wiping out Israel? Given the current situation and his declarations, that would seem to be what would supply this happiness. Of course we know that Israel will be safe until the abomination of desolation, and that requires the Jewish temple first. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 | Revelation 11:1,2
Iran, not Hezbollah, is True Enemy (July 17, 2006) - Iran is at the center of the emerging war between the terrorist organizations Hezbollah and Hamas against Israel. Far from being a typical or recurrent Middle East crisis, this shooting war risks the future of Israel's survival as a nation, as well as the security of a continuing U.S. presence in the region. Through its dual surrogate terrorist organizations of Hezbollah and Hamas, Iran has begun its war to destroy Israel and to remove the U.S. from the Middle East. As I noted in writing ''Atomic Iran,'' Hezbollah traces its roots to Najaf in Iraq. Najaf is an important site for Shiite Islam. Here is buried the Imam Ali, whom Shi'ites consider the first convert of Muhammad and the rightful successor to the Prophet. Ayatollah Muhammed Hussein Fadlallah, the spiritual leader of Hezbollah, studied in Najaf when he was in exile from Lebanon. There he met Ayatollah Khomeini, who was also in exile, from the Shahs Iran. Even today, Iran continues to fund Hezbollah, to the tune of some $250 million a year. There are conflicting reports as to whether a drone equipped with a bomb or a C-802 cruise missile hit the Israeli missile ship off the coast of Lebanon. Either way, the evidence points to Iran. The C-802 cruise missile is today an Iranian-made weapon, built on the design of Chinese cruise missiles that Iran bought from China during the Clinton administration. Beginning in December 2005, Iran launched a series of war games in an attempt to demonstrate the country's military prowess, signaling to the world a willingness to resist military steps that might be taken against the nation's nuclear program. In March and April 2006, Iran's Revolutionary Guard carried out their own military exercises, demonstrating their experimentation with several Iranian-improvised weapons, including drone-type devices similar to those the first reports attributed to damaging the Israeli missile ship. Iran has reportedly supplied Hezbollah with long-range missiles. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Iran's Hizbollah Says Ready To Attack US, Israel (July 17, 2006) -  Iran's Hizbollah, which claims links to the Lebanese group of the same name, said on Tuesday it stood ready to attack Israeli and U.S. interests worldwide. "We have 2,000 volunteers who have registered since last year," said Iranian Hizbollah's spokesman Mojtaba Bigdeli, speaking by telephone from the central seminary city of Qom. "They have been trained and they can become fully armed. We are ready to dispatch them to every corner of the world to jeopardise Israel and America's interests. We are only waiting for the Supreme Leader's green light to take action. If America wants to ignite World War Three ... we welcome it," he said. Iranian religious organisations have made great public show of recruiting volunteers for "martyrdom-seeking operations" in recent years, usually threatening U.S. interests in case of any attack against the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme. But there is no record of an Iranian volunteer from these recruitment campaigns taking part in an attack. more... | Iran | IsraelIslam | America |
Iran leader Ali Khameini declares Sunday: Hizbullah will never be disarmed (July 16, 2006) - DEBKAfile: This was Iran’s first direct guarantee of support for the embattled Lebanese Shiite group since hostilities were launched Wednesday, July 12. It is interpreted as a promise of weapons and, if necessary, fighting men to avert a Hizbullah defeat. DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources see also a message addressed to the Olmert government that Israel will not achieve its objectives in Lebanon or succeed in dictating new rules. Earlier, Tehran threatened Israel against attacking Syria. An Iranian spokesman said Sunday: “We are standing by the Syrian people. Israel faces “unimaginable losses”. Hizbullah was not mentioned. The Syrian government promised “a firm, direct and unlimited response to any attack by Israel.” Israeli spokesmen have reiterated that Syria is not targeted for attack but accused Iran of helping Hizbullah attack the Israeli missile boat Friday. more...  | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Iran Heaps Praise On Hezbollah Fight Against 'Tumour' Israel (July 16, 2006) -  Iran has rallied behind allies Hezbollah and Syria, praising the Lebanese Shiite militant movement's battle against "infected tumour" Israel and warning the Jewish state against widening the conflict. In a speech carried on state television Sunday, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei branded "Zionists" as "an evil and cancerous being and an infected tumour". "The Zionists wanted Lebanon to be the meat between their teeth. The powerful limbs of Hezbollah have prevented the Zionists' dream of trouble from being realised," Khamenei said. His comments, on the fifth day of an Israeli onslaught against its northern neighbour following Hezbollah's capture of two soldiers, prompted chants of "Hezbollah will win, Israel will be destroyed". Khamenei replied: "Yes, that is what we say". more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Iran gave Hizbullah 11,500 missiles and rockets (July 16, 2006) - An Iranian military source told the Arab daily Asharq Alawsat Sunday that between 1992 and 2005 Iran has transferred some 11,500 missiles and rockets to Hizbullah. According to the report, Hizbullah has in its arsenal four types of advanced surface-to-surface missiles. He named the Fajaar missile, which has a range of 100 kilometers; the Iran 130, which has a 90-110 km. range; the Shahin, which has a range of up to 150 kms; and a 355 mm. Rocket with a range of up to 150 kms. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Syria Vows Harsh Response If Israel Attacks (July 16, 2006) - Syria vowed on Sunday a "harsh and direct" response if it is attacked by Israel, showing no sign of bowing to U.S. pressure to abandon support for Hizbollah. "Any aggression against Syria will have a firm and direct response not limited in time or means," Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said in a statement. "The resistance (Hizbollah) will win and the Israeli aggression will fail," Bilal said. "The resistance has hit deep inside Israel and the enemy did not expect this." Syria is a main backer of Hizbollah, whose fighters captured Israeli soldiers in a cross-border operation on Wednesday, sparking Israeli reprisals that have so far killed more than 100 civilians in Lebanon. The United States, Israel's chief ally, has said Syria must lean on Hizbollah to release the two soldiers and stop fighting. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | They, like Iran, don't realize they're up against the God of Israel.
Iran Warns Israel Of 'Unimaginable Losses' If Syria Hit (July 16, 2006) - Iran warned its arch-enemy Israel of "unimaginable losses" if it attacks Syria and vowed that it was standing by the Syrian people. "We hope the Zionist regime does not make the mistake of attacking Syria, because extending the front would definitely make the Zionist regime face unimaginable losses," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters. "Iran is standing by the Syrian people," he said of the Islamic republic's sole regional ally. "We have offered and will offer Syria and Lebanon spiritual and humanitarian support," Asefi insisted, reiterating Iran's denial that it is providing military and financial assistance to the Hezbollah movement. The Israeli army has said Hezbollah militants had used an Iranian-built radar-guided anti-ship missile in an attack on Friday on an Israeli warship off Lebanon's coast. The attack marked the Lebanese militia's first successful strike on an Israeli warship, dealing an unprecedented blow to the Jewish state's military. One Israeli sailor was killed and three more were missing, feared dead. An Israeli military intelligence official has also alleged that around 100 members of Iran's powerful ideological army the elite Revolutionary Guards were in Lebanon, acting as military advisors to Hezbollah. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Since Iran (Persia) is one of the main nations mentioned by name in the Gog/Magog invasion and they have a defense agreement with Syria, I'm not too surprised that they say this. It will be a great blow to their pride when it fails. I imagine that helps give the hatred teeth at the abomination of desolation when they are loosed to kill 2/3 of Israel. Zechariah 13:8,9
Syria says fully backs Hizbullah against Israel (July 15, 2006) - Syria will support Hizbullah and Lebanon against Israel's attacks on the country, the ruling Baath Party said on Friday, defying Israel and its chief ally Washington. "The Syrian people are ready to extend full support to the Lebanese people and their heroic resistance to remain steadfast and confront the barbaric Israeli aggression and its crimes," said a communique from the party's national command issued after a meeting. It said Israel and the United States "are trying to wipe out Arab resistance in every land under occupation" and that President Bashar al-Assad was aware of the seriousness of the situation in the region. The national command is the highest echelon of the Baath Party, which has been in power since 1963. Assad, who is shaped by his late father's lifetime of struggle with Israel, was not at the meeting. He has resisted Israeli and American pressure to abandon support for Hizbullah. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Israel: ‘Concrete Evidence’ of Hizbullah Plan to Transfer IDF Captives to Iran (July 14, 2006)Israeli intelligence has “concrete evidence that Hizbullah plans to transfer the kidnapped soldiers to Iran,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev. Deputy Director General of the Foreign Ministry, Gideon Meir, pointed out that Syria and Iran were major players in the military attacks by Hamas and Hizbullah in the south and north of Israel. “As a result, Israel views Hamas, Hizbullah, Syria and Iran as the main players in the axis of terror and hate that endangers not only Israel but the entire world,” he said. The IDF soldiers kidnapped in the initial attack in the north, 31 year old Ehud Goldwasser of Nahariya and 26 year old Eldad Regev of Kiryat Motzkin were alive when they were captured, according to a news correspondent for Arabic news network al-Jazeera. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Iran, Syria Used Hizballah As Proxy To Attack Israel, Analysts Say (July 13, 2006) - The Israeli government said it is holding the government of Lebanon responsible for attacks along its northern border, but Israeli analysts and government sources said that Iran and Syria are ultimately behind the attack. Israel bombed sites in Lebanon on Thursday and Hizballah launched dozens of Katyusha rockets at northern Israeli communities, killing at least two Israeli women and forcing residents into bomb shelters. This comes one day after Hizballah carried out a cross-border attack, killing eight Israeli soldiers and abducting twoothers. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the Hizballah attack an "act of war." But Israeli officials also said the fingerprints of Iran and Syria are all over the attack and analysts have said the timing was not a coincidence. "It's not coincidental that we had these two attacks and they're pretty much coordinated -- in the south with Hamas and with Hizballah in the north," Israel's ambassador to the U.S. Daniel Ayalon said in a Fox News interview on Thursday. Both groups are supported by Teheran and Damascus, Ayalon noted. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Axis of Evil Survivors Play By the Same Book (July 9, 2006) - Hours after North Korea defiantly shot seven missiles into the sea last week, Iran said it was postponing talks in Brussels on its nuclear program for fear of hit squads. Rewind to January. Tehran announced it would resume uranium enrichment, ripping up a previous deal, just two months after Pyongyang suspended negotiations on its own nuclear program. North Korea and Iran, the two survivors of the "axis of evil" denounced by US President George W. Bush in 2002, have turned cycles of delays and provocations into a diplomatic art form. Whether the far-flung countries have coordinated their approach is a matter of dispute, but both are determined to avoid the fate of the other nation in Bush's "axis of evil" -- Saddam Hussein's Iraq. "As fellow members of the 'axis of evil,' the lesson they have learned from the Iraqi experience is to look as lethal as possible to avoid invasion by the US," said Peter Beck, Northeast Asia project director at the International Crisis Group. "At a minimum they are inspired by and learning from each other," he said. "They are coming from the same playbook." more... | Iran |
Iran Rejects Deadline At EU Nuclear Talks (July 11, 2006) - Iran's chief nuclear negotiator rebuffed Western pressure for an immediate answer to an offer of incentives to suspend uranium enrichment ahead of crucial talks with the European Union on Tuesday. The United States, which accuses Tehran of secretly working to build nuclear weapons, has demanded a clear Iranian response before next weekend's summit of Group of Eight industrialized nations in Russia or face possible U.N. Security Council action. But Ali Larijani told reporters before he met EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana for a second round of talks in five days: "We have expressed our view regarding the deadline. We are not used to acting before thinking." Iran has said it will reply in late August to a package of technology, economic and political sweeteners, and an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman suggested its full answer would only emerge later during detailed negotiations on the offer. more...  | Iran | EU/UN |
Ahmadinejad: Conditions for Removal of Israel Are at Hand (July 9, 2006) - Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, clearing up any ambiguity in previous calls to “wipe Israel off the map,” now used an Arabic word for the removal of body hair to describe his plans for Israel. “All the conditions for the removal of the Zionist regime are at hand,” Ahmadinejad told an Arab Conference of Iraqi Neighbors meeting Saturday. For the first time, he employed the Arabic word ezaleh, which is used to describe the irreversible removal of body hairs or a woman’s virginity. “Nations in the region will be more furious every day. It won’t take long before the wrath of the people turns into a terrible explosion that will wipe the Zionist entity off the map,” Ahmadinejad told the foreign ministers of Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, Bahrain and Egypt. The heads of the Arab League and the Islamic Conference were also present, in addition to a special United Nations representative. None of the foreign ministers present, including Jordan, Egypt or Turkey – commonly regarded as Israel’s friends in the Arab/Muslim world - objected to the call for annihilation. Instead, the following statement was issued: “The Arab foreign ministers participating in today's Tehran meeting expressed their strong condemnation of this continuing and increasing aggression against the Palestinian people." more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | I don't see the talk decreasing, instead it seems that all the Gog/Magog players are mentioned here headed by the President of Persia, Iran. The alliances are all present and the talk is there too. All that's missing is the action fulfilling Ezekiel 38,39.
  • 'Remove' Israel, Iran calls (July 9, 2006) - IRANIAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejed called on Islamic countries Saturday to mobilize against Israel and "remove" the "Zionist regime". "The basic problem in the Islamic world is the existence of the Zionist regime, and the Islamic world and the region must mobilize to remove this problem," the president said at the opening of a two-day regional conference on security in Iraq. "Today there is a strong will... to remove the Zionist regime and implement a legal Palestinian regime all over Palestine. The continued survival of this regime (Israel) means nothing but suffering for the region," Mr. Ahmadinejad said. "The biggest threat today for the region is the existence of the fake Zionist regime," he added, before going on to attack Israel's supporters. more...  | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | It's pretty clear that Ahmadinejad meant what he said about wiping Israel off the map. While they won't ever be wiped off the map, the Bible says that 2/3 of Israel will be killed Zechariah 13:8,9 and talks about what happens to the rest as they are protected for 3 1/2 years. Revelation 12:14
  • Iran: IDF Strikes Will Bring Islamic 'Explosion' (July 8, 2006) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Friday that continued Israeli strikes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could lead to an "explosion" in the Islamic world that would target Israel and its supporters in the West. Again, Ahmadinejad questioned Israel's right to exist. "This is a fake regime ... it won't be able to survive. I think the only way (forward) is that those who created it (the West) take it away themselves," the president told a rally in Teheran in support of Palestinians. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Iran's President Warns Israel on Continuing Attacks in Gaza (July 7, 2006) - Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Friday that continued Israeli strikes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could lead to an "explosion" in the Islamic world that would target Israel and its supporters in the West. Again, Ahmadinejad questioned Israel's right to exist. "This is a fake regime ... it won't be able to survive. I think the only way (forward) is that those who created it (the West) take it away themselves," the president told a rally in Tehran in support of Palestinians. Twenty-four Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have been killed in fighting since the Israeli army began invading northern Gaza on Thursday. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Inside Iran: Signs of the Apocalypse (July 7, 2006) - Whether it is his belief that Israel should be wiped off the map, denials of the Holocaust, obsession with going nuclear, or support for radical Islamic terrorist groups, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a man on a divine mission. To understand him and that mission, you have to travel to a small dusty village called Jamkaran that is tucked into a corner of Iran's holy city of Qom. On a recent Tuesday afternoon, CBN News made that journey, heading south from Iran's capital of Tehran. Some 95 miles and a couple of wrong turns later, we arrived at the Jamkaran mosque on the outskirts of Qom. Behind the Jamkaran mosque, there is a well. And according to many Shiite Muslims, out of this well will one day emerge their version of an Islamic savior. They call him the Mahdi, or the 12th Imam. Ron Cantrell has written a book about him. "The Mahdi is a personage that is expected to come on the scene, by Islam, as a messiah figure. He is slotted to come at the end of time, according to their writings -- very much like how we think of the return of Jesus," said Cantrell. Cantrell said the Mahdi, a descendent of the Prophet Mohammed, vanished in the middle of the 9th century. No one knows what he really looks like. "The 12th Imam disappeared around the age of 9,” said Cantrell, “with a promise that he would return and bring Islam to its total fruition, as the world's last standing religion." Enter Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Since becoming the president of Iran in August 2005, Ahmadinejad has emerged as the Mahdi's most influential follower. “He has stated that his mandate is to pave the way for the coming of this Islamic messiah," Cantrell explained. In almost all his speeches, the president begs Allah to hasten the return of the Mahdi. And apparently, Ahmadinejad has also drawn up plans for the road that the Mahdi will take when he returns. Cantrell said, "...that will actually serve as the red carpet rolled out in Iran for the Mahdi to appear." And if all this wasn't mystical enough, there is also the belief that when the Mahdi comes back, he will be accompanied by Jesus Christ, who is referred to as the prophet Isa. "The Mahdi will take Jesus to Mecca,” Cantrell explained. “They will circumambulate the Kabah together. The Mahdi will teach Jesus to pray, at which time Jesus will then replace the Gospel with the Koran, and then all of us -- as Christians -- wherever you are on the face of the Earth, will convert to Islam because Islam will be deemed the one lasting pure religion." more... | Iran | Israel | Islam |
Iran Purchased Long-Range Missiles From Russia (July 3, 2006) - Russia over the weekend confirmed reports that a number of years ago, Iran purchased long-range missiles, in the Ukraine, capable of carrying non-conventional warheads. The Russian statement released by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov serves to strengthen concerns of Israeli experts monitoring the Iranian nuclear enrichment program, who fear Tehran is working to build a nuclear bomb as an option against Israel. The KH-55 long-range missiles were sold to Iran and China through a Cypriot intermediary. The missile has a 3,000 kilometer (1,800 mile) range, intended for deployment by aerial bombers. Officials point out that it remains uncertain as to the number of bombers still operational in Iran, adding that most of the fleet was grounded due to a shortage of replacement parts. more... | Iran | It seems as though the alliance is long-standing between two of the nations prophesied to attack Israel. Now with Syria-Iran alliances and Turkey being called in, we're just about to the full axis power of the Gog/Magog armies. (Persia (Iran), Central Asia, Russia, Turkey, Sudan, Libya, and other Islamic nations.)
Ahmadinejad: Nuke Program Will Continue (July 2, 2006) - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday Tehran will continue its uranium enrichment programme despite international calls to halt the sensitive project. "The Iranian government and the people have decided, and without any doubt with dignity and glory we will pass this phase," he was quoted as saying from Gambia after explaining Iran's fuel cycle programme, which has enriching uranium as its focus, to Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo. Ahmadinejad is in Gambia to address the African Union summit. Tehran is under mounting pressure from the West to respond by next week to an international offer that would defuse the nuclear standoff. World powers gave Iran one more week on Thursday to provide a "clear and substantive response" to an international proposal on suspending uranium enrichment, but Tehran immediately rejected the deadline. Foreign ministers of the G8 group of leading nations said European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's head nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani will meet on Wednesday to discuss the plan. "We expect to hear a clear and substantive Iranian response to these proposals at the planned meeting," the ministers said in a statement from Moscow, where they were preparing a July 15-17 summit in Saint Petersburg. more... | Iran |
Israel Threatens To Hit Damascus (July 1, 2006) - Israel holds Khaled Mashal, the leader of Hamas' Syrian branch, responsible for the abduction of two Israeli soldiers and wants Syria to expel Palestinian leaders from the country. Israel threatened to kill Hamas militants based in Damascus. Al-Jazeera television said Public Security Minister Avi Dichter claimed they knew the locations of HAMAS and Islamic Jihad leaders in Syria and will not hesitate to kill them. Justice Minister Chaim Ramon said, “The leader of Al Qaeda, Meshal is a terrorist of the worst kind, and the international community must exert pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to expel Meshal from Syria.” Ramon claimed Meshaal gave the order for abduction and is now a target for assassination. Syrian security forces said they tightened the security measures to protect the HAMAS leader. Israeli army said yesterday they carried out a low-altitude flight over the palace of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Latakia, in northwestern Syria. Syrian sources reported that they fired at two Israeli planes flying over Syrian air space. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Quake Hits Iran (June 29, 2006) - An earthquake shook southern Iran early Thursday morning, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Radio reports said residents of the southwestern city of Bandar Abbas poured into the streets after the quake hit. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 1:32 a.m. (local time) and had a magnitude of 5.6. It was centered about 35 miles southwest of Bandar Abbas or about 650 miles southeast of Tehran, the capital. No other details were immediately available. more...  | Iran |
Talks With US 'of No Use to Iran' (June 27, 2006) - Iran's supreme leader has said talking to the US about his country's nuclear activities would hold no benefits, according to Iranian state television. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran was ready to ease concerns over its uranium enrichment but would not suspend it. "Negotiations with the United States are of no use for us. We have no use for such negotiations." he said. Washington has said it will join EU states in talks with Iran if Tehran agrees to halt uranium enrichment. "We will not negotiate with anyone over the undeniable right of nuclear technology and using it," said Ayatollah Khamenei. "If they recognize this right, we are ready to negotiate over supervision controls," he added. The suspension of uranium enrichment is the key demand in a proposal aimed at resolving the nuclear row, backed by six world powers. The UN has offered Iran a package of incentives, but Iran has so far not responded. Last week Iran's president said a reply would come on 22 August. The US believes Iran is trying to make nuclear weapons, but Tehran says it is enriching uranium for energy purposes, as it is entitled to under the terms of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which it is a signatory. | Iran | America |
Iran's Ahmadinejad To Visit Iraq (June 27, 2006) - Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to pay a visit to Iraq in the near future to hold a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talebani. An informed source said that in addition to attending talks with senior Iraqi officials, Ahmadinejad is also due to go on pilgrimage in the holy shrines of the Shiites' Imams in different Iraqi cities. President Ahmadinejad will be accompanied by a high-ranking political and economic delegation during the visit. The source also stated that the two sides have decided to endorse some political and economic cooperation agreements during the visit. | Iran |
Wary of U.S., Syria and Iran Strengthen Ties (June 24, 2006) - For a long time, the top-selling poster in Hassan al-Sheikh's gift shop here showed President Bashar al-Assad of Syria seated beside the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon. A few weeks ago a slightly different poster overtook it, this one with the Syrian president, the Hezbollah leader and Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Mr. Sheikh's shop is on a bustling street in Sayeda Zeinab beside the entrance to a Shiite shrine that shares a name with the town, and both have been packed with Iranian pilgrims, many more than in years past. Those changes illustrate what may well be a worrying phenomenon for Washington as it seeks to contain Iran and isolate Syria: the two governments, and their people, are tightening relations on several fronts as power in the region shifts away from the once dominant Sunni to Shiites, led by Iran. This is, in part, the result of the American installation of a Shiite-dominated government in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and his Sunni-led government. But it is also spurred by the growing belief in Arab capitals that the Bush administration may soon negotiate a deal with Tehran over Iraq and nuclear weapons. Arab governments once hostile to Iran have begun to soften their public posture after decades of animosity toward Tehran. President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt met Iran's national security chief, Ali Larijani, in Cairo recently, and Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, visited Tehran this month and declared the two nations to be good friends. In addition, Iranian officials recently sent messages of friendship to every Persian Gulf state. Amid all that activity, Syria has managed to inflate its power in the region by playing a subtle double game and setting itself up as a possible go-between. more... | Iran | Islam |
Iranian President Calls For Strengthening Relations With Turkey (June 25, 2006) - Iranian president calls for strengthening relations with Turkey. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on Saturday for the strengthening of Iranian-Turkish relations in all fields. The presidential office said in a statement that Ahmadinejad described in a telephone call to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the two countries were tied through culture, history and religion. Furthermore, he said that two countries played an important role on the regional and international levels, and stressed that they had to increase deliberations in order to consolidate international peace and security. For his part, Erdogan expressed content with developments on the Iranian nuclear issue, noting that relations between the two countries would be further strengthened in the upcoming visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to Tehran. The Turkish Foreign Minister is expected to arrive in Tehran later tonight and is to hold talks with Iranian officials on issues of mutual concern. | Iran | Gog/Magog | I'd just like to point out that Turkey is one of the nations listed in the Gog/Magog invasion.
Israel Needs a Preemptive Nuclear Strike Against Iran (June 24, 2006) - One of the best ways to ensure the world doesn't get wobbly over Iran, is to make it understand that although Israel prefers to regard the rogue Islamic regime as an international problem, we will, if necessary, do whatever it takes to ensure our survival, including a preemptive nuclear strike. In 1936, when Hitler marched into the Rhineland the allies appeased him, even though they could have been in Berlin in two weeks. In 1938 they once again let him off the hook, even though the allies could have been in Berlin within two months. Shortly after the appeasement of Munich, Russia signed a non-aggression treaty with Hitler, setting the stage for what it hoped would be his defeat of the West, which would pave the way for Russian domination of Eurasia, from Lisbon to Vladivostok. Now we have Iran, a country led by Ahmadinejad, an equally deranged and evil maniac. He is driven by an ideology combining elements of Nazism and Mahdism, with a tad of Maoism as well, a lethal cocktail of three of the most evil ideologies of human political history. By most current intelligence estimates, by 2008, exactly 70 years after Chamberlain announced on his return from Munich he had achieved "peace in our time", the Iranian Islamo-Nazi regime will have succeeded in developing an atomic bomb. Although it seems that the international community has belatedly begun to awaken to the danger, it is still far from certain that this will actually lead to concrete and concerted steps to ensure this doesn't happen. more...  | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | I'm wondering if an invasion of Israel by the Gog/Magog forces could come from Israel attacking Iran's nuclear capabilities or from Syria. Time will tell.
Iran Backs Attacks on U.S. Forces in Iraq, Casey Says (June 22, 2006) - Iran is increasingly providing weapons and training to Shiite extremist groups in Iraq who are attacking U.S. soldiers and Iraqi security forces, said General George Casey, the top American military commander in Iraq. "We are quite confident that the Iranians, through their covert special operations forces, are providing weapons, IED technology and training, to Shiite extremist groups in Iraq,'' Casey said at a press briefing today with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. "Since January we have seen an upsurge in their support,'' said Casey. Iran's actions are "decidedly unhelpful,'' he said. Iran uses "surrogates,'' including Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon, to provide materials to build bombs, train guerilla fighters and conduct attacks, Casey said. The insurgent training is being conducted in Iran and in some cases Lebanon, he said. Iran's involvement is a "major element'' in Iraq's complex security environment, Casey said. The three additional factors he cited are al-Qaeda terrorists, "illegal armed groups'' of criminals and the Sunni Arab resistance. more... | Iran |
DEBKAfile Exclusive: New Syria-Iranian defense treaty opens way for Iran's Revolutionary Guards to deploy on Israel’s Golan border by summer’s end (June 19, 2006) - Iranian defense minister Gen. Mustafa Najjar said: “Syria’s security is part of Iran’s security,” when he signed a new military treaty with his visiting Syrian counterpart, Gen. Hassan Turkmani (picture) in Tehran last Thursday June 15. Sunday, June 18, Israel’s parliamentary foreign affairs and defense committee inspected its northern border, along with the deputy chief of staff Moshe Kaplinsky and OC Northern command Udi Adam. Both Tehran and Damascus referred to the tour as Israel’s response to their new treaty. DEBKAfile’s military sources add: At the signing ceremony, the Syrian official waved away reporters’ questions on whether Iran would be establishing a military base in Syria – “The language of a (foreign) military base in our country is alien to us. I want to say that it is not on the agenda.” Nonetheless, military sources note that he rejected the term “bases” - but did not rule out “foreign forces” in Syrian bases, which Persian Gulf and Pakistani military sources are certain was agreed secretly between the two countries. They have learned that Iran has offered to deploy Revolutionary Guards on the Golan border with Israel by the end of summer, because as Najjar said at the signing: “We have a common front against Israel’s threats.” more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | This really isn't too surprising, Russia is planning a naval base in Syria. Iran, Russia, and Syria are clearly allied together. By their association to Iran in the face of anti-Semetic statements of the destruction of Israel clearly places them in the same camp. Russia is also becoming a Muslim state. They're stated goal is a Muslim world, should we expect anything less from their efforts?
New Moves on the Tripolar Chessboard (June 16, 2006) - For months, the US press and policymaking elite have portrayed the crisis with Iran as a two-sided struggle between Washington and Tehran, with the European powers as well as Russia and China playing supporting roles. It is certainly true that US President George W Bush and Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad are the leading protagonists in this drama, with each making inflammatory statements about the other to whip up public support at home. But an informed reading of recent international diplomacy surrounding the Iranian crisis suggests that another equally fierce - and undoubtedly more important - struggle is also taking place: a tripolar contest among the United States, Russia and China for domination of the greater Persian Gulf/Caspian Sea region and its mammoth energy reserves. more... | Iran | America |
Iran would 'use nuclear defense' (June 16, 2006) -  Iran's defense minister on Thursday vowed that his country would "use nuclear defense as a potential" if "threatened by any power." Speaking following a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Hassan Ali Turkmani in Teheran on Thursday, Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar emphasized that Iran "should be ready for confronting all kinds of threats." Teheran has denied accusations by the US and its allies that Iran was seeking uranium enrichment technologies in order to develop nuclear weapons, saying its program was only meant to generate electricity. Meanwhile, Turkmani told reporters that Syria and Iran's "policy is the policy of strengthening resistance and tackling the threats of United States and Israel." He added that he wouldn't give details of joint defense plans against Israel, although the plans were "not secret." more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Wait! I thought Iran wasn't going to build nuclear weapons. How can you 'use nuclear defense' if you don't have nuclear weapons? If they're vowing to use it, then they must be making them. I guess we can trust that they won't... yeah.
Iran Seeks Aid in Asia In Resisting the West (June 16, 2006) -  Overshadowing a regional summit, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suggested Thursday that China, Russia and neighboring Central Asian nations should help Iran resist growing pressure from the United States and Europe to limit its nuclear development program. The appeal, in a speech to leaders of the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization, seemed aimed in particular at China and Russia. The two nations, permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, have been reluctant to endorse the threat of U.N. sanctions and other steps being pushed by the Bush administration to persuade Iran to stop enriching uranium and submit its nuclear program to international controls. more... | Iran |
Iran, Syria Sign Defense Agreement (June 16, 2006) - Defense ministers from close allies Iran and Syria on Thursday signed an agreement for military cooperation against what they called the "common threats" presented by Israel and the United States. In a joint press conference, Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar and visiting Syrian counterpart Hassan Turkmani said their talks had been aimed at consolidating their defense efforts and strengthening support for one another. "Our cooperation is based on a strategic pact and unity against common threats. We can have a common front against Israel's threats," Turkmani told reporters after two intensive rounds of talks with Najjar. "Our cooperation with the Iranians against Israeli threats is nothing secret and we regularly consult about this with our friends," he said. Before the press conference, Iran's defense ministry said the two sides "stressed strengthening mutual ties and the necessity to preserve peace and stability in the region." The defense ministry statement also said they discussed "ridding the region of weapons of mass destruction," in an apparent reference to the widely held belief that Israel possesses nuclear warheads. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | And the players keep lining up. Russia is building a navy port in Syria too. China, Russia, and Iran are all in kahoots with each other as evidenced by all the news coming out about it. There is clearly an axis forming aligned against Israel and the US. Europe panders to the powerful, so they'll be siding with Iran and Russia too. This is in Bible prophecy. I believe that the false prophet of Revelation 13:11-18 will be the 12th Mahdi from Iran when he appears. (Iran's constitution already has a Mahdi clause that gives him control of Iran when he comes back) This false prophet will be very powerful and will point to the first beast to be worshipped. The first beast of Revelation 13:1-10 will be the political leader coming out of Europe. I believe his position was formed by EU Recommendation number 666, which you can read more about the creation of that position in the EU government from Herb Peters free online e-book, Recommendation 666. I know this all sounds fantastic and crazy, but it's Bible prophecy, and God will be glorified when it all happens just as the Bible says.
  • Iran President Arrives in China for Nuclear Summit (June 15, 2006) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Shanghai Wednesday, renewing the focus on the role China may play in resolving the standoff over the Islamic republic's nuclear program. In a suggestion that China was concerned the Iran issue would overshadow everything else at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting, officials seemed eager not to play up expectations. "I don't believe having discussion or not having discussion of the Iran nuclear issue is the determinant of the relevance of this conference," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a briefing in Shanghai. Ahmadinejad is only a guest at Thursday's summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which groups China, Russia, and four Central Asian states. Iran is an observer nation along with Pakistan, India and Mongolia. more... | Iran |
  • Iran's Place at Summit Raises Fears of Anti-West Alliance (June 15, 2006) - Iran's hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, arrived in China last night for a summit of Asian states and Russia that Washington fears is forming a new anti-western alliance. Mr Ahmadinejad will seek support for his country's nuclear programme, fuelling US concern that Iran is being protected by its growing friendship with Russia and China, who both sit on the UN Security Council. He is also believed to be pushing to join the Shanghai Co-operation Organization, which is holding its annual summit in the city today and tomorrow. The SCO, under the leadership of China and Russia, is playing an ever-greater role in the jostling for power in Central Asia. The dictatorial nature of some of its membership, which also includes the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, has provoked descriptions of it as an anti-American alliance of despots. more... | Iran | America | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
Ahmadinejad to Meet Russian, Chinese Leaders (June 14, 2006) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans separate meetings this week with leaders of China and Russia, key players who have resisted US efforts to seek tougher UN action in the standoff over Iran's nuclear program. Those meetings were expected to take place Friday following a summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO, although host China, has said the Iranian nuclear issue won't be on the summit's agenda. China had already announced a planned meeting between Ahmadinejad and Chinese President Hu Jintao, to include discussion of the nuclear dispute. Russia's Interfax news agency said Wednesday Putin would also meet the Iranian leader for talks on the nuclear issue, as well as Caspian Sea energy exploration and other cooperation between the two states. | Iran | Gog/Magog |
Minister: Iran, Syria Security Intertwined (June 13, 2006) - Iranian Defense Minister Gen. Mustafa Najjar stressed that Syria's security is part of Iran's security and that his country has a duty to defend Syria. Najjar's remarks were quoted by the Iranian News Agency, IRNA, following his talks Monday with visiting Syrian counterpart Gen. Hassan Torkmani. Najjar said Iran will extend full support to Syria under present conditions "because Iran considers that Syria's security is part of its own security and national interests." "Relations between Iran and Syria are solid and fall within the framework of consolidating peace, stability and security in the region," he added. Torkmani, for his part, hailed Iran's stance on Syria, noting that he is carrying a letter of mutual solidarity and support. He stressed the need to reinforce the armed forces of the two countries to confront the common enemy which seeks to destabilize security and provoke tensions in the region. He also reaffirmed Syria's support to Iran's right to profit from nuclear energy, stressing that "the only way to settle the crisis over Iran's (nuclear program) is to recognize officially this right." Both Torkmani and Najjar described the military and defense relations between the two countries as "strategic" and constitute "an example of regional cooperation." | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |
US cites China firms for supporting Iran military (June 13, 2006) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday named one U.S. and four Chinese companies as supporters of Iran's military and Iranian weapons programs. The designation, under an executive order issued by President George W. Bush in 2005, freezes those companies' U.S. assets and outlaws U.S. firms or people from doing business with them. The Chinese companies are Beijing Alite Technologies Co. Ltd., LIMMT Economic and Trade Co. Ltd., China Great Wall Industry Corp., and China National Precision Machinery Import/Export Corp. The U.S. company, G.W. Aerospace Inc. of Torrance, California, is the representative office of China Great Wall Industry. The Treasury Department designates firms or people under a range of executive orders and laws in an effort to stop flows of financing to countries, groups, or individuals it says are engaged in weapons proliferation, terrorism, or other illicit activities. The executive order used in Tuesday's announcement is aimed at choking off funding for weapons programs in North Korea, Iran, and Syria. "Governments worldwide are urged to take appropriate measures to ensure that their companies and financial institutions are not facilitating Iran's proliferation activities," Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey said in a statement. more... | Iran | America |
China and Iranian Presidents to Meet Next Week (June 11, 2006) - The Chinese and Iranian presidents will discuss the Iranian nuclear dispute during a separate meeting next week in Shanghai on the sidelines of a regional summit, the Chinese foreign ministry said Thursday. President Hu Jintao will play host to his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, along with the leaders of Russia and four Central Asian countries who comprise the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Hu and Ahmadinejad will hold consultations aside from the group meeting. Iran is attending the gathering as an observer, but Ahmadinejad's presence is raising expectations that China and Russia will broach a new European offer of incentives for Iran to relinquish its nuclear enrichment program. "I think the Iranian nuclear issue will be talked about," Liu said at a regular press briefing in response to a reporter's question about what the leaders will discuss. "China and Iran have communicated and will continue to communicate on the Iranian nuclear issue in order to enhance our mutual understanding so as to make continuous efforts to reach a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomatic negotiations," he said. more...| Iran | Gog/Magog |
Iran sees problems in atomic offer from six powers (June 11, 2006) -  Iran's envoy to the U.N. nuclear watchdog urged it to exercise restraint at a meeting starting on Monday while Tehran studies an offer from world powers to avert a showdown over its disputed atomic program. Diplomats said the 35 nations on the International Atomic Energy Agency's governing board planned a debate on Iran but to keep it low-key and pass no resolutions to avoid upsetting delicate diplomacy over the powers' overture to Tehran. Four months ago, the dispute over Iranian nuclear fuel work escalated when the board voted to refer Tehran to the U.N. Security Council over its history of hiding atomic research and obstructing IAEA investigations. Last week, six big powers offered Iran a batch of economic and security incentives to shelve a uranium-enrichment program that could yield fuel for nuclear power plants or, eventually, atomic bombs. If Iran refuses, it could face U.N. sanctions. Chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said on Sunday the package contained positive elements but also "problems and ambiguous points." He said the precondition that Iran stop all enrichment work, which it has ruled out, had to be clarified.  more...| Iran |
Russia Urges Israel Against Iran attack (June 9, 2006) - Russia sent messages to Israel through US intermediaries recently, voicing opposition to a possible military attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, The Jerusalem Post has learned. While Israel and Russia have good relations and a direct line of communications, the Russians chose to use the US to deliver this message of military restraint out of a belief that Jerusalem pays closer attention to messages from Washington. According to assessments reaching Jerusalem, while the Russians don't want to see Iran get the bomb, they believe this may still be a decade away and that in the meantime diplomatic efforts might succeed in keeping Teheran from reaching that point. Moscow is concerned any military conflagration would eventually spill over the Russian-Iranian border into the Caucasus, central Asia and even Chechnya, and be detrimental to Russian interests. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel |
Central Asian Bloc Considering Iran For Membership (June 9, 2006) - An obscure regional security group will consider admitting Iran as a member at a summit this month, accelerating its transformation into a political and military bloc with the potential to challenge U.S. interests. U.S. analysts think Russia and China already are using the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) -- which links the two with four Central Asian neighbors -- to try to squeeze the United States out of the region. SCO foreign ministers said at an earlier meeting that consideration is being given to extending membership to four countries with observer status -- Iran, Pakistan, India and Mongolia. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to attend the summit on June 15 in Shanghai. Expansion of the organization into Iran and other countries could make it "an enormous power," said David Wall, a professor at the University of Cambridge's East Asia Institute. "An expanded SCO would control a large part of the world's oil and gas reserves and nuclear arsenal. It would essentially be an OPEC with bombs," he said, referring to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld alluded to the coming summit on his way to a weekend security conference in Singapore. Comparing the openness of the Singapore meeting to other unnamed gatherings, he said: "There are some efforts and systems that leave us out, and we obviously favor institutions that are inclusive, rather than exclusive." A warning shot was fired at last year's SCO summit, where the group issued a declaration calling for the United States to set a timeline for withdrawing from air bases in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, established to support the war on terrorism in Afghanistan. Delegates from Kazakhstan, Washington's closest friend in the SCO, argued at that meeting to head off an even stronger resolution. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog |
Iran Begins Fresh Nuclear Enrichment Despite Offer (June 8, 2006) - Iran began a fresh phase of uranium enrichment this week just as world powers presented it with incentives to halt nuclear fuel work, according to a U.N. nuclear watchdog agency report obtained by Reuters on Thursday. The report, emailed to the 35 states on the International Atomic Energy Agency's governing board ahead of a meeting starting on Monday, also said Iran was pressing ahead with installing more cascades of centrifuge enrichment machines. Authored by IAEA chief Mohammed ElBaradei, the report said Iran resumed feeding "UF6" uranium gas into its pilot 164-centrifuge cascade in Natanz on Tuesday after a pause of several weeks to do test runs of the machines without UF6. Tuesday was the day European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana visited Tehran to hand over a packet of economic, technological and security incentives for Iran to suspend work which could eventually produce atomic bombs. The Islamic Republic says the goal of its nuclear fuel programme is solely electricity generation for its economy. The West suspects that Iran, the world's No. 4 oil producer, of creating a smokescreen for atomic bombmaking. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog |
Iran's Positive Response Offers Hope (June 7, 2006) - Iran has begun to give positive signals for the first time about a peaceful settlement in the international crisis that resulted from the country’s controversial nuclear studies. Though the Tehran administration responded positively to the incentives package prepared by the five United Nations (UN) permanent members and Germany, Iran; however, pointed out the existence of some ambiguities in the package. European Union (EU) Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana presented the incentives package intended to settle the crisis over Iran’s nuclear studies to Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Ali Larijani yesterday. Larijani found the incentives package “positive”; though he cited some “ambiguities” which “should be removed.“ Solana also met with Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Muttaqi. “The proposal is on the table. I hope that we will get a positive response, which will be useful for both sides,” he said. The EU official’s remarks, who said he had “very fruitful talks” both with Larijani and Muttaqi, gave hope to the world about Iran’s “positive response” for a nuclear deal. more... | Iran | EU/UN | Solana |
US to allow Iran convert uranium (June 7, 2006) - World powers have compromised on a demand that Iran commit to a long-term moratorium on uranium enrichment and are asking only for suspension during talks on Teheran's nuclear program, diplomats said Wednesday. In another concession, Iran would be allowed to carry out uranium conversion - a precursor to enrichment - if it agrees to multination talks, the diplomats said. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to divulge the contents of the offer made by six countries to Teheran Tuesday in a bid to defuse the Iranian nuclear standoff. Such changes to long-standing international demands on enrichment are important because they signal possible readiness to accept some limited form of the activity, despite fears that it can be misused to make the fissile core of nuclear warheads. Since talks between key European nations and Iran broke off in August, the public stance by the European negotiators and the United States has been that Iran must commit to a long-term moratorium on enrichment to establish confidence as a precondition for talks on the nuclear standoff. more... | Iran | America |
Iran Hoarding Gold (June 7, 2006) - Iranians are going for the gold - at least until someone else cuts them off. To forestall an effort by the West to seize Iranian assets in Europe, the Iranian leadership decided last fall to begin a massive, secret repatriation of its international currency reserves, according to Central Bank of Iran documents. The documents were obtained by an Iranian opposition group and shared with Newsmax. The documents detail eight shipments in chartered jumbo jets from Zurich's Kloten airport. The shipments, from October through late November, brought 250 tons of gold bullion from the vaults of Swiss banks to Tehran. The gold was purchased by Bank Markazi (the Central Bank of Iran) from Credit Suisse in Zurich, the documents showed. Three of the eight flights attracted the attention of amateur aircraft spotters, because the planes were painted in the distinctive livery of Iran Air, which rarely flies into Zurich. The spotters noted a 747-200 at the airport on Oct. 24, 2005, and an Airbus A-300 that made two rotations, on Nov. 14 and Nov. 23. They provided that information to Jetstream, a glossy, German-language monthly published in Zurich. more... | Iran |
Iran to Build Oil Refinery in Venezuela (June 6, 2006) - Iran and Venezuela, both at political loggerheads with the Bush administration, are deepening their economic ties. Iran will build an oil refinery in Faga, in Venezuela's oil-rich Orinoco province. IRNA news agency reported on June 1 that the refinery will refine heavy oil into gasoline and other oil derivatives. energy Minister and head of Petroleos de Venezuela Rafael Ramirez said the agreement would benefit both countries, adding that after the refinery comes online Iran will import gasoline from Venezuela. Iranian Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh is in Caracas to attend the 140th extraordinary meeting of the Organization of petroleum Exporting Countries, which opened June 1. Ramirez said that geopolitical tensions are the primary reason oil prices are currently above $70 a barrel. OPEC has kept its production ceiling at 28 million barrels per day since July 2005. Ramirez stated that Venezuela plans to increase its production to 5.8 million bpd in 2012. | Iran |
USA Out-Flanked in Eurasia Energy Politics? (June 5, 2006) - Curiously and quietly the United States is being out-flanked in its now-obvious strategy of controlling major oil and energy sources of the Persian Gulf, Central Asia Caspian Basin, Africa and beyond. The US's global energy control strategy, it's now clear to most, was the actual reason for the highly costly regime change in Iraq, euphemistically dubbed 'democracy' by Washington. George W. Bush restated his democracy mantra as recently as May 28 at the West Point military graduating ceremony where he declared that America's safety depends on an aggressive push for democracy, especially in the Middle East. 'This is only the beginning,' Bush said. 'The message has spread from Damascus to Tehran that the future belongs to freedom, and we will not rest until the promise of liberty reaches every people in every nation.' If the trend of recent events continues, it won't be Bush-style democracy that is spreading, but rather, Russian and Chinese influence over major oil and gas energy supplies. The quest for energy control has informed Washington's support for high-risk 'color revolutions' in Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kyrgystan in recent months. It lies behind US activity in the Western Africa Gulf of Guinea states, as well as in Sudan, source of 7% of China oil import. It lies behind US policy vis-à-vis Hugo Chavez' Venezuela and Evo Morales' Bolivia. In recent months, however, this strategy of global energy dominance, a strategic US priority, has shown signs of producing just the opposite: a kind of 'coalition of the unwilling,' states who increasingly see no other prospect, despite traditional animosities, but to cooperate to oppose what they see as a US push to control it all, their energy future security. Some in Washington are beginning to realize they might have been too clever by about half, as is evident in recent public statements to both China and Russia, two nations whose cooperation in some form is essential to the success of the global US energy project. more...  | America | Iran | NewWorldOrder |
EU's Solana Due in Iran late on Monday (June 5, 2006)European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana is due in Tehran late on Monday to deliver a package of incentives that seek to persuade Iran to abandon its plans to make nuclear fuel, Iranian sources said. One of the sources, who all asked not to be identified, said Solana would meet Iranian officials on Tuesday. An EU diplomat also said Solana would be in Iran on Tuesday but gave no further details. Speaking during a visit to the West Bank city of Ramallah, Solana said he would travel to Iran "very soon", but did not elaborate. He arrived in Israel late on Sunday as part of a previously planned trip that includes meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. His spokeswoman has said he would have dinner with Palestinian civil society leaders in Ramallah on Monday might. The incentives Solana will deliver to Iran stem from an initiative put together by the three biggest EU states - Britain, France and Germany - and were approved by a forum that also included the United States, China and Russia. Solana's office in Brussels said it was preparing an announcement about the details of the trip but for now could not be more precise about the timing. Details of the package have not been announced, but diplomats have been working on themes ranging from offering nuclear reactor technology to giving security guarantees. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday Iran would consider incentives but insisted the crux of the package -- that Iran must give up uranium enrichment -- was still unacceptable. Western nations fear Iran is enriching uranium to make an atomic bomb, but Iran insists its aims are entirely peaceful and that it wants to make fuel only to generate electricity. | Iran | EU/UN | Israel |
Iran's Military Plans for Invasion by U.S. (May 31, 2006) - Iran, apparently anticipating an American invasion, has quietly been restructuring its military and testing a new military doctrine that calls for a decentralized, Iraqi-style guerrilla campaign against an invading force. Iran's military planners are acutely aware that a military confrontation with technologically more advanced U.S. armed forces would be rapid and multifronted, unlike the static and slow-paced 1980-88 war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Therefore, a series of war games have been carried out since late last year to test the army's readiness. In December, more than 15,000 members of the regular armed forces participated in an exercise in northwestern Iran's strategically sensitive Azerbaijan border provinces that focused on irregular warfare carried out by highly mobile army units, according to the official MENA news agency. A second exercise was conducted in the majority-Arab province of Khuzestan in September, according to the Iranian press, aimed at quelling insurgencies in areas subject to ethnic unrest and prone to foreign influence. Involving a reported 100,000 troops, the exercise provided an example of how the Islamic Republic would respond to further disturbances in the strategic, oil-rich province that has been the scene of a year-old terrorist bombing campaign. more... | Iran | America |
Tel Aviv within range of new Iran-supplied Hezbollah rocket (May 29, 2006) - Iran has equipped the Lebanese-based radical Islamic group Hezbollah with long-range rockets capable of hitting targets up to 200 kilometers away, putting all of Israel's major urban centers - including the southern city of Be'er Sheva - within striking distance. The solid-fuel rockets lack an independent guidance system and their accuracy is questionable but they can still cause considerable damage. According to intelligence estimates, the rockets are meant to strike non-specific areas, such as towns and cities, and carry a warhead estimated to weigh 600 kilograms. This latest development doubles the range of weapons previously in Hezbollah's arsenal. In this latest transfer of military technology, Iran is seeking to improve its strategic options against Israel rather than better Hezbollah's capabilities. Equipping a Lebanese group considered by the west to be a terrorist organization with such rockets also poses a danger to Lebanon. The government of Lebanon has been pressured in the past by Hezbollah to disregard the United Nations Security Council resolution 1559, which demands that all armed militias in the country disarm. Hezbollah maintains that it is not a militia and is therefore not obliged to disarm, but the Security Council has not accepted this argument. The rockets delivered to the Hezbollah have appeared under different names. One is Zelzal-2, and its earlier model is the Zelzal-1. Another Iranian name for the rocket is Nazeat. more... | Iran | Islam | Israel |
Iran Chief Eclipses Power of Clerics (May 28, 2006) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is trying to consolidate power in the office of the presidency in a way never before seen in the 27-year history of the Islamic Republic, apparently with the tacit approval of Iran's supreme leader, according to government officials and political analysts here. That rare unity of elected and religious leadership at the highest levels offers the United States an opportunity to talk to a government, however combative, that has often spoken with multiple voices. But if Washington, which severed relations with Iran after the 1979 revolution, opened such a dialogue, it could lift the prestige of the Iranian president, who has pushed toward confrontation with the West. Political analysts and people close to the government here say Mr. Ahmadinejad and his allies are trying to buttress a system of conservative clerical rule that has lost credibility with the public. Their strategy hinges on trying to win concessions from the West on Iran's nuclear program and opening direct, high-level talks with the United States, while easing social restrictions, cracking down on political dissent and building a new political class from outside the clergy. Mr. Ahmadinejad is pressing far beyond the boundaries set by other presidents. For the first time since the revolution, a president has overshadowed the nation's chief cleric, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on both domestic and international affairs. He has evicted the former president, Mohammad Khatami, from his offices, taken control of a crucial research organization away from another former president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, challenged high-ranking clerics on the treatment of women and forced prominent academics out of the university system. more... | Iran | Islam |
Ahmadinejad is Not Unhinged (May 26, 2006) - For months, the world has been captivated by the sudden rise of a relative unknown to the presidency of the Islamic Republic of Iran and by his torrent of outrageous statements and claims. In a short time, he has acquired a great many names, including zealot, fascist, fanatic, anti-Semitic, and lunatic, among others. An increasing number of Western commentators are calling him "unhinged". In doing so, they attempt to dismiss the man as an aberration, as someone who is in urgent need of psychological help, a person out of touch with reality who represents nothing of substance. Once again the West is misreading and misjudging the people and the events in the Middle East as it tries to view the world through its own prism. Looking at the man through Western spectacles, he indeed appears to be all of the above and more. Yet Ahmadinejad is far from unhinged. Instead, he is firmly hinged to a set of beliefs that dictate his views of the world and how he should use his position of power. Ahmadinejad is therefore rational and there is very little that can be done to a person who is rationally and thoughtfully committed to an all-encompassing ideology. In Ahmadinejad's case, his views are firmly rooted in the most orthodox teachings of Shiite Islam. To understand Ahmadinejad's mindset and behavior accurately requires a close scrutiny of the elaborate and intricate theology of his faith in the most fundamentalist of numerous Shiite sects. For our purposes, however, it is sufficient to document the fact that Ahmadinejad is not unhinged. "Unhinged" is a derogatory term for a mentally disturbed individual. A prominent feature of such a person is the display of contradictory thoughts and behavior. By contrast, Ahmadinejad's words, deeds, and beliefs show a fully rational person. His reasoning may be dangerous and faulty, but he is rational nevertheless. Consider the following examples of Ahmadinejad's sayings, beliefs and actions. Whether one agrees or disagrees with them, they all fit into a consistent pattern. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | This is a really good article introducing the reality of the Iranian president's beliefs and actions. We cannot discount this man as a madman because he is quite intelligent and knows exactly what he's doing. His belief system centers around a prophesied leader, the 12th Mahdi coming in a time of chaos and he's intent on creating that environment. I personally believe the 12th Mahdi is possibly the false prophet of Revelation 13:11-18. I believe that he may point all Muslims to worship of the first beast of Revelation 13:1-10, the anti-christ. For more information, I've tried to define the beast here.
Larouche Warns of Cheney Plans to Launch Iran Strike in June (May 26, 2006) - Lyndon LaRouche issued a public warning today, that an ever more desperate Bush Administration, led by Vice President Dick Cheney, is seriously planning a preventive military strike against Iran sometime between now and early July. The warning is based on a series of reports from well-placed military and security sources in the United States and Europe, who point to a particular convergence of developments over this period. First, European security sources have issued dire warnings of serious terrorist disruptions of the scheduled World Cup soccer tournament, which takes place in a dozen German cities from early June through early July. These widely publicized soccer events are believed to be targeted by so-called hooligan gangs, neo-Nazi youth, and possibly by "Islamist" organizations, according to these security specialists. LaRouche pointed out that all of these countergangs have strong ties to the same European Synarchist financial circles who financed the Mussolini, Hitler, Franco, and Vichy fascist organizations during the 1922-1945 period. The heirs of those Synarchist financiers today are actively involved in promoting a resurgence of a new international fascist apparatus, which was already linked to the Madrid, Spain bombings of March 11, 2004, and which capability extends to Italy and parts of South America, as well as into the Islamic world. This Synarchist apparatus also has special capabilities inside Mexico, dating back to the Mussolini and Hitler period, which still remain deeply embedded in the political and social fabric of the country. U.S. military and intelligence sources have also reported that, during the month of June, three American and one French naval aircraft carrier group will be converging on Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf waters near Iran. Thus, military assets will be in place, during that time frame, to launch a short-notice attack, ostensibly in "retaliation" for terrorist actions which would be linked to the Teheran regime. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog |

Iran Seeks Anti-U.S. Axis Middle East News Line (May 26, 2006) - Iran aims to form an axis of powerful nations against the United States [U.S.]. Officials said Iran has sought to recruit a coalition that would oppose U.S. interests in the Middle East and Central Asia. They said the alliance would include nuclear powers. "China, Russia, India and Iran are capable of establishing a pole of major powers in Asia, opposing the policies of America," Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Maj. Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi said. Addressing the heads of the Basij militia in Teheran on May 9, Safavi said Iran could forge an international alliance to foil U.S. interests. The general envisioned a clash of such an axis with the U.S. and its allies. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

Iran Promises 'Historic Slap' to Any Attacker; has 'Mastered Nuclear Cycle' (May 25, 2006) - Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad boasted Wednesday that the Islamic republic had mastered the entire nuclear fuel cycle and that it would give an "historic slap" to any attacker. "Today, Iran has mastered the entire nuclear fuel cycle, from start to finish, thanks to young Iranian scientists," the president said in a speech in the southwestern border town of Khorramshahr. "The enemies are looking to plot and want to create differences among Iranians to stop us getting our rights," Ahmadinejad said. "But if they do the slightest damage to the Iranian people, if they commit the slightest aggression, they will receive an historic slap." The president was speaking during commemorations of the 1982 recapture from Iraqi forces of Khorramshahr, one of the bloodiest battles of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel |
Bush vows to protect Israel from Iran (May 25, 2006) - US President George W. Bush has provided Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with a strong American commitment to protect Israel in case it is attacked by Iran. In a joint press conference following their Tuesday White House meeting, Bush said that "Israel is a close friend and ally of the United States, and in the event of any attack on Israel, the United States will come to Israel's aid. "The United States is strongly committed, and I'm strongly committed, to the security of Israel as a vibrant, Jewish state." When asked about the options the US sees in dealing with Iran's nuclear threat, Bush stressed the need for diplomacy and said that efforts are being made to convince Russia that Iran is "showing no good faith." Olmert would not go into the details of his conversation with Bush regarding Iran, but he said after the meeting that what he had heard from the president "gives me reason to be satisfied." In his speech to Congress on Wednesday, Olmert said there was no time to wait when dealing with Iran. He also stressed that the measure for success of the international community in this issue would be the results, not the intentions, saying, "If we don't take Iran's bellicose rhetoric seriously now, we will be forced to take its nuclear aggression seriously later." | Iran |Israel |
U.S., Israel 'in agreement' on Iran (May 25, 2006) - President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are in "full agreement" regarding methods to confront Iran's suspected nuclear program, both leaders said yesterday at a joint press conference in Washington. But Bush stopped short of endorsing Olmert's plan to withdraw from most of Judea and Samaria, which borders Israel's major population centers, downgrading the proposed evacuation to a "bold [idea]" that "could be an important step" toward peace. Still, the Israeli media today largely claimed Bush is in support of the withdrawal. Olmert had sought U.S. recognition for new borders he wishes to create after implementing his evacuation, and, according to sources in Olmert's office, had hoped to gain American financial support for the withdrawal plan. Olmert, speaking to reporters following his White House meeting with Bush, said he believes Iran will cross "the technological threshold" on its path to nuclear capability in about a year. The Israeli leader expressed concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions, insisting it was not too late to prevent the Islamic republic's atomic program. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel |
Moscow angered by US plan for 'star wars' bases in Europe to counter threat of Iran (May 24, 2006) - In a move that is raising hackles in Moscow, the US is proposing to install an anti-missile defence system in central Europe to counter any future attack from a nuclear-armed Iran. The plan, for which the Pentagon has requested $56m of exploratory funding from Congress, would cost $1.6bn and involve 10 interceptor units. The most likely base for the system is Poland, followed by the Czech Republic, officials said. For the moment, the scheme ­ first reported in The New York Times this week and which would parallel the anti-missile shield under construction in Alaska and California against attacks from North Korea ­ is largely symbolic and hypothetical. Iran currently has no weapons capable of hitting western Europe, let alone an intercontinental missile that could strike the United States. But as a showdown moves closer between the West and Tehran over its uranium-enrichment programme, and with the Israeli Prime Minister in Washington warning that Iran represents a threat not only to Israel but to Western civilisation, the US is determined to send another signal of its determination to act. The new shield would bring a direct US military presence deeper into Europe. And for Russia, the project reeks of American encroachment into what used to be its own sphere of influence. The move would have "a negative impact on the whole Euro-Atlantic security system", Sergei Ivanov, the Russian Defence Minister, told a Belarus newspaper, hinting at further strain on ever-delicate relations between Russia and Nato. The mooted site for the system was "dubious, to put it mildly", he said. This is not the first time the missile shield has divided the two countries. In 2002, President Bush upset Moscow by unilaterally pulling out of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, long regarded in Moscow as the cornerstone of nuclear arms control. The possible extension of missile defences into Poland or the Czech Republic ­ both staunch American allies ­ is the latest episode of a story that has inspired dreams and controversy in equal measure since it was first sketched out by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 as the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI), quickly dubbed "Star Wars". But despite more than 20 years of work and tens of billions of dollars in spending, it is now accepted that any such shield would be overwhelmed by an attack from Russia, which possesses a nuclear arsenal comparable to the US. It has now been scaled back to cope with the far more limited strike that North Korea might be able to deliver to the continental US by the end of the decade. So far, nine interceptor rockets are in place at Fort Greely in Alaska, and two more at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. But the viability even of this version is questionable. "It [the shield] has been doing very poorly," a former Pentagon official involved in the testing told The New York Times. "They have not had a successful flight intercept test in four years." But the slow progress has not deterred extensive contacts between the US and Poland in particular. Polish press reports have said that Boeing, the lead company on the project, has already agreed to subcontract work to Polish concerns. According to The New York Times, the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, is expected to receive a recommendation on a European site in the summer. If the plan for interceptors in Poland goes ahead, it would create the first permanent American military presence in the country. At least as logical a site for the shield would be Britain, where the Pentagon is already upgrading equipment at the early warning radar base of Fylingdales in North Yorkshire. But the intense domestic unpopularity of Tony Blair and hostility to the Iraq war have ruled that option out. Poland, on the other hand, has been a staunch ally of the US ever since Communism collapsed there in 1989. It is now a member of Nato, and has contributed troops to the occupation of Iraq. | Iran | America | Gog/Magog | EU/UN |
Iran Test-Fires Long-Range Missile (May 24, 2006) - Iran conducted a test launch Tuesday night of the Shihab-3 intermediate-range ballistic missile, which is capable of reaching Israel and US targets in the region, Israel Radio reported. The test came hours before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with US President George W Bush in Washington to discuss the Iranian threat. Military officials said it was not clear if this most recent test indicated an advance in the capabilities of the Shihab 3. They said the test was likely timed to coincide with the Washington summit and with comments made by Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah during celebrations in Beirut marking the 6th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon. more... | Iran |
Iran Deploys Its War Machine (May 24, 2006) - Iran's strategic planners are acutely aware that a military confrontation with the technologically more advanced US Army would be as rapid and multi-fronted as the Iran-Iraq War was static and slow-paced. Quite simply, there would not be a single front. Neither the US nor Israel has ruled out taking military action against nuclear-related targets in Iran if ongoing diplomatic efforts to freeze Tehran's nuclear program do not prove successful. Accordingly, Iran has been quietly restructuring its military, while carrying out a series of military exercises testing its new military dogma. In December, more than 15,000 members of the regular armed forces participated in war games in northwestern Iran's strategically sensitive East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan border provinces that focused on irregular warfare carried out by highly mobile and speedy army units. In another telling development, a second exercise was launched in the majority-Arab province of Khuzestan, reportedly aimed at quelling insurgencies in areas subject to ethnic unrest and prone to foreign influence. Involving 100,000 troops, the exercise provided a taste of how the Islamic Republic would respond to further disturbances in the strategic, oil-rich province. The exercise came on the heels of news that the irregular Basij forces that led Iran's offensives against Iraq were being bolstered by so-called Ashura battalions with riot-control training. It is all part of a fundamental transition that Iran's Revolutionary Guard (RG) is undergoing as it moves away from focusing on waging its defense of the country on the borders - unrealistic in view of the vast territory that requires securing and the gulf separating Iranian and US military capabilities - and toward drawing the enemy into the heartland and defeating it with asymmetrical tactics. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel |
Sources: 'Iran believes Israel to strike within year' (May 24, 2006) - Iran estimates Israel will strike Tehran's nuclear facilities within a year, and has been planning retaliatory attacks against Israeli, American and British interests, according to senior Lebanese political sources. The sources, speaking to WorldNetDaily on condition of anonymity, said Iran believes Israel has been practicing raids in Iraq. They said Tehran has held a series of meetings with leaders of the Hezbollah terror group – based along Lebanon's border with Israel – about attacking the Jewish state in the event of any Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear sites. The sources said while Iran is expecting lone Israeli military action, Iranian intelligence estimates the Jewish state is coordinating a planned attack with the U.S. "The Iranians currently are operating under the working assumption that Israel is going to strike in less than a year and that this strike is highly coordinated with America," said a senior Lebanese politician. Lebanese political sources said Iran has been attempting to organize Shiite tribes in Iraq to stage repeated large-scale attacks against American and British forces stationed there during any Israeli strike. They said Iran believes attacks in Iraq, including hits against soft targets such as oil fields, will prompt a British or American retreat. The Lebanese sources said Iran claims it has intelligence information indicating Israel has been carrying out military exercises related to an attack against it from bases in Kurdish sections of Iraq. Israeli security officials said the claims are baseless. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel |
Iran is preparing consignment of 300 vehicles and two civilian aircraft for Gaza Strip - along with 50 Iranian “experts” DEBKAfile (May 22, 2006) - The plan is described by DEBKAfile’s Tehran and counter-terror sources as an Iranian move to seize control of the Palestinian civilian and security infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Hamas transport minister Ziad Zaza, just returned from Tehran, formally asked Israel Sunday, May 21, to allow dozens of Iranian maritime and air transport engineers and technicians and heavy equipment to enter Gaza from Egyptian Sinai through the Rafah crossing. Hamas presents the proposed Iranian input as assistance for re-activating the Dahaniya airport and the construction of a deep-sea port in Gaza. The 300 vehicles “made in Iran” consist of police cars, ambulances, fire engines and 100 buses for the use of the forces of “law and order.” DEBKAfile’s sources report that both Hamas and Tehran know in advance that Israel will turn the application down. But they hope to make propaganda hay in Europe and the Muslim world by demonstrating that the Jewish state is in violation of commitments to help restore the Gaza Strip’s economy signed prior to its pull-back. | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel |
Bush is expected to offer the mighty BIG-BLU bunker buster bomb to Israel and Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia DEBKAfile (May 22, 2006) - The intention is to arm US allies with a deterrent against Iran by sharing with them the means for striking the Islamic Republic’s underground nuclear installations. This Massive Ordnance Penetrator – MOP – known as BIG-BLU (picture) - weighs in at 13,600 kilos and can destroy 25% of its targets in bunkers buried beneath 60 meters of reinforced concrete, a depth greater than any other bomb of its type. DEBKAfile’s military sources note that this bomb in Saudi hands will also serve the oil kingdom as a deterrent against Israel’s atomic weapons program. In this way, the Bush administration demonstrates it is not solely targeting the military weapons activities of Muslim nations. The bunker busters will no doubt come with strings attached with regard to their use. Israeli prime minister Olmert, who is due at the White House Tuesday, said he hoped Bush “will lead other nations in taking the necessary measures to stop Iran form becoming a nuclear power.” more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel |
Israeli diplomats plan to sue Ahmadinejad (May 22, 2006) - Israeli forum set to demand International Court of Justice in The Hague launch legal proceedings against Iranian president for conspiring to commit crimes against humanity, genocide. A group of Israeli diplomats plans to turn to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague and demand that it launch legal proceedings against Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for conspiring to commit crimes against humanity. Following the scathing remarks made by Ahmadinejad in the past few months against Israel's right to exist and his Holocaust denial, while the Iranians are exerting increasing efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, Israeli diplomats decided to form a group aimed at looking into the possibility of launching a legal procedure. On Sunday, the group members announced that a legal examination of the issue, in which international legal experts took part, ended with the conclusion that the Iranian president could be sued. The legal file against Ahmadinejad is almost ready for submission. Among the forum members are former Israeli Ambassador to the United States and France Dr. Meir Rosen, former Foreign Ministry Director-General Eytan Bentsur, and former Minister Dan Naveh. The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA), headed by former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Dore Gold, is providing the forum with logistic assistance in preparing the lawsuit. more...  | Iran |Israel |
Iran May Already Have Nuclear Bomb: Expert (May 22, 2006) - Iran may already possess a nuclear bomb but is "smart" enough to pretend to be on the way to achieving nuclear capability so that it could induce concessions from the international community, an Israeli nuclear expert has claimed. The Iranians are not necessarily presenting the true facts to the world and may be showing the IAEA dummy presentations of an unfinished bomb, while hiding a fully developed bomb elsewhere, former head of the Nuclear Engineering Department at Ben-Gurion University, Professor Zeev Alfassi, told Ynet. Tehran may be holding the true bomb in caves or in underground facilities, Alfassi told the news portal. However, he ruled out any chances that the Islamic Republic will use its nuclear capability saying, "their thinking is fantastic." "The Iranians, in terms of threats, are smarter than everyone. They threaten with a bomb and the world gives them anything they want, as long as they dont throw the bomb", the expert said. "Being offered a reward instead of a punishment testifies to the fact that they are very smart," he added. Alfassi said even five to six bombs won't destroy the Jewish state. A nuclear bomb could definitely hit an entire city, but not destroy a state, he said. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel |
The EU Incentives Proposal for Iran Is Rife with Hidden Dangers (May 20, 2006) - US undersecretary of state Nicholas Burns was being polite when he said Friday, May 19, that Washington was still looking at the European proposal of incentives, and promised to deliver the US response at the next US meeting with European negotiators in London this coming Thursday. He was referring to the EU proposal to persuade Iran to abandon uranium enrichment, the heavy water plant under construction at Arak and its ambitious nuclear "research" projects. These concessions would assure the world that Tehran was not pursuing nuclear weapons. But the package has already been repeatedly rejected by Iran, dismissed as "nuts and chocolates for gold." According to DEBKAfile's sources in the US capital, Washington also finds it unacceptable and has informed the Europeans that their package poses more dangers - even than the consortium Moscow proposes for a joint venture to enrich uranium up to low levels in Russia. The Bush administration accuses the Europeans of going behind America's back to assemble an apparently innocuous proposal which is rife with hidden dangers. In the first place, not one, but several light water reactors are on offer. In the second, Iran will get an almost unlimited supply of fuel rods containing enriched uranium (up to 60%) for powering these reactors. Furthermore, the spent fuel contains fission products and plutonium which has military uses. more... | Iran | EU/UN |
Why the World Should Take Ahmadinejad Seriously (May 18, 2006) - Right from the start of the current crisis over Iran’s nuclear program, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration has pursued three main objectives. The first of these is to prevent the formation of a unified international front opposed to Tehran. The idea here is that if Iran manages to split the United Nations’ Security Council, and prevent the United States from enlisting the full support of the European Union, any plan to stop Iran’s plans would be doomed to failure. The second objective of the Ahmadinejad administration has been to present the nuclear issue as the most pressing topic in Iran’s domestic politics. The idea here is that since most people do not quite know what is at stake the government has a fair chance of casting itself in the role of “ the defender of national interests” against foreign, imperialistic powers that do not wish Iran, and other developing nations for that matter, to secure a share of modern science and technology. The nuclear issue has the added advantage of edging out other issues of domestic politics, notably the systematic violation of human rights, the looming economic crisis, and the bitter power struggle that is tearing the ruling establishment apart. Finally, the Ahmadinejad administration has tried to transform the nuclear issue into a duel between itself and the Bush administration in Washington. This strategy is based on the calculation that almost all countries, including Iran’s neighbors and the veto-holding members of he Security Council, would be glad to transfer that hot potato to Washington. Right from the start of his presidency, Ahmadinejad has claimed that the world today has only two options with regards to shaping the future. One is to adopt the American economic, political and cultural model in the context of globalization. The other is to adopt the Khomeinist model in which politics, economics and culture provide a unified whole within a social framework built on religion and controlled by theological authority. more... | Iran | Islam |
China, Russia Pushing U.S. And Israel Closer To Arms Confrontation With Iran (May 18, 2006) - The refusal of China and Russia to take any kind of substantive United Nations Security Council action against Iran is actually pushing the United States and Israel ever closer to a military confrontation with Iran. Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad knows he does not have to bow to pressure from Europe and the United States because he has the undaunted support of China and Russia. China and Russia have consistently said they will not support any sanctions or military action against Iran. America’s Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, has said that every discussion with Russia is difficult and every negotiation won is only after painstaking and often contentious debate. Evidence of this is found after Wednesday’s U.N. Security Council vote encouraging Syria to establish borders and diplomatic relations with Lebanon. The vote was unanimous except for Russia and China who abstained because they said it was “unnecessary meddling.” Comparing it to offering “walnuts and chocolate for gold,” Ahmadinejad turned down a sleek European Union offer that even included a nuclear reactor as a bribe for the terrorist Iranian regime to halt its development of nuclear technology. Instead, Ahmadinejad made an offer of his own: That he would open up the 70 million person Iranian marketplace to Europe if they would embrace Iran’s march toward membership in the international nuclear club. Many diplomats believe that Iran’s refusal of even a nuclear reactor and a sweet economic package from Europe means that Ahmadinejad and his radical band of Islamofascists are totally serious about building nuclear weapons—how smart of them. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel |
Israel 'Will Not Allow' Iran Nuclear Weapons (May 18, 2006) - The brother of newly-elected Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, said here on Monday that Israel "will not allow" Iran to acquire nuclear weapons capability, and will launch a unilateral military strike if necessary to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities. Dr. Josef Olmert, a spokesman for Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir in the early 1990s, told an audience at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles that "Iran is an existential issue" for Israel, because successive Iranian leaders have openly evoked the possibility of a nuclear exchange with the Jewish state. Olmert now works with Israel's mission to the United Nations in New York and with "The Israel Project," an advocacy group in Washington, DC. His brother, who became Prime Minister after elections in March, will visit Washington, D.C. next week to meet with President Bush. Accompanying him will be Dr. Eli Levita, deputy director of Israel's Atomic Energy Commission, who will brief U.S. officials on what Israel has learned about Iran's progress toward nuclear weapons capability. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel |
Knesset member: Strike Iran now (May 18, 2006) - Israel and the international community should consider carrying out strategic strikes now against Iran's nuclear facilities to stall its suspected uranium enrichment activities, Israeli Knesset Member Effie Eitam told WorldNetDaily yesterday during an interview. Eitam, chairman of the National Union Party and a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, warned Israel would need to attack Iran by itself if the international community led by the Unites States fails to successfully halt Tehran's nuclear program within about a year. He blasted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's administration for "failing to devise a coherent strategy toward Iran" and urged Israel to immediately make public a doctrine of deterrence that would assure "total destruction" of Iran should it contemplate a first strike against the Jewish state. "Iran is now at that kind of bottleneck junction where strategic sites that are known can be relatively easily and safely attacked with the goal of causing maximum delay. Strikes now can stall the entire nuclear process by many years," said Eitam. The Knesset member, a former Israeli Defense Forces general, said Israel may need to act alone against Iran. "With or without a world coalition, Israel will have to take action at some point when we are fully sure Iran's nuclear project is coming to a point of no return. I am worried all mechanisms of diplomacy used by the Iranians in response to the international movement against it are to buy time as they camouflage the real nature of their programs." more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel |
Retired Pakistani General Says He Told Iran to Hit Israel in Event of Any Attack (May 16, 2006) - Pakistan's former army chief says Iranian officials came to him for advice on heading off an attack on their nuclear facilities, and he in effect advised them to take a hostage -- Israel. Retired General Mirza Aslam Beg said he suggested their government "make it clear that if anything happens to Iran, if anyone attacks it -- it doesn't matter who it is or how it is attacked -- that Iran's answer will be to hit Israel; the only target will be Israel." Since Beg spoke of the encounter, echoes of his thinking have been heard in Iran, though whether they result directly from his advice isn't known. Mohammed Ebrahim Dehghani, an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, was quoted last week as saying that if "America does make any mischief, the first place we target will be Israel." The threat was disavowed the following day by Brigadier General Alireza Afshar, deputy to the chief of Iran's military staff, who said that it was Dehghani's "personal view and has no validity as far as the Iranian military officials are concerned." more... | Gog/Magog | Iran | Israel |
Russia and US Trade Angry Words Over Iran at UN Dinner (May 16, 2006) - The American secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, and her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, traded barbs during bad-tempered talks at a foreign ministers' summit in New York on Iran's nuclear programme. The exchanges provided a candid introduction to diplomacy for Margaret Beckett, the new Foreign Secretary, who attended the tetchy session at the end of her first full day in the job. The row, which further undermines hopes of a diplomatic solution to the Iran crisis, reflects deepening rifts between the United States and Russia. Tension surfaced at a private meeting hosted by Ms Rice in the Waldorf Hotel for the Russian, British, French, German and Chinese foreign ministers, and spilt over into a much-delayed dinner. One official in Washington said: "It was a pretty extraordinary session and everyone's been talking about it in private since. It was certainly quite an introduction to the rough and tumble of the new job for Mrs Beckett." more... | Gog/Magog |
Oil for No One If Iran Attacked (May 15, 2006) - Visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said here on Thursday in case of a military attack against Iran, no country in the world would have access to crude oil. Chavez made the remark at a press conference, adding, "as Iran's President Ahmadinejad has reiterated, if Tehran would come under attack, oil would get scarce for everyone." He also said that the American President George W. Bush should be put to trial at the International Court of Justice for having launched genocide in Iraq. The Venezuelan president added, "for all the horror it has created around the globe in the course of the past century, the United States' war machine should be dismantled, since under the current conditions it is a threat against the entire mankind, particularly against our children." Chavez added, "the North American empire is the most cruel murderer regime that has ever come to power in world history and a serious threat for all nations." more...  | Iran |
A Fresh Supply of Iranian Weapons for New Batch of Iraqi Shiite Terrorists (May 15, 2006) - In the past two weeks, Iran has been pumping into Iraq two types of extra-lethal weapons in very large quantities. They have already taken their toll in the shooting down of two military helicopters - one American and one British – and an estimated 19 deaths of US military personnel. DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources estimate the delivery to Iraqi insurgents as consisting of around 1,000 SA-7 Strela ground-air missiles made in Iran, and a very large quantity of a newly-developed roadside bomb, loaded with compressed gas instead of ball bearings and cartridges, to magnify their blast and explosive power. The supplies have been distributed across Iraq - Basra and Amara in the south, Baghdad and its environs, Haditha in the west, and Mosul in the north. The new bombs, developed jointly by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the Lebanese Hizballah, have already gone into service with the Shiite terrorists on the Lebanese border with Israel. Israeli military sources say it is only a matter of time before the deadly roadside bombs, already used in Iraq, will also reach Palestinian areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. more...  | Iran |

Former Military Intelligence Chief Warns of Impending World Jihad 'Tsunami' (May 15, 2006) - Former Military Intelligence chief Aharon Ze'evi warned Monday morning of an impending world jihad "tsunami" that he said may soon descend on the entire Middle East. Ze'evi, speaking at a Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies conference in Tel Aviv University, said that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinijad has been overheard promising the "end of history in two or three years." Ze'evi recommended that the Iranian threats be taken seriously, saying that Tehran will soon have nuclear warhead compatible surface-to-surface missiles with a range of 5,000 kilometers, putting Europe within striking distance. Ze'evi also warned that Israel should not rule out the possibility of a conventional war against Islamic militants. Ze'evi said he foresees this war breaking out on Israel's northern frontier, against Syria and Hezbollah. Emphasizing the radicalization of Islamic militancy, Ze'evi cited recent changes in the objectives of major militant organizations, which have recently begun targeting sites in Arab countries. "We are seeing attacks carried out in Amman, Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh," said Ze'evi. He cited the increased accessibility of Internet in the Arab world as facilitating the process, saying, "Today, anyone who is interested can learn how to blow up a bomb." Major General (Res.) Ze'evi stepped down as chief of Military Intelligence about four months ago, and was replaced by Major General Amos Yadlin. | Iran | Israel | Islam | Gog/Magog |

Iran letter precursor to War?  (May 11, 2006) - Some Middle East observers believe Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter to President Bush could be a precursor to war, based on a traditional Muslim pattern of offering acceptance of Islam before establishing it by force. Robert Spencer, editor of Jihad Watch, says Ahmadinejad appears to be following the teachings of Muhammad, who gave specific instructions to followers as they engage in "holy war" against "those who disbelieve in Allah." In a Hadith, regarded by Muslims as sacred writings about Muhammad, the Islamic prophet says a series of offers should be made to "enemies" to embrace Islam, or at least accept Islamic rule, and if they are rejected, "seek Allah's help and fight them." In his letter, Ahmadinejad argues only Islam can "overcome the present problems of the world" and asks Bush, "Will you not accept this invitation? That is, a genuine return to the teachings of prophets, to monotheism and justice, to preserve human dignity and obedience to the Almighty and His prophets? Mr President, History tells us that repressive and cruel governments do not survive." Another observer of Islam, journalist Stephen Adams, said the letter seems to parallel a missive from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden to Americans prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Interviewed on the Michael Medved radio show yesterday, Adams noted bin Laden stated his grievances against the United States and gave Americans the opportunity to "repent." Based on precedent, Adams continued, he expects the next step will be for Iran to make the invitation public. Then the "crimes" of the U.S. will be published and the grievances will be cited at Friday prayers in mosques. Finally, comes a fatwa, amounting to a declaration of war. Adams, associate editor of Citizen magazine, said it's possible this scenario could unfold in a matter of weeks. In a column for WorldNetDaily, Middle East analyst Laura Mansfield said she believes the letter could be a "last warning." Mansfield says the question must be asked: "Why deliver such a letter when there is little chance it will result in policy changes for either country?" Like Spencer and Adams, she points out: "Islamic theology documents that no attack can be carried out in jihad without first offering the 'unbelievers' the opportunity to 'repent' and accept Islam. Only when that overture is rejected can an attack occur." The Iranian president has made clear, at least to audiences at home, Tehran's ultimate intentions. As WorldNetDaily reported in January, Ahmadinejad told a crowd of theological students in Iran's holy city of Qom that Islam must prepare to rule the world. "We must believe in the fact that Islam is not confined to geographical borders, ethnic groups and nations. It's a universal ideology that leads the world to justice," Ahmadinejad said Jan. 5, according to Mehran Riazaty, a former Iran analyst for the Central Command of the Coalition Forces in Baghdad.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discounted the rambling 18 page letter saying, "The first read of it: there is nothing in this letter that in any way addresses any of the issues, really, that are on the table in the international community, the nuclear program, in a straightforward way; the terrorism issues." Rice, in an interview with Associated Press, went on to characterize the letter as “broadly philosophical” and said that “there's nothing in here that would suggest that we're on any different course than we were before we got the letter."

Amid heightened threats from president Ahmadinejad, Tehran opens a back door into Israel for its penetration-cum-terror agents: Sudan to the Negev (May 11, 2006) - DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources reveal that two Iranian Revolutionary Guards companies were dropped at Khartoum’s military airfield May 2 by a C-130 transport and driven to a secret military installation on the outskirts of the Sudanese capital. Their arrival signals the onset of an Iranian military airlift to Sudan of a fully equipped RG brigade with armor, a major escalation of the clandestine Iranian threat to Egypt and Israel alike. DEBKAfile’s security sources report the ongoing routine of illicit Sudanese infiltrations into the southern Israeli Negev, shepherded by any of three local smuggling rings: the Palestinian gang headed by Jamal Samhadan, the Hamas government’s new appointee as commander of its security forces, Sudanese-Egyptian crime organizations and al Qaeda’s Sinai network. All three are readily available to operate under the orders of the Iranian RG intelligence officers posted in Sudan. The scale of the Negev traffic is such that hardly a day goes by without Sudanese infiltrators being caught attempting to steal across the Egyptian border into southern Israel. Many are job-seekers; a few, mules for gunrunners or spies collecting data on army installations in the desert region; some were caught recently near the town of Mitzpeh Ramon. They are led to their destinations by Egyptian intelligence agents familiar with the territory, Palestinian terrorists from Gaza or a sprinkling of Israeli Arabs. An Israeli security source told DEBKAfile that the current Egyptian-Israeli-Gazan border situation offers Iranian agents and terrorists mixed in among the Sudanese infiltrators an easy route into southern Israel. The RG agents are Arabic speakers, having acquired the language from their stint as military instructors with the Lebanese Hizballah.

Ahmadinejad calls Israel “a tyrannical regime based on evil” that will one day be destroyed (May 11, 2006) - Addressing a cheering crowd in Jakarta, the Iranian president said his country is willing to negotiate its nuclear program with Washington - after the US drops its “bad attitude.” He said America had more to lose from sanctions than Iran and stressed that every country had the right – not just the US – to use new technology for its energy needs.

Iran Wants to Change World Order (May 9, 2006) - "Wiping Israel off the map is just one step in Iran's attempt to create a new world order," said Brig.-Gen Yosef Kuperwasser, head of the IDF Military Intelligence's research division. "Iran is interested not only in turning into a superpower, but also in changing the world order," Kuperwasser said at a conference on power projection at the Fisher Institute of Strategic Studies in Herzliya. "Iran is at the forefront of global terrorism, and aids Hizbullah in Lebanon, al Qaida, and Palestinian terror organizations, and is behind attacks on US armed forces in Iraq," the general asserted. Obtaining nuclear power, Kuperwasser said, would not only establish Iran as a superpower on a global level, but would also assist the country in establishing its domestic regime. more... | Iran | Islam |

Former military intelligence official says Peres' threat to Iran not accidental (May 9, 2006) A former top military intelligence official said Tuesday that Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres' threat that that Iran could also be destroyed was not accidental. "The statement by Shimon Peres highlights the basis of Israeli deterrence and hints to Tehran that it too has a soft underbelly," Col. (Ret.) Shimon Boyarsky, a former head of the Iran department in military intelligence, told Israel's Army Radio. "A statement that was repeated three times was not said accidentally." On Monday, Peres warned Iran that it could be threatened with destruction if it continues to vow to destroy Israel. "Be careful with your threats," Peres told Channel 1 TV. "Those who threaten to destroy are in danger of being destroyed." "A statement that was repeated three times was not said accidentally." more...

Iran nuclear policy could backfire: Peres (May 8, 2006) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has called for Israel to be wiped off the map, should bear in mind that his own country could also be destroyed, Israeli elder statesman Shimon Peres said on Monday. Peres, vice prime minister in Ehud Olmert's new government, said Iran was mocking the international community's attempts to resolve the crisis over its nuclear ambitions and that the credibility of the U.N. Security Council was on the line. In what Olmert has described as a threat that must be taken seriously, Ahmadinejad has called for Israel to be destroyed. "They want to wipe out Israel ... Now when it comes to destruction, Iran too can be destroyed (but) I don't suggest to say an eye for an eye," Peres told Reuters in an interview. "Israel would defend itself under any condition but we don't look upon it as an Iranian-Israeli conflict exclusively ... (Iran) is basically a danger to the world, not just to us." Iranian officials have argued Ahmadinejad's comments on Israel did not constitute a threat and said its armed forces would retaliate for any attack. more...

The return of the Mahdi; Islam will dominate the world, A mushroom cloud, right in the midst of Israel! (May 5, 2006) - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was invited to speak at the United Nations in October 2005. At the conclusion of his discourse, he called upon Allah to quickly usher in the re-emergence of the "Twelfth" or "Hidden Imam," sometimes referred to as the "Mahdi." The fanatical leader later claimed that while he spoke to that august body, he was surrounded by a halo of light. Mr. Ahmadinejad regaled a local ayatollah with the story of how "The leaders of the world" stared at him during the time he spoke. He further claimed that they were unable to blink or turn away, as though some unseen force held them in a trance-like state. "When I say they didn't bat an eyelid, I'm not exaggerating, because I was looking at them," intoned Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad is a Shia Muslim. Many of them believe that the Twelfth Imam, or Mahdi, the last in a line of saints descended from Ali, the founder of their sect, vanished down a well near Jamkaran, Iran, in AD 941. According to their beliefs, he went into a state of "occultation," like the sun being hidden behind the clouds; and, after a stormy period of apocalyptic wars, the clouds will part, and the "sun" (the Mahdi) will be revealed. They believe that when he is released from his imprisonment, the entire world will submit to Islam. The world may smirk as they hear the president of Iran talking of the return of the Mahdi and think it is just a bunch of religious foolishness. But, he is dead serious. Not only does he believe it, but the tens of thousands of mullahs controlling ancient Persia believe it also. It is their mission from God. But just who is this "Mahdi," this Hidden Imam? Some thought it was the Ayatollah Khomeini. In fact, when he returned to Iran in February 1979 following the overthrow of the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, the roads leading into Tehran were lined with nearly 2 million Shia Muslims screaming "al-Muntazar." The grand ayatollah was quick to deny that he was "al-Muntazar," one of the names given to the Hidden Imam. In other words, many thought Khomeini was the awakened Mahdi. Khomeini did, however, explain to his followers that he was the forerunner, the one who had come to open the way for the Hidden Imam to make his reappearance. more...

The War Drums Are Beating Louder (May 3, 2006) - Here in Israel we constantly hear that Iran is going to wipe us off the map, I don't think any of us believe Iran is capable of doing that, but we all know things could and most likely will get really bad for a while, but God willing Israel will survive and I know that God is willing.  For those of us who keep an eye on the political scene in the Knesset know that this crisis could not come at a worse time, Ariel Sharon has dealt a terrible blow to the politics of Israel and weaken it to the point that we are wondering if the present Leaders have the ability to handle such a crisis.  Olmert has appointed Peretz as our Defense Minister, a man with absolutely no experience in the field of military defense, it looks as if Olmert has only one concern and that is to save his coalition at any cost.  That cost could in fact be most costly to the survival of Israel. Internally we see Hamas positioning itself in a posture that says they are getting ready to hit Israel with very thing they have some time in the near future.  Possibly when Iran makes its move to destroy the Jewish State.  What many of us here in Israel are struggling with is why Israel set still for weeks and allowed truck loads of weapons to flow into Gaza through the open border with Egypt? Iran in the past couple of months has acquired the BM-25 missile from North Korea, this missile has a range of over 2,500 kilometers.  It was sold to North Korea by the Russians and was once used on the Russian Submarines known as the SSN6.  It is capable of carrying nuclear warheads.  If I lived in Europe or Turkey I'd be most interested in this purchase as it now puts most of Europe and all of Turkey in range of the Iranian threat.  As for the Iranian ability to hit Israel that threat has been there for a very long time now with there Shihab-3 missile, they have also improved it by developing a cone making it capable of entering the atmosphere making it much more accurate. more...

U.S. Republican Party Head: Iran Nukes Threaten Jewish People Associated Press (May 3, 2006) - The head of the United States [U.S.] Republican Party said on May 2 that Iran's nuclear program threatens Israel, the Jewish people and the U.S., and "we must confront an evil ideology head on." Ken Mehlman, in a speech to the American Jewish Committee's annual meeting, invoked the anti-Semitism of recent history in focusing on Iran, lauded the progress in Iraq and addressed pre-emptive military action. "Just as we did during the 20th century, we must confront an evil ideology head on," Mehlman said. "And just as we did, we will prevail." In Tehran, a Revolutionary Guards commander said Israel would be Iran's first retaliatory target in response to any U.S. attack, a remark that underlined Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for Israel to be "wiped off the map." "This is not about politics, this is not about left vs. right, or East vs. West, or Democrat vs. Republican. This is about a man who would like to see Jerusalem destroyed and may soon have the power to do that," Mehlman said. The Republican National Committee chairman said the U.S. must remember the lessons of World War II. "When we wait until an attack is imminent, we have waited too long," he said.

Iran threatens Israel if US acts "evil" (May 2, 2006) - Iran threatened on Tuesday to attack Israel in response to any "evil" act by the United States and said it had enriched uranium to a level close to the maximum compatible with civilian use in power stations. The defiant statements were issued shortly before world powers met in Paris late on Tuesday to plan their next moves after Tehran rejected a U.N. call to halt uranium enrichment. Senior officials from the U.N. Security Council's permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany discussed how to curb an Iranian program that Western nations say conceals a drive for atomic warheads. Iran denies the charge and refuses to back down from what it calls its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. Driving home that message, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, said his country had now succeeded in purifying uranium to 4.8 percent, at the top end of the 3 to 5 percent range for fuel used in nuclear power plants. more...

Iran Says Does Not "Give a Damn" About UN Resolution (April 28, 2006) - Iran's president said on Friday his country would pay no attention to international calls to halt its nuclear work, hours before the U.N. atomic watchdog reports on whether Tehran has met U.N. Security Council demands. "Those who want to prevent Iranians from obtaining their right, should know that we do not give a damn about such resolutions," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a rally in northwest Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported. Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is expected to tell the council and the agency's board on Friday that Iran has not stopped enriching uranium or fully answered IAEA queries as the U.N. body asked a month ago. The West accuses Iran of pursuing a civilian nuclear programme as a cover to acquire atomic bombs. Tehran denies it. "Enemies think that by ... threatening us, launching psychological warfare or ... imposing embargos they can dissuade our nation to obtain nuclear technology," Ahmadinejad said in the town of Khorramdarreh, in Zanjan province. "Whether enemies like it or not, Iran is a nuclear state. Obtaining nuclear technology is a national demand," he said. more...

Russia and China Warn UN Not to Antagonize Iran (April 27, 2006) - Russia and China on Thursday warned against escalating the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme. The call came on the eve of an eagerly awaited report on whether the country has met United Nations demands. The US and the European Union believe Friday's report by Mohamed El Baradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will set the stage for a UN Security Council resolution, since there is little chance that Tehran will meet the council's demand for "full and sustained suspension" of uranium enrichment, which can produce weapons-grade material.

What's Really Happening in Tehran (April 26, 2006) - "Tehran appears hell-bent on defying the international community and pursuing a nuclear program that is of growing concern." - Sean McCormack, US State Department spokesman. 
This followed a rare press conference with the international media in Tehran on Monday in which Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad suggested that Tehran might withdraw from the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency and the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and also said "there is no need" for US-Iranian talks on Iraq. Because of the opacity of Iran's theocratic nationalism, outsiders may be tempted to assume that the official Iranian position is the one expressed last week in Baku, Azerbaijan, by Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najar: "The United States has been threatening Iran for 27 years, and this is not new for us. Therefore, we are never afraid of US threats." President George W Bush and other US administration officials have frequently said that "all options are on the table" with regard to Iran's nuclear program, which the United States suspects is designed to develop nuclear weapons.
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Iran Issues Oil Warning (April 26, 2006) - Iran's top nuclear negotiator on Tuesday refused to rule out using oil as a weapon in a dispute over the Islamic republic's nuclear drive, saying any "radical measures" against the country would have "important consequences" for energy supplies. Ali Larijani also warned that Iran will withdraw all cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog agency if the UN Security Council imposes sanctions against it, reports Dow Jones newswires. The statements came a day after Iran's president - facing a Friday UN deadline to stop uranium enrichment - boldly predicted the Security Council would not impose sanctions on Tehran and warned he was thinking about dropping out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. more...

Russia Warns Against Threatening Iran (April 23, 2006) - Rather than getting Iran to stop uranium enrichment, a tougher stance could result in Tehran's total refusal to cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, said Oleg Ozerov, deputy director of the Foreign Ministry's Middle East and North Africa Department, according to ITAR-Tass. "We firmly stand today for resolving the problems in and around Tehran diplomatically rather than militarily. Increasing international pressure on Iran has no prospects," Ozerov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. The United States and European allies are pushing for sanctions because of Iran's refusal to suspend its enrichment program, as demanded by the U.N. Security Council. They suspect Iran is trying to develop atomic weapons in violation of its treaty commitments. The Iranian regime insists the program has only the peaceful purpose of generating electricity. Russia, which has close ties with Iran and is building that nation's first nuclear power plant, opposes sanctions. Despite what U.S. and Russian officials have described as increasingly close positions on the Iranian nuclear program in recent years, they appear far apart heading into the Friday deadline set by the Security Council for Iran to stop enrichment. more...

Missile exports to Iran alarm US (April 22, 2006) - Washington has asked Moscow to reconsider selling Iran anti-aircraft missiles as the crisis over its nuclear programme continues.
Russia plans to sell Tehran 29 TOR M1 mobile surface-to-air missile defence systems in a deal said to be worth about US $700 million (£392m). "This is not time for business as usual with the Iranian government," a top US state department official said. The US also urged other states like China to review defence sales to Iran. "There are a lot of countries that allow the export of dual-use technologies, and the position of the United States is that should be prohibited," said Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns. "All countries should refrain from military sales and arm sales." Speaking about the Russian missiles, he said: "We hope and we trust that that deal will not go forward because this is not time for business as usual with the Iranian government." Russia and China are both strongly resisting attempts to impose United Nations sanctions on Iran, which the US and other Western states believes is pursuing nuclear weapons.
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Report: Iran, Russia Reach Enrichment Deal (April 22, 2006) - Iran's envoy to the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Saturday the Islamic republic had reached a "basic deal" with the Kremlin to form a joint uranium enrichment venture on Russian territory, state-run television reported. Ali Asghar Soltanieh, envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, "spoke of a basic agreement between Iran and Russia to set up a joint uranium enrichment firm on Russian soil," Iranian state television reported. It remained unclear, though, whether Iran would entirely give up enrichment at home, a top demand of the West, or whether the joint venture would complement Iran's existing enrichment program. Enriched uranium can be used to fuel nuclear reactors that generate electricity or to make atomic bombs. "Only issues regarding technical, legal and financial matters remain to be resolved which need more deliberation and exchange of views," the television quoted Soltanieh as saying Saturday in Moscow. more... 

Russia will deliver air defense systems to Iran - top general (April 19, 2006) - The chief of the General Staff said Wednesday that Russia would honor its commitments on supplying military equipment to Iran. "We discussed supplies of military equipment to Iran, including the Tor M1, in the framework of bilateral cooperation, but it does not fall into the category of strategic weapons," Army General Yury Baluyevsky said after talks in Moscow with NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe General James Jones. "And I can assure you it will be delivered under the control of the relevant organizations," he said. At the end of 2005, Russia concluded a $700-million contract on the delivery of 29 Tor M1 air defense systems to Iran. The Tor-M1 is a fifth-generation integrated mobile air defense system designed for operation at medium, low and very low altitudes against fixed/rotary wing aircraft, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle), guided missiles and other high-precision weapons. Despite strong criticism from the United States, Russia has maintained that the systems could be used only to protect Iran's air space. more...

Iran says any attacker will regret action (April 19, 2006) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during an armed forces parade on Tuesday that any aggressor would regret attacking the Islamic Republic, which is embroiled in a nuclear dispute with the West. The president declared Iran a nuclear power last week after he said it had successfully enriched uranium to the level used in power stations. Iran insists its program is civilian despite accusations by the West that it wants atomic bombs. The United States has said it wants a diplomatic solution to the standoff but has not ruled out military action. "Today, Iran's army is one of the most powerful armies in the world and it will powerfully defend the country's political borders and the nation," Ahmadinejad said in a brief speech before troops and missiles took part in an annual parade. more...

Iran Donates $50 Million to Hamas-led Government (April 17, 2006) - The donation will help make up the shortfall left by the aid cut-off by the United States and the European Union and Israel's freezing of the transfer of about $50 million a month in tax and customs receipts to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian government. "I am honored to announce that Iran has donated $50 million to help the Palestinian nation," Mottaki said in a televised speech to a conference in Tehran on the Palestinian issue. Mottaki said the gift was Iran's duty as a friend of the Palestinians, but did not say how or when it would reach them. A Hamas official, who asked not to be identified, later told Reuters in Dubai that Iran was donating $100 million to the Palestinian Authority. There was no immediate confirmation from Iranian officials. Iran has been at odds with the United States since its 1979 Islamic revolution, and has refused to recognize Israel. Washington and the European Union froze aid to the Hamas-led government because the Islamist group did not comply with their demand that it recognize Israel, renounce violence and abide by interim peace agreements. The Palestinian economy has been crippled during years of fighting with Israel, and Palestinians are dependent on foreign aid totaling more than $1 billion a year. Mottaki called on Muslims around the world to support the Palestinians. "The Islamic world should help the new Palestinian government to overcome its current problems," he said. more... 

Messianic Fervor Grows Among Iran's Shiites (April 15, 2006) - Each Tuesday, thousands of people arrive here at dusk by car and bus. Beneath the twinkling lights of the blue-tiled mosque, they sit on carpets, following prayers broadcast over loudspeakers: families, pilgrims from distant provinces, young men frantic with expectation, women hoping for cures. The devout make their way to the back of the shrine. There, they write their hopes, dreams and prayers onto slips of paper that they drop into two wells — one for the men, one for the women. They pray, eyes squeezed shut, until moved along politely by mosque workers. For many devout Shiite Muslims, this is a place of miracles — the place of the Mahdi, the messiah. From lowly carpet weavers to Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, devotion to the Mahdi and anticipation of his return appears to be crescendoing in Iran. Particularly on Tuesdays, the day most associated with the Mahdi's blessings, the night here is filled with fervent prayers, a reflection of the ardent faith that gave rise to the Islamic Revolution, and which conservative supporters of Ahmadinejad hope will sustain the nation in any confrontation with the West over Iran's nuclear program. more... 

Iran’s Ahmadinejad: West Will Burn in Nations’ Fury (April 14, 2006) - Iran’s radical President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a fiery sermon demanded that “Iran’s enemies”, or the West, bow down before Iran and apologize for having held back Tehran’s nuclear program for three years. He also warned the West that it would “burn” in the “fire of the nations’ fury”. “Those who insulted the Iranian nation and set back Iran’s movement for progress for several years must apologise”, Ahmadinejad said at a rally in the eastern town of Rashtkhar. His comments were aired on state television and carried by the official news agency. “You must bow down to the greatness of the Iranian nation”, he said, addressing the West. He added that if the United States continued to seek to use “bullying” tactics then “every nation of the world” would chant “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”. “If you do not return to monotheism and worshipping god and refuse to accept justice then you will burn in the fire of the nations’ fury”, Ahmadinejad said. He once again accused the West of launching a “psychological war” against Iran. On Tuesday, Ahmadinejad declared that Iran had joined the Nuclear Club. “I officially announce that Iran has joined the world’s nuclear countries”, Ahmadinejad said in a speech that was broadcast on state television. The UN Security Council adopted a “Presidential Statement” unanimously on March 29 giving Iran 30 days to suspend all of its uranium enrichment activities and resume its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran Leader: Israel Will Be Annihilated (April 14, 2006) - The president of Iran again lashed out at Israel on Friday and said it was "heading toward annihilation," just days after Tehran raised fears about its nuclear activities by saying it successfully enriched uranium for the first time. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Israel a "permanent threat" to the Middle East that will "soon" be liberated. He also appeared to again question whether the Holocaust really happened. "Like it or not, the Zionist regime is heading toward annihilation," Ahmadinejad said at the opening of a conference in support of the Palestinians. "The Zionist regime is a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm." Ahmadinejad provoked a world outcry in October when he said Israel should be "wiped off the map." On Friday, he repeated his previous line on the Holocaust, saying: "If such a disaster is true, why should the people of this region pay the price? Why does the Palestinian nation have to be suppressed and have its land occupied?" The land of Palestine, he said, referring to the British mandated territory that includes all of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, "will be freed soon." He did not say how this would be achieved, but insisted to the audience of at least 900 people: "Believe that Palestine will be freed soon." more... 

Iran priming Hezbollah for war with U.S., Israel (April 11, 2006) - Iran is attempting to draw Lebanon into a conflict with the U.S. and Israel and is priming the Hezbollah militia to assault the Jewish state in the event of an attack against Iran's nuclear facilities, Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said in an interview. "Lebanon is being used by the Iranians as a front which could be used if the Americans retaliate against Iran's nuclear facilities. Lebanon is now entangled in a greater axis. It is no longer independent," said Jumblatt, speaking to WND's Aaron Klein and ABC Radio's John Batchelor on Batchelor's national radio program for which Klein serves as a co-host. [Listen to Jumblatt interview.] Jumblatt is the head of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party and is largely considered the most prominent anti-Syrian Lebanese politician. He said Syria and Iran have formed an alliance against the U.S. and have the past year tightened their collective grip on Lebanon. more... 

The Ultimate Martyr (March 31, 2006) - Mahmud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has been very quiet lately - at least for his standards. But may no outside observers doubt his popular appeal. After last Friday's prayers at the University of Tehran, he chose not to use the VIP exit and decided to mingle with the crowd, surrounded by only a few bodyguards. There was nothing to disguise him from the sartorial shabbiness of his audience, except that his face was beaming like a saint's. There was bread for the famished, and an old gentleman on a soapbox was spraying perfumed water over the masses. In these biblical circumstances the president was so enthusiastic that he almost boarded one of the lime-green buses available free of charge for the faithful, until someone in the security detail reminded him that he, after all, was the president. It was not by accident that the first thing Ahmadinejad did after he won the presidency was to pay his respects to the martyrs at Behesht-e Sahra, and then to Khomeini's shrine. The ultra-pious double act was complemented with a first cabinet meeting - photo opportunity included - staged at the tomb of Imam Reza, the fourth Shi'ite imam, and the only one buried in Iran, in a spectacular shrine in the holy city of Mashhad. The theocratic nationalism power play: Ahmadinejad, the former Revolutionary Guard, may reach passionate outbursts ayatollahs can only dream of, but the fact of the matter is that ultimate power in Iran's theocratic nationalism will always lie firmly in the hands of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. And the supreme leader, Tehran insiders confirm, has in fact downgraded the president from first-class to economy. Ahmadinejad is now a so-called "domestic" affair. more...

Iran opens first "embassy" in Palestinian Territories (March 5, 2006) - Iran has opened an "ideological embassy" in the Palestinian territories to espouse Shia Muslim beliefs – including Islam's waging of a final, apocalyptic battle against "evil" – and to help spread Iranian theocracy and rule throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, WND has learned. Although Tehran has long financed Palestinian terror organizations, the opening of its office here marks the establishment of Iran's first official agency in the Palestinian areas, senior Palestinian security officials said. "We want the Palestinian people to be exposed to the Iranian heritage and Shia principles. [Our goal is] to reinforce the relations between the Islamic republic of Iran and the Palestinian people. We are part of the Iranian Islamic project in the Middle East," Muhamad Gawanmeh, director of Iran's new Shia Council in Palestine, said in an interview. Gawanmeh is a member of the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad terror group and has spent several years in Israeli prisons. He opened the council's headquarters in Ramallah, and said there are plans to expand Iranian offices to several other major Palestinian cities in the West Bank and Gaza with official sanctioning from Tehran. The council, which recently also opened an office in Egypt, claims to already have a membership of several thousand Palestinians.

Iran would become top supplier of oil to China under deal (February 20, 2006) - Iran and China have been discussing a major energy deal that would involve the swap of oil for technology. Western diplomatic sources said the two countries have been examining an agreement that would make Iran the leading oil supplier to China. The sources said the long-term deal was valued at $100 billion.Over the weekend, Iran and China discussed cooperation in oil, natural gas and petrochemicals. The official Iranian news agency Irna said the conference, held in Kish Island, was attended by officials and experts from both countries, Middle East Newsline reported. Gholam-Reza Manouchehri, managing director of Iran's Petropars, said China has been a major developer of Iran's energy reserves and called for the transfer of Chinese technology. Manouchehri also cited China's growing demand for oil.

Ahmadinejad on the Warpath (February 17, 2006) - As the Iranian revolution enters its 28th year this month, the Islamic Republic stands at the most critical stage of its history. While power is being transferred to second-generation revolutionaries, the country is on a collision course with the United States over its controversial nuclear program. At the center of this unfolding drama is the perplexing figure of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who has managed to isolate, enrage and frighten important domestic and external constituencies in the space of only six months. Left to their own devices, Ahmadinejad and the second-generation revolutionaries who stand behind him are likely to change the Islamic Republic beyond recognition in the years ahead. But the complicating factor in all this is the increasing possibility of some form of military confrontation between Iran and the United States within two years. The key question is whether Ahmadinejad and his inner circle believe that military confrontation serves their long-term political and socio-economic agenda. 
A controversial president

Ahmadinejad's first six months as president have had a mixed reaction. Domestically, he has tried to buttress his position among his core constituency, namely the urban poor and the lower classes who rallied around his calls for the revival of the Iranian revolution's egalitarian message. While it is clearly too early to judge his performance as a champion of a more egalitarian society, it is important to point out that the Ahmadinejad government has not undertaken a single serious policy that would reverse the country's widening wealth gap. That said, there has been no let-up in the populist rhetoric and sloganeering that marked his election campaign.
more...

Eye of the Storm: Choosing the 'Supreme Leader' - While the world is focused on the clock of Iran's nuclear program, the other clock, that of the nation's domestic politics, is all but ignored by most commentators. Both clocks have their alarms set. That of the nuclear clock is expected to ring within the next three to five years, unless something is done to interrupt the military aspects of the program. The alarm of the domestic politics clock, however, could be set off within the next few months as the power struggle in Teheran enters a new and more intense phase. The event to watch is the forthcoming election of a new Assembly of Experts, a body of mullahs whose task is to elect the "Custodian-Theologian" - more commonly known as the "Supreme Guide," who has virtually unlimited powers under the Khomeinist constitution. The election, to be completed in April, will not be open to all citizens. As always in the case of elections in the Islamic Republic all candidates must be approved by the authorities. And once the results are in, the Council of the Guardians of the Constitution, a body of 12 mullahs, can cancel part or all of them. In other words these elections resemble primaries held inside the same political party. more... 

IRANIAN PRESIDENT—LOOKING FOR MAHDI TO APPEAR SOON (January 25, 2006) - If you have followed our ministry since the early 1990s, you are aware of the teaching of the coming Islamic Mahdi. According to the Shiite branch of the Islamic religion the 12th Imam disappeared as a child in AD 941. Most Shiites believe he has been supernaturally preserved somewhere in the Middle East , either in Saudi Arabia or Iraq , and will re-emerge at the end of days. They contend that he will unite the Islamic world in the end of days, and three things will happen:

  • He will lead an Islamic revival in which the Jews will be destroyed.

  • Christians will forsake their belief in the Trinity.

  • And Christians will acknowledge that Jesus is not the Son of God.

For centuries this Islamic tradition was whispered, mostly among the faithful, in the area of the Middle East . Since the re-establishment of the modern nation of Israel , however, the belief and teaching about the importance of the Mahdi is stronger than at any other time in modern history. more...

Iran's Top Secret 5-Point Battle Plan For War Against The West (January 24, 2006) - MND Columnist and 2002 national Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative reporting on the war on terror "Gunny" Bob Newman Reveals Iran's Top Secret 5-Point Battle Plan For War Against America, Europe and Israel.
The plan, which was drawn up primarily by the Revolutionary Guards and approved by Iran's delusional president, consists of 5 main strategies:

  • The removal of Iranian funds (already begun) from all foreign banks where those funds could be seized as a result of sanctions and war;

  • The destruction of oil facilities in Gulf states hosting US forces or otherwise friendly to the US, and the mining of the Persian Gulf, in order to drive oil prices above $100/barrel and adversely effect financial markets;

  • The weakening of US and European national resolve to win a war against Iran by causing massive US and European casualties requiring deployment of reinforcing forces, attacking into Iraq and the Gulf waters with conventional forces and weapons (such as ballistic missiles), the possible use of chemical and biological weapons on the Iraqi battlefield, and a massive increase in the number and level of terrorist attacks within Iraq (for which Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have been laying the groundwork since the spring of 2003);

  • The use of "Fifth Column" forces against US, European and Israeli targets, with the forces consisting of terrorist cells from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with which Iranian President Ahmadinejad met on 20 January 2006 in Syria, and;

  • The attacking of Israel with ballistic missiles, possibly with the aid of Syria, with the intent of causing great damage to Tel Aviv, Haifa and other major Israeli cities, and the destruction of Israel’s nuclear weapons facility at Dimona, which the Iranians hope will spread radiation across a wide area. more...

Iranian President Sees End of World Order (January 24, 2006) - In a country of religious zealots, the extremism of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has even his own countrymen sounding alarms. Dissidents within Iran say their country's president is such a crazed fanatic that he will try to usher in the end of the world as we know it. The faction seeking to remove Ahmadinejad does not object to the substance of the Iranian president's repeated vows to "wipe Israel from the map" and destroy America. Nor do they believe Iran should abandon its secret nuclear weapons program, top Iranian government officials said, according to the source. Rather, they object to the fact that he has made such comments openly and without ambiguity. They believe that his frankness dangerously exposes them to attack from the United States, Israel or both. "This guy is not a politician," the source quoted one top Iranian official as saying. "He is certifiably insane. And he is obsessed with the Imam Zaman," the legendary 12th imam, or Imam Mahdi, whom many Shiite Muslims believe will return in the "end times" after a period of horrific battles, famine and pestilence. more...

End-of-days worldview (January 21, 2006) - In all his crazed pronouncements, Mr. Ahmadinejad reflects an end-of-days view: History is coming to its grand finale under his aegis. Mr. Ahmadinejad magically entrances even foreign audiences into stupor. Of his recent United Nations speech, he boasted: "I felt that all of a sudden the atmosphere changed there. And for 27-28 minutes, all the leaders did not blink." So the name of the haloed Mr. Ahmadinejad will live for the ages -- but only if he alone takes out the crusader interloper in Jerusalem. The Shi'ites may be the dispossessed of the Muslim world, but, as the messianic figure the Great Mahdi come to Earth, Mr. Ahmadinejad can do something for the devout not seen since Saladin expelled the infidels from Palestine. But for now, barring divine intervention, Mr. Ahmadinejad's task poses two small hurdles: getting the bomb and preparing the world for Israel's demise. more...