Iran 2007
Iran, Malaysia sign $16 billion oil deal Associated
Press (December 26, 2007) - Iran and
Malaysia signed a $16 billion agreement to develop two Iranian gas
fields, state-run television reported Wednesday, describing the deal as
the largest energy contract in Iran. Iran's Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC)
and Malaysia's SKS Ventures signed the multibillion dollar contract to
develop Golshan and Ferdows gas fields in southern Iran. The contract
was formally signed by Ali Vakili, director of POGC, and Mokhtar Al-Bokhari,
director of SKS Ventures, in the capital Tehran on Wednesday, according
to the report. "This contract worth $16 billion. Some $6 billion is for
development of offshore and $10 billion for development of onshore gas
fields for a period of 25 years," Vakili told the official IRNA news
agency. Iran's Oil Minister, Gholam Hossein Nozari, said the deal was a
vindication of his country's efforts to counter pressures to isolate his
nation. "This is the biggest investment contract in the country's energy
sector," the official IRNA news agency quoted Nozari as saying. The
multibillion dollar contract was signed weeks after China's biggest oil
refiner, Sinopec, and Iran signed a $2 billion agreement on developing
the Yadavaran oil field despite U.S. calls for sanctions over Iran's
nuclear program. China rejected U.S. complaints about the deal. That
agreement, coinciding with U.S.-led efforts to pressure Iran with
threats of tighter economic sanctions to rein in Tehran's nuclear
program, drew a sharp rebuke from Washington. Nozari said an economic
boom in southeastern Asia has sharply increased its need for imported
oil and gas and that the contract with Malaysia has to be seen in that
light. The reserves at the Golshan gas field, 65 kilometers from the
southern port city of Bushehr, is estimated more than 50 trillion cubic
feet of gas and it is expected to produce 2.5 billion cubic feet of
natural gas per day. The Ferdows' gas reserves is estimated at around 10
trillion cubic feet and it would produce more than 880 million cubic
feet of gas on a daily basis.
Shiite/Sunni rapprochement? - Abdullah, Ahmadinejad Hold Wide-Ranging Talks
Arab News (December
21, 2007)
- Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held talks here
yesterday with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on major regional and
international issues as well as ways of strengthening bilateral ties,
the Saudi Press Agency said. Ahmadinejad, the first Iranian president to
perform Haj as guest of a Saudi king, arrived in the Kingdom on Monday
accompanied by top aides. Nearly three million pilgrims from different parts
of the Islamic world including several thousands from Iran performed Haj
this year. “In my discussion with King Abdullah we discussed different ways
to consolidate the brotherly relations among Muslim nations,” Ahmadinejad
was quoted as saying by the Iranian media covering his trip. He described
Tehran’s relations with Riyadh as “friendly,” adding: “The message of my
presence here is boosting ties among Islamic nations.” Iranian pilgrims in
the Kingdom expressed their hope that Ahmadinejad’s participation in the
pilgrimage would help repair ties between the Islamic republic and its Arab
neighbors. “Ahmadinejad’s Haj, since it comes at the invitation of the
Saudi king, shows that Muslim nations are supporting one another in times of
need,” an Iranian teacher said. “Having ties with big Arab nations is
a sign of unity among Muslims, and the West will understand that it cannot
divide Shiites and Sunnis,” said Hossein, a trader from Mashhad in
northeastern Iran. Earlier this month, Ahmadinejad attended a summit of the
Gulf Cooperation Council in Qatar, becoming the first Iranian president to
attend a GCC summit. Addressing the summit, the president tried to allay
fears of his Gulf neighbors and presented a 12-point program to promote
relations between Tehran and the six-member GCC. In his speech at the
summit, Ahmadinejad offered to sign a security pact with the GCC that groups
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. “I
personally hope that President Ahmadinejad will be able to successfully
implement his plans and improve Iran’s international situation (as a result
of the pilgrimage),” said university student Ali Rahmati. Ahmadinejad was
elected president in 2005.
Assad: Syria-Iran alliance unshakeable
The
Jerusalem Post (December 13, 2007) -
Syrian President Bashar Assad rejected claims that Syria's alliance with
Iran had been weakened by Damascus' participation in last month's
US-sponsored Mideast peace conference, saying Thursday that the two
countries' ties will never be shaken. Assad made the comments as he
inaugurated two joint Syrian-Iranian industrial projects - factories for
cars and cement. He was joined at the ceremonies by the Iranian industry
and housing ministers. The November conference in Annapolis, Maryland,
which relaunched Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, was widely seen
as also aimed at isolating Iran by bringing together Arab nations. US
officials have expressed hopes that Syria's attendance would mark a
start to easing it out of its alliance with Teheran. Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other top officials denounced the conference,
and some officials expressed surprise over Syria's participation -
though none directly criticized it. Speaking at the auto factory, Assad
said, "inaugurating this plant in partnership with our Iranian brothers
and officials is a response to those who tried to circulate (reports)
... that relations between the two countries have been shaken." "I
confirm, on this occasion, that relations will not be shaken for any
reason or under any circumstance," Assad said at the factory in Hasya,
some 160 kilometers north of the Syrian capital, Damascus. according to
the official SANA news agency. Syria and Iran have growing economic
ties, with the annual two-way trade estimated at about US$200 million.
The size of Iranian investments in Syria has reached around US$2
billions in sectors such as power generation, automobiles, cement and
agriculture. Syria is Iran's closest Arab ally. The two countries have
had close relations since 1980 when Syria sided with Persian Iran
against Iraq in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. The $50 million International
Syrian-Iranian Factory for Cars is the second car venture between the
two countries in less than a year. It will have an initial production
capacity of up to 15,000 cars a year and would likely increase to reach
35,000 cars annually at its final stage, SANA said. In March, Syria and
Iran inaugurated the first joint car project in the industrial city of
Adra near Damascus. Assad and the Iranian ministers also inaugurated a
new cement plant in the northern city of Hama, some 210 kilometers
northwest of the Syrian capital. The factory that had cost US$250
million has a production capacity of 1.1 million tons annually, SANA
said. The project, which would create some 400 jobs, was initially
agreed upon during a visit by then Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to
Syria in mid 1999. The project is financed by the Kuwait Fund for
Economic Development and the Iranian company has provided all the
necessary equipment.
Ahmadinejad
invited to be pilgrim BBC
News (December 13, 2007) - It will be Mr
Ahmadinejad's third visit to Saudi Arabia, seat of the Kaaba. Iran's
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will this week become the first sitting president of the
Islamic republic to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, his office said.
It follows a formal invitation from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, seat of the
Islamic holy places and a long-time regional rival of revolutionary Iran. It is
not clear if he has performed the Hajj before, or if past presidents have been
to Mecca after leaving office. An official said the invitation was an important
event in Saudi-Iranian ties. "It is the first time in the history of
relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia that the king of this country invites a
president of the Islamic republic to make the pilgrimage to Mecca,"
said presidential aide Ali Akbar Javanfekr. Relations between revolutionary,
Shia Iran and the conservative, Sunni monarchy of Saudi Arabia have been
steadily improving since the first visit to Riyadh by an Iranian president in
1999. Twelve years earlier, more than 400 people, mostly Iranians, were killed
in clashes between Iranians and Saudi security forces during the Hajj. Earlier
this month Mr Ahmadinejad became the first Iranian president to attend the
annual summit of six Arab Gulf states - all strong US allies - in neighbouring
Qatar. Iran and Mr Ahmadinejad in particular are among Washington's most vocal
critics in the region. It will be his third visit to Saudi Arabia as president.
The pilgrimage rites, which last for five days and are performed by at least 1.5
million Muslims, are expected to begin on 18 December.
Russia-Iran trade doubles to $2.2 bln in 9M07 - official Russian
News & Information Agency (December 12,
2007) - Trade between Russia and Iran more than doubled in
January-September 2007 to $2.2 billion, the Russian co-chairman of
the bilateral inter-governmental commission said on Thursday. Sergei
Kiriyenko, who was yesterday appointed by the Russian president to
head state-controlled nuclear power corporation Rosatom, and Iran's
Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki chaired on Thursday a session of
the inter-governmental commission. Iran has proposed that both
countries should establish consortiums in electric power, energy and
other spheres and set up an investment fund for the implementation
of joint projects, Mottaki said. "The establishment of a gas company
could become another area of mutual cooperation," Mottaki said. The
Iranian diplomat also said the drafts of Russian-Iranian agreements
on air transport and investment were almost ready and could be
signed soon.
Saudi king invites Ahmadinejad for haj-media
Reuters
(December 12, 2007)
- The king of U.S.-allied Saudi Arabia has invited Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend this year's haj in the Muslim holy city of
Mecca, Iranian media reported on Wednesday. It would be the first time
an Iranian president was officially invited to take part in the annual
pilgrimage, starting later this month, the official IRNA news agency
said. Like other Gulf Arab states, Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia has long
been wary of its large Shi'ite Muslim neighbor and shares Western
concerns about Tehran's nuclear ambitions. "Saudi King Abdullah has
formally invited President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to take part in this
year's haj ceremony," Iran's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mohammad
Hosseini, was quoted as saying by state television. The five-day rites
are expected to begin on December 18. On Tuesday Ahmadinejad said he
would take part in the haj if formally invited. Last week he became the
first Iranian president to attend a summit of Saudi Arabia and five
other Gulf Arab states. It was not clear whether the 51-year-old had
attended the haj before. A duty for every Muslim at least once in a
lifetime, the grueling ritual is one of the world's biggest displays of
mass religious devotion and is held under tight security. At least 1.5
million people are expected to arrive from abroad in Mecca where
pilgrims follow a route around the mountains in line with a tradition
established by the Prophet Muhammad. In 1987, more than 400 people,
mostly Iranians, died in clashes with Saudi security forces at an anti-U.S.
and anti-Israel rally in Mecca.
Iran Drops the US Dollar Short
News (December 9, 2007) - Oil
Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari announced that "At the moment selling
oil in dollars has been completely halted, in line with the policy
of selling crude in non-dollar currencies." Sales of crude oil will
now be priced in euros. OPEC member nations exporting oil in USDs
have been hard-hit by the decline in value and have been urged by
Iran, the fourth largest producer of crude, to follow their lead.
Recently, Iranian banks have also been blacklisted by the US
Government for supporting terrorism, and pursuing nuclear weapons.
IAEA: US Iran report matches UN agency Associated
Press (December 4, 2007) - A new
U.S. intelligence review that concludes Iran stopped developing a
nuclear weapons program in 2003 is consistent with the U.N. atomic
watchdog agency's own findings and "should help to defuse the current
crisis," the organization's chief said Tuesday. "Although Iran still
needs to clarify some important aspects of its past and present nuclear
activities, the agency has no concrete evidence of an ongoing nuclear
weapons program or undeclared nuclear facilities in Iran," International
Atomic Energy Agency director-general Mohamed ElBaradei said in a
statement. ElBaradei said he viewed "with great interest" Monday's
release of a U.S. National Intelligence Estimate that said Tehran halted
nuclear weapons development in late 2003 under international pressure.
The chief U.S. envoy to the IAEA, Gregory L. Schulte, said the U.S.
assessment contained "some positive news" and raised hopes of a peaceful
and diplomatic end to the standoff. "It does make us more hopeful that
diplomacy can succeed, but for diplomacy to succeed, we still need to
keep the pressure on while giving Iran a negotiated way out," Schulte
told reporters in Vienna. But "Iran's nuclear file is not closed," he
said, adding that the U.S. report "shows we were right to be concerned."
The U.S. report noted that Iran continues to enrich uranium, and senior
officials in Washington said that means it still may be able to develop
a weapon between 2010 and 2015. Monday's finding was a shift from two
years ago, when U.S. intelligence agencies said they believed Tehran was
determined to develop a nuclear capability and was continuing its
weapons development program. It suggests that Iran is susceptible to
diplomatic pressure, the officials said. more...
Iran Says Ties With Syria Rock Solid
Associated Press
(December 3, 2007) - Iran's
adversaries cannot harm the strong ties between Tehran and Damascus,
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday, a week after Iran appeared to
chide Syria for its decision to take part in a Mideast summit in the
United States. State-run television quoted Ahmadinejad as telling
Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faysal Mekdad that "enemies cannot
damage real and firm Tehran-Damascus relations." Though Iran never
directly criticized Syria for attending the summit in Annapolis, Md.
last week, Ahmadinejad and other top officials said the summit was
doomed to fail and scolded Arab nations for going. Tehran was not
invited to the meeting. But Syria's attendance and Iran's harsh
criticism of the meeting appeared to indicate at least some tension
between the two allies — a rare event in the past decades. During his
meeting Sunday with Ahmadinejad, Mekdad gave the Iranian president a
written message from Syrian President Bashar Assad and underlined the
strategic relationship between the two countries, Iran's official news
agency, IRNA, reported. No details of the message from Assad were given.
Both Ahmadinejad and Mekdad said Iran-Syrian ties remained strong.
Mekdad also said Syrian would "never let anyone harm the friendly ties"
between Iran and Syria, IRNA reported. Syria said it decided to send
Mekdad to the summit only after the issue of the Israeli-occupied Golan
Heights was added to the agenda. During the trip, the Syrian delegation
shook hands with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice — indicating a
slight thaw in the diplomatic chill between Washington and Damascus.
U.S. officials had hoped the Annapolis meeting could mark a start to
moving Syria out of its alliance with Iran and Hamas and Hezbollah, both
of which are Iranian-backed militant groups. more...
Deepening China-Iran Ties Weaken Bid to Isolate Iran Washington
Post (November 19, 2007) - The
rapidly growing relationship between
Iran and
China has begun to undermine
international efforts to ensure that Iran cannot convert a peaceful
energy program to develop a nuclear arsenal, U.S. and European officials
say. The Bush administration and its allies said last week that they
plan to seek new
U.N. sanctions against Iran, after the
International Atomic Energy Agency said
Iranian officials had given inadequate answers to questions about the
country's past nuclear activities. But U.S. and European officials now
worry more about a Chinese veto than about opposition from
Russia, which has previously assisted
and defended the Iranian nuclear energy program. U.S. and European
officials charged Friday that
Beijing is deliberately stalling to protect its economic interests.
"China needs to play a more responsible role on Iran, needs to recognize
that China is going to be very dependent in the decades ahead on
Middle East oil, and, therefore, China, for its own development and
its own purposes, is going to need a stable Middle East, and that an
Iran armed with nuclear weapons is not a prescription for stability in
the Middle East," national security adviser
Stephen J. Hadley told reporters Friday. China now gets at least 14
percent of its imported oil from Iran, making it China's largest
supplier and the source of as much as $7 billion worth of oil this year,
according to David Kirsch, a manager at PFC Energy. Tehran in turn gets major arms systems from Beijing, including
ballistic and cruise missiles and technical assistance for Tehran's
indigenous missile program. Dozens of Chinese companies are also engaged
in several other industries. On the eve of Chinese Foreign Minister Yang
Jiechi's visit to Tehran last week for talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Beijing suggested that it could reject
U.S.-orchestrated efforts for a new resolution. "We believe that all
parties should show patience and sincerity over this issue, while any
sanctions, particularly unilateral sanctions, will do no good," said
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao. more...
Venezuela's Chavez comes to Tehran to further boost ties with Iran International
Herald Tribune (November 19, 2007) -
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made his
fourth trip to Iran in two years on Monday, state media reported, as the
two countries sought to strengthen ties while their leaders exhort the
international community to resist U.S. policies. Chavez, who
arrived in Tehran from Saudi Arabia where he attended the weekend's OPEC
summit, is expected to discuss various political and economic issues
with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the official Islamic
Republic News Agency reported. Chavez was accompanied by a string of top
Venezuelan officials for the hours-long visit, including the foreign,
industry, oil and communication ministers, as well as the mayor of
Caracas, the country's capital. Ahmadinejad also attended the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries summit in Riyadh. During
the gathering, the two firebrand leaders echoed one another, blaming
U.S. President George W. Bush's policies for the decline of the dollar
and its negative effect on other countries, and challenging Saudi
Arabia's reluctance to mention weak dollar concerns in the summit's
final declaration. Ahmadinejad claimed OPEC's member countries want to
convert their cash reserves into a currency other than the depreciating
U.S. dollar, which he called a "worthless piece of paper." Chavez said
the dollar was in free-fall and that its "empire" must end, and proposed
trading oil in a basket of currencies excluding the dollar. But the two
were unable to generate support from enough in the 13-member cartel —
many of whom, including Saudi Arabia, are staunch U.S. allies. Tehran is
in a bitter standoff with Washington over its nuclear program, which the
U.S. fears is a cover for a weapons program but which Iran insists is
peaceful. more... This and the story above in connection with how the Bible describes Iran and friends attacking Israel in Ezekiel 38,39 are why I don't think any sanctions on Iran will do anything. I also don't believe they will use nuclear weapons against Israel since the antichrist will cause the abomination of desolation on the Temple Mount in the future. According to prophecy, Iran will attack with Russia and Turkey among others when Israel is dwelling in safety and will be destroyed in the mountains of Israel. This means the attack will be a ground-based attack to occupy land, not a nuclear attack to destroy Jerusalem. Since the same principalities and powers are controlling the Western New World Order and the Eastern terrorists to control the world through fear and bring about global domination by one man, I think what is going on now is a method to clamp down on freedom in the name of peace and safety. Time will tell so keep watching!
Gulf states 'offer Iran uranium' BBC
News (November 1, 2007) - Gulf
states are willing to set up a body to provide enriched uranium to Iran,
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister is reported to have said.
Prince Saud al-Faisal told the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) the
plan could defuse Tehran's stand-off with the West over its nuclear
programme. The prince was quoted as saying that Iran was considering the
Gulf states' offer, but the US was not involved. The BBC's Paul Reynolds
says it is doubtful the plan will go anywhere. It is similar to one
proposed by Russia in December 2005, which led to initially positive
talks between Moscow and Tehran, but in the end led nowhere, says our
world affairs correspondent. Prince Saud said the offer came from the
six states that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. "We have proposed a solution, which is to
create a consortium for all users of enriched uranium in the Middle
East," he was quoted as saying. "[We will] do it in a collective manner
through a consortium that will distribute according to needs, give each
plant its own necessary amount, and ensure no use of this enriched
uranium for atomic weapons." He outlined the plan in an interview for
the MEED during Saudi King Abdullah's state visit to London. Prince Saud
said the GCC had developed the proposal to stave off a nuclear arms race
in the Gulf. Iran says its nuclear programme is for civilian energy
purposes, but the US claims Tehran is developing nuclear weapons. Prince
Saud is reported to have said: "They [the Iranians] have responded that
it is an interesting idea and they will come back to us. "The US is not
involved, but I don't think it would be hostile to this, and it would
resolve a main area of tension between the West and Iran." The UK
foreign office said the five permanent UN Security Council members - the
US, China, Russia, France and Britain - along with Germany would meet on
Friday in London to discuss the next step on Iran's nuclear programme.
'We must be ready to preempt threats' The
Jerusalem Post (October 23, 2007)
- Israeli Ambassador to the US Sallai Meridor declared Monday
that Israel should always
be prepared "to preempt, to deter and to defeat if we can" when
speaking about the threats facing the country. Chief among those
threats was Iran, said Meridor, who called for a unified
international as well as domestic American front to counter the
Islamic Republic's nuclear ambitions. "This will take a united
United States on this matter, that they would not have the
illusion today that come January '09, they [Teheran] have it
their own way," he said, referring to the inauguration of
President George W. Bush's successor, who could potentially
change US policy on Iran. Meridor said "very little time"
remained to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to
avoid the worst-case scenarios, outlined by French President
Nicolas Sarkozy, of an Iranian bomb or a war with
Iran. "There may be a
third way still, but only if the diplomatic and economic steps
could be dramatically - not incrementally - intensified," he
said, adding that 33 percent of Iran's trade is with Europe.
Meridor's comments appeared to put Israel at odds with America's
approach to UN Security Council sanctions, in which the US is
pushing for a gradual increase of pressure on Iran through a
series of sanctions resolutions so long as Teheran refuses to
halt uranium enrichment. A third such resolution is currently
being considered. Israeli sources said that to their knowledge
the administration is also calling for tougher sanctions. The
ambassador said Iran
would only stop its quest for nuclear capabilities when "the
cost [is at] a level that in their minds will put at risk the
accomplishments of the [1979 Islamic] revolution." Meridor began
his remarks at an American Jewish Committee luncheon by saying,
"As strong as we are, we should always be prepared to preempt,
to deter, to defeat if we can, to protect, and not assume that
threats have evaporated. They have not." more...
Israeli TV Stations Showing 'Gog and Magog' Charts
Israel National News
(October 17, 2007) - Israeli evening newscasts prominently
featured George W. Bush's comments regarding a possible breakout of
World War Three Wednesday evening. Both Channel 2 and Channel 10 showed
the world map and sketched the basic alignment of the two opposing axes
in the possible world war, in a way that is bound to evoke associations
of the Gog and Magog prophecy for many viewers. On one side were Israel,
the United States, Britain, France and Germany. On the other were Iran,
Russia, China, Syria and North Korea. The prophecy of Gog and Magog
refers to a great world war centered on the Holy Land and Jerusalem and
first appears in the book of Yechezkel (Ezekiel).
Bush warns of World War III if Iran goes nuclear
Breitbart
(October 17, 2007) - US President George W.
Bush said Wednesday that he had warned world leaders they must prevent
Iran from getting nuclear weapons "if you're interested in avoiding
World War III."
"We've got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy
Israel," Bush said at a White House press conference after Russia
cautioned against military action against Tehran's supect atomic
program. "So I've told people that, if you're interested in avoiding
World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing
them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," said
Bush.
Putin Visits Iran, Sends Warnings to US
Associated Press
(October 16, 2007) - Russian leader
Vladimir Putin met his Iranian counterpart Tuesday and implicitly warned
the U.S. not to use a former Soviet republic to stage an attack on Iran.
He also said nations shouldn't pursue oil pipeline projects in the area
if they weren't backed by regional powers. At a summit of the five
nations that border the inland Caspian Sea, Putin said none of the
nations' territory should be used by any outside countries for use of
military force against any nation in the region. It was a clear
reference to long-standing rumors that the U.S. was planning to use
Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, as a staging ground for any
possible military action against Iran. "We are saying that no Caspian
nation should offer its territory to third powers for use of force or
military aggression against any Caspian state," Putin said. Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also underlined the need to keep outsiders
away from the Caspian. "All Caspian nations agree on the main issue -
that all aspects related to this sea must be settled exclusively by
littoral nations," he said. "The Caspian Sea is an inland sea and it
only belongs to the Caspian states, therefore only they are entitled to
have their ships and military forces here." Putin, whose trip to Tehran
is the first by a Kremlin leader since World War II, warned that energy
pipeline projects crossing the Caspian could only be implemented if all
five nations that border the Caspian support them. Putin did not name
any specific country, but his statement underlined Moscow's strong
opposition to U.S.-backed efforts to build pipelines to deliver
hydrocarbons to the West bypassing Russia. "Projects that may inflict
serious environmental damage to the region cannot be implemented without
prior discussion by all five Caspian nations," he said. Other nations
bordering the Caspian Sea and in attendance at the summit are:
Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. The legal status of the Caspian
- believed to contain the world's third-largest energy reserves - has
been in limbo since the 1991 Soviet collapse, leading to tension and
conflicting claims to seabed oil deposits. Iran, which shared the
Caspian's resources equally with the Soviet Union, insists that each
coastal nation receive an equal portion of the seabed. Russia,
Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan want the division based on the length of each
nation's shoreline, which would give Iran a smaller share. Putin's visit
took place despite warnings of a possible assassination plot and amid
hopes that a round of personal diplomacy could help offer a solution to
an international standoff on Iran's nuclear program. Putin's trip was
thrown into doubt when the Kremlin said Sunday that he had been informed
by Russian intelligence services that suicide attackers might try to
kill him in Tehran, but he shrugged off the warning. Iranian Foreign
Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini dismissed reports about the
purported assassination plot as disinformation spread by adversaries
hoping to spoil good relations between Russia and Iran. Putin has warned
the U.S. and other nations against trying to coerce Iran into reining in
its nuclear program and insists peaceful dialogue is the only way to
deal with Tehran's defiance of a U.N. Security Council demand that it
suspend uranium enrichment. "Threatening someone, in this case the
Iranian leadership and Iranian people, will lead nowhere," Putin said
Monday during his trip to Germany. "They are not afraid, believe
me." more...
Turkey Forms Alliance With Iran Against Kurds
News Max
(October 15, 2007) - U.S. ally Turkey and
U.S. arch-enemy Iran have formed a military alliance to drive opposition
Kurds from bases in northern Iraq they have used since 2004 to launch
guerrilla operations inside Iran, rebel leaders told Newsmax at a secret
base in the Qandil mountains. Both Iran and Turkey have vowed to send
troops into northern Iraq, but until now evidence of active military
cooperation between them has remained a closely-held secret. Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stepped up political and
diplomatic threats in recent days, telling the United States he would
cut off U.S. access to the strategic Incirlik airbase in eastern Turkey
if the U.S. tried to prevent Turkey from sending troops against the
Kurdish bases in northern Iraq. Leaders of the Party of Free Life of
Iranian Kurdistan, known as PJAK, provided Newsmax with extensive
evidence of the Iran-Turkey alliance in two days of exclusive interviews
at a secret guerilla base deep in the Qandil mountains. An Iranian
Revolutionary Guards outpost was visible on a nearby mountain peak.
“Iran and Turkey attacked jointly on August 16 against our forces inside
Iran and against Turkish self-defense forces in northern Iraq,” a PJAK
commander using the nom de guerre Xerat told Newsmax at the Iranian
rebel base. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards “attacked us across a broad
front in the areas of Sardasht, Piranshahr, Shaho, Urmieh, and along the
border line,” Xerat said, citing the names of major cities in Iranian
Kurdistan where PJAK rebels have been operating. While those ground
operations were underway, Iranian and Turkish artillery simultaneously
began shelling civilian villages inside Iraqi Kurdistan from Metina,
Zaab, Haftani, and Hakurke in the north, to Haji Oumran, Qalatdizza, Zeh,
Marado, and Xinera in the south, he added. Turkish artillery hit the
northern villages, while Iranian gunners hit the southern ones. Iranian
troops attempted to cross into Iraq through the mountain passes, but
PJAK fighters held the line. “The goal of the Iranians is to drive us
from the border area,” rebel leader Biryar Gabar told Newsmax. “They
want to turn this area into a no-man’s land, so they can use it to
smuggle weapons and Islamist guerillas into Iraq to fight the
Americans.” He called the Iran-Turkey entente “an anti-American
alliance,” not just an anti-Kurdish agreement, and said that it resulted
from deliberate decisions from the ruling Islamist AKP party of Prime
Minister Erdogan to transform Turkey into an increasingly Islamist
state. A senior European official, who was involved in talks to bring
Turkey into the European Union, told Newsmax recently he had been
“stunned” by the hard-line toward the Kurds taken by AKP party leader
Abdullah Gul, now Turkey’s president. “He was totally uncompromising,”
the official said. “He took a harder line than the Turkish military.”
Iran has been offering Turkey an economic agreement with Iran in July to
build a strategic pipeline that will bring Iranian natural gas to
Europe, in defiance of a U.S. led effort to increase the economic
squeeze on Iran. During a press conference in August while he was still
foreign minister, Gul defended Turkey and Iran’s joint action against
Kurdish guerillas in Iraq. “They pose a threat to Turkey as well as to
other neighbors. Therefore, every country has the right to defend its
borders and take legitimate measures for its own security,” Gül said.
more... Shakings, Weighings and Divisions: Syria, Annapolis and the Return of YHVH - Part One - Syria David's Tent (October 13, 2007) - Israel has been in the headlines again – a mysterious Israel Air Force attack delves deep into Syria; an upcoming US-prompted peace conference in Annapolis MD discusses a major dividing up of the land of Israel; a brazen new book accuses the American Jewish community and Israel of acting against the interests of the USA, raising the ante of anti-Semitism in the USA. The sharks smell blood and are circling, while the Jewish David, one arm tied behind his back by world pressure and opinion, finds himself confronting many modern-day Goliaths. We are indeed living in significant days! Serious stirrings in Syria Some secret events in Syria have hit the headlines in recent days. Israel's strict censorship rules on military matters forbid direct reporting of certain military matters, but anonymous leaks to major journalists have somewhat dispersed the mists of war. London's Sunday Times (www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2461421.ece) reported on September 16 2007 that just after midnight on September 6, the 69th Squadron composed of eight Israeli F-15Is, F-16s and a UAV crossed the Mediterranean coastline of Syria and headed to a military target 50 miles from the Iraqi border – Deir ez-Zour. Syrian radar was somehow blocked, and a pre-positioned Israeli special forces Shaldag team (air force commandos) painted the target with laser beams. The pinpoint accurate bombing destroyed what Israeli intelligence anonymously describe as either nuclear material or a nuclear device from North Korea which could be fitted on North Korean Scud-C missiles (already in Syria's arsenal). An Israeli source said, "We’ve known for a long time that Syria has deadly chemical warheads on its Scuds, but Israel can’t live with a nuclear warhead." Over the years the world's intelligence community has given us some context for this attack. A CIA report from June 2003 stated, "Broader access to foreign expertise provides (Syria) opportunities to expand its indigenous capabilities and we are looking at Syrian nuclear intentions with growing concern." (https://www.cia.gov/library/reports/archived-reports-1/jan_jun2003.htm#7) On November 12 2003 John R. Bolton, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security at the State Department, spoke at a public gathering in Washington DC (www.state.gov/t/us/rm/26129.htm):
On April 29, 2004 Bolton told the United Nations that the Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan had "several other" customers for his nuclear bomb factories besides Iran, Libya and North Korea. Western diplomats said then that Bolton was clearly referring to Syria (see the Reform Party of Syria's article in www.aina.org/news/20050104115532.htm). The Road To Annapolis (2007) The past few weeks have seen a flurry of activity concerning a possible peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, a city that since American Colonial days has been known as the "Athens of America". Tony Blair recently stepped down from his position as Prime Minister and immediately was appointed Middle East Envoy of the Quartet (US, UK, European Union and Russia) on June 27 2007. He promptly stated that until Israel surrenders more land, there will be no peace in the Middle East. "The absolute priority is to try to give effect to what is now the consensus across the international community - that the only way of bringing stability and peace to the Middle East is a two-state solution" (PM Blair's final press briefing at Downing Street). According to Blair, it seems, Israel holds the key to Middle East and world peace. While there is a sense where Blair's words may be biblically true (Israel does hold the key to life from the dead, according to Romans 11:15), Blair's statement as it stands is grossly inaccurate, ignoring the bloody ongoing inter-Arab conflicts that churn across the Middle East on a daily basis – conflicts that have nothing to do with Israel in even the remotest way! See Dr. Daniel Pipes' article "Arab-Israeli Fatalities Rank 49th" at www.danielpipes.org/article/4990. The UK and the US seem to have come to a remarkable agreement regarding what to do with Israel. Speaking in Ramallah on October 15 2007 Secretary of State Rice said:
| Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Isaiah 17 | Dividing the Land | America |
Ahmadinejad: Iran Calls For Effective, Comprehensive Ties With Russia
Islamic Republic News
Agency
(October 11, 2007) -
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that the Islamic Republic
of Iran is not to set any limit for expansion of ties with Russia and
seeks a durable, effective and all-out ties with that country. "Iran's
authority would be to the benefit of Russia and vise versa," he said.
Ahmadinejad made the remarks in an interview with Russian news agency
Itar Tass and Russian TV network on Thursday. Given their geographical,
political, and cultural status, the two nations are to live together,
underlined the president. Iran and Russia are naturally united, he said.
Despite many ups and downs in two sides' relations in the past, the two
countries are determined to fully bolster and broaden their mutual
relations, he said. Mutual cooperation between Iran and Russia would
leave positive impacts on the region as well as the whole world, he
pointed out. The two sides enjoy ample economic potentials to meet each
other's requirements, he said. Expansion of mutual cooperation between
Iran and Russia would be to the benefit of both nations, regional
countries and the world, he said. Both Iran and Russia as two big powers
playing significant role in regional and global equations, he said. On
his latest trip to New York and his speech at the United Nations General
Assembly, he said the United Nations is an international venue for
exchange of views and expressing ideas and Iran did the same thing which
was welcomed by the whole world. All countries in the world including
Russia put the seal of approval on Iran's viewpoints about freedom and
justice seeking, he said. "Another positive result of the trip to New
York was that strong barrier of censorship in that country broke and the
American nation directly listened to our real points of view on various
global issues and welcomed them," he said. Iran's nuclear activities are
within IAEA rules and regulations and have a peaceful nature, he said,
adding that the reports released by the IAEA is a good proof of this
claim that Iran has not deviated from peaceful nuclear activities. Since
a number of western countries believe that they have lost their
interests in Iran they try to put the blame on Iran by raising such
claims as lack of confidence building in nuclear issue, he said.
more...
Putin To EJC: Israel, Russia Are 'Partners' In Facing Iran
The Jerusalem Post
(October 11, 2007) -
In a meeting with European Jewish Congress leaders on Wednesday, Russian
President Vladimir Putin said that the two countries most threatened by
Iran are Israel and Russia, and the two are "complete partners in this
matter," according to EJC sources familiar with the meeting. "The
president [Putin] also said he will do everything in his power to
continue to raise the issue in the upcoming Second Summit of Caspian
States [beginning October 16 in Teheran]," the source said. Earlier
Wednesday, following a meeting between Putin and French President
Nicholas Sarkozy, Putin declared that there was a lack of "objective
data" regarding an Iranian nuclear weapons plan, so "we proceed from a
position that Iran has no such plans." Even so, he said, "we are sharing
our partners' concern about making all Iranian programs transparent."
Russia has opposed the US-led push for tougher sanctions against Iran
and called for more checks and inspections of Iranian facilities by
International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, instead of
an immediate third round of sanctions. Asked about the discrepancy of
apparent concern over an Iranian nuclear threat in the meeting with the
EJC and the calmer tones prevailing in Putin's message to the
international community, an EJC spokesman said the organization did not
have an immediate comment on Putin's earlier declaration. At the
meeting, EJC President Moshe Kantor asked Putin "to bring his influence
to bear on the Iranian President" since "Iran is the major state
supporter of International terrorism. If Iran gains the ability to
export nuclear weaponry to terror organizations, the danger and horror
that awaits the world is immense." The Kremlin meeting also discussed
anti-Semitism, where the EJC praised the Russian government's work to
combat the phenomenon in Russia. According to the EJC, Putin "committed
himself to using the full force of the law to bring to account people
who perpetrate such acts." In particular, the Jewish umbrella
organization heard "positive" responses from several Russian leaders,
including Putin, regarding the formal commemoration of International
Holocaust Memorial Day in Russia. The day, which falls on January 27,
the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945, is marked
officially in Germany, Poland, the UK, Denmark and elsewhere, and was
adopted this year by the UN.
Will the 12th Imam cause war with Iran?
YNet News (September
28, 2007) - Not since
the prime minister of the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada presented an
address claiming that UFOs posed a mortal threat to the future of
mankind has the United Nations been treated to such a bizarre spectacle.
Many people believe the greatest threat to world peace concerns Iran's
nuclear programme, so there was understandably great interest at this
week's general assembly in New York when the country's president,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, took the platform. But instead of seeking to
reassure delegates that Iran's nuclear intentions were purely benign, Mr
Ahmadinejad took advantage of his official visit to a country deemed –
in the lexicon of the Iranian Revolution – "the Great Satan" to embark
on a discourse about the wonders of the 12th Imam. For those
unacquainted with the more obscure tenets of Islamic theology, the 12th
Imam is held by devout Shi'ite Muslims to be a direct descendant of the
Prophet Mohammed who went into "occlusion" in the ninth century at the
age of five and hasn't been seen since. The Hidden Imam, as he is also
known by his followers, will only return after a period of cosmic chaos,
war and bloodshed – what Christians call the Apocalypse – and then lead
the world into an era of universal peace. Rumours abound of Mr.
Ahmadinejad's devotion to the 12th Imam, and last year it was reported
that he had persuaded his cabinet to sign a "contract" pledging
themselves to work for his return. For many of the hundreds of delegates
who attended Mr. Ahmadinejad's speech to the UN this week, his discourse
on the merits of the 12th Imam finally brought home the reality of the
danger his regime poses to world peace. more... Hizbullah: If Israel attacks Syria, we'll respond Fulfilled Prophecy (September 27, 2007) - "If Israel dares to make an adventurous move against Syria, it will pay a heavy price," a member of Hizbulla's political council warned Thursday. In an interview with the Nazareth-based Kul al-Arab newspaper scheduled to be published on Friday, Dr Ahmad Malli warned Israel against considering an attack on Syria, saying that the Lebanese organization would respond to such an offensive with full force. "I believe that things have changed," Malli explained. "The times when everyone was afraid of the Israeli threats are over. The Zionist entity knows more than anyone that the price of such adventurousness would be heavy, and the Israelis know the price more than anyone. "Since 2006 we have begun a new stage in the Arab-Israeli conflict and have demonstrated this during the Israeli aggression in July (the Second Lebanon War). If anyone wants to make an adventurous move, it will baer responsibility for this aggression." Asked whether he was referring to aggression both against Lebanon and against Syria, Malli replied, "We are all in one Middle East." Ahmad Jibril, secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, also warned Thursday that if Israel attacked Syria or Hizbullah his organization would also respond. In an interview with the al-Hadat newspaper, which is published in Arabic in the Galilee city of Tamra, Jibril warned that Israel planned to invade Syria in coordination with Arab countries. The interview is scheduled to be published Friday. According to Jibril, if such an attack takes place, Iran and Hizbullah will stand by Damascus and respond in full force. "I believe that the Israelis and the Americans will carry out attacks against Syria as soon as possible, in other words in the near future. I do not reject the possibility that the Israeli aircraft will attack us – the Palestinians in Syria. more...| Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | Isaiah 17 |
Bush
to U.N.: Lay Off Israel
Israel National News (September
25, 2007) - United States President George W. Bush urged the
United Nations to reform its Human Rights Council Tuesday, criticizing
the body for ignoring abuses in places like Iran "while focusing its
criticism excessively on Israel.” "The American people are disappointed
by the failures of the Human Rights Council," Bush said. "The United
Nations must reform its own Human Rights Council." In the course of his
speech, Bush pointed out several regimes which he termed "brutal" and
"cruel." He announced new sanctions against the military dictatorship in
Myanmar (Burma), accusing it of imposing "a 19-year reign of fear" that
denies the basic freedoms of speech, assembly and worship. "Americans
are outraged by the situation in Burma," the president said in an
address to the U.N. General Assembly. He purposely used the country's
old name, Burma: the military junta renamed the Asian country Myanmar
but the U.S. refuses to recognize the change. "Basic freedoms of speech,
assembly and worship are severely restricted," he said. "Ethnic
minorities are persecuted. Forced child labor, human trafficking and
rape are common. The regime is holding more than a thousand political
prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party was elected
overwhelmingly by the Burmese people in 1990. "The ruling junta remains
unyielding, yet the people's desire for freedom is unmistakable," Bush
said. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sat in the chamber and
checked his watch during Bush's remarks. First Lady Laura Bush, also
present for the president's speech, walked by the seated Iranian
president without making contact, and Israeli Ambassador Danny Gillerman,
too, made a point of avoiding Ahmadinejad. Bush urged the world's
nations to support countries that are struggling for democracy.
more...
Iran promises response to Zionist allies by October 12
Islamic
Republic News Agency (September 19, 2007)
- Supporters of the Zionist regime will receive their response during
the world Qods Day's rallies, government spokesman, Gholam-Hossein Elham,
said Wednesday. The spokesman made the remarks during his weekly press
conference while commenting on the current visit to the occupied
Palestine of the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Qods Day is
held each year on the last Friday of Muslims fasting month of Ramadan
after it was nominated by the late Founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam
Khomeini, as a day to voice the protest of the Islamic Ummah against the
Zionists. The day falls on October 12 this year. "The US loses all
opportunities to cooperate with regional and other world states by
trying to support a regime (the Zionist regime) which is now at its
weakest political and social position," Elham said. He warned that
Washington's insistence on its wrong policies and arrogant approaches
would have no result "but further political disgrace" for itself.
Referring to the approaching World Qods Day, the spokesman stressed,
"Supporters of the Zionist regime will definitely receive the final
response for their support on that day."
Iran offers to aid Syria following tensions with Israel YNet
News (September 6, 2007)
- Iran's ambassador to Damascus, Mu , assured security
officials in Syria that Teheran would be ready to offer Damascus any
assistance it may need, Iranian media reported on Thursday afternoon
following a resurgence of tensions between Israel and Syria. Syria
claims that IDF aircraft entered Syrian airspace overnight.
Rafsanjani to head Iranian clerical body
Associated
Press (September 4, 2007) -
Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president and longtime Machiavellian figure in
Iranian politics, was picked Tuesday to head a powerful clerical body — another
defeat for the current president's hard-line faction.
Rafsanjani's election as chairman of the Assembly of Experts means the
charismatic cleric will oversee the secretive body that chooses or dismisses the
Islamic Republic's ultimate authority, its supreme leader. The election focuses
new attention on Rafsanjani, a complex figure who at various times has been
viewed more as hard-liner and at other times as a pragmatist. It also is sure to
strengthen his image, tarnished by his loss to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2005
presidential runoff when he was viewed as arrogant and out of touch with the
lives of ordinary Iranians. Rafsanjani, who is considered more moderate than
Ahmadinejad, brokered the deal that made Ayatollah Ali Khamenei supreme leader
in 1989. It is unclear if the 73-year-old Rafsanjani has ambitions for the post
himself someday or prefers the role of behind-the-scenes kingmaker. Khamenei is
68. A wealthy man, Rafsanjani controls a multimillion dollar family business
empire, one of Iran's largest, and is believed to oppose Ahmadinejad's populist
economic policies. Above all, Rafsanjani, who served as president from 1989 to
1997, is thought to be more pragmatic on issues involving Iran's dealings with
the West and disturbed by Iran's growing isolation. He is believed to have
played a behind-the-scenes role in Iran's decision to release British sailors
who were seized earlier this year, for example.
more... Iran warns US over risks of military action YNet News (September 4, 2007) - New special military advisor to supreme leader Ali Khamenei says Washington could never foresee size of Tehran's response against US troops in region; adds reaction could affect Israel. Iran on Tuesday issued a stark warning to the United States over the danger of launching a military attack, saying Washington could never foresee the size of its response against US troops in the region. "The US will face three problems if it attacks Iran. Firstly, it does not know the volume of our response," said General Rahim Yahya Safavi, the new special military advisor to supreme leader Ali Khamenei. "Also, it can not evaluate the vulnerability of its 200,000 troops in the region, since we have accurately identified all of their camps," added Safavi, who stepped down last week as head of the elite Revolutionary Guards. Safavi also warned over how Iran's reaction to a US attack could affect Israel - Tehran's regional archfoe - and also crude oil supply from the world's fourth-largest producer. "Secondly, it does not know what will happen to Israel and, thirdly, the United States does not know what will happen to the oil flow," he was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying. Washington has never ruled out taking military action against Tehran, and its tone has sharpened again over the past week, with President George W. Bush warning that Iran's atomic program could lead to a "nuclear holocaust." Iran has always insisted it would never launch any attack against a foreign country, but has also warned of a crushing response to any aggression against its soil. Tehran has an array of medium range missiles, and claims that its longer-range Shahab-3 missile has a reach of 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles), which would put Israel and US bases on the Arabian Peninsula within reach. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has dismissed the chance of any US attack against Iran, but influential former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has warned of the dangers still posed by the United States. more... | Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam | America |
Iran Ready To Fill Power Vacuum in Iraq, Ahmadinejad Says The
New York Sun (August 29, 2007) -
President Ahmadinejad of Iran said yesterday that American political
influence in Iraq is "collapsing rapidly" and said his government is
ready to help fill any power vacuum. The hard-line leader also
defended Prime Minister al-Maliki of Iraq, a fellow Shiite Muslim
who has been harshly criticized by American politicians for his
unsuccessful efforts to reconcile Iraq's Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds.
"The political power of the occupiers is collapsing rapidly," Mr.
Ahmadinejad said at a news conference, referring to American troops
in Iraq. "Soon, we will see a huge power vacuum in the region. Of
course, we are prepared to fill the gap, with the help of neighbors
and regional friends like Saudi Arabia, and with the help of the
Iraqi nation." Mr. Ahmadinejad did not elaborate on his remarks, an
unusual declaration of Iran's interest in influencing its neighbor's
future. The mention of a Saudi role appeared aimed at allaying the
fears of Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Muslim nations that Iran wants
to dominate in Iraq. Even though Saudi Arabia and Iran have not
cooperated in the past, it "doesn't mean it can't happen," Mr.
Ahmadinejad said. Iran fought a brutal eight-year war with Saddam
Hussein's regime and welcomed the elimination of a deeply hated
enemy. But Iran also strongly objects to the presence of America,
another rival, over its eastern and western borders in Afghanistan
and Iraq. "Occupation is the root of all problems in Iraq," Mr.
Ahmadinejad said. "It has become clear that occupiers are not able
to resolve regional issues." more...
Ahmadinejad says his country now a 'nuclear Iran' The
Jerusalem Post (August 28, 2007)
- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
reiterated Tuesday that Teheran has achieved full proficiency in
the nuclear fuel cycle and warned the West that dialogue and
friendship - not threats - were the right way to deal with
Iran. "Today, Iran is a nuclear Iran," Ahmadinejad told a press
conference in Teheran. "That means, it fully possesses the whole
nuclear fuel cycle." Ahmadinejad, however, said his country was
committed to a "peaceful path" in pursuing its controversial nuclear
program. Ahmadinejad's comments followed an announcement Monday by
the International Atomic Energy Agency which said that Teheran was
offering some cooperation in the agency's probe of an alleged secret
uranium
processing project linked by US intelligence to a nuclear arms
program. The IAEA has said that Teheran also outlined its timetable
for providing other sensitive information sought by the Vienna,
Austria-based UN watchdog in its investigation of over two decades
of nuclear activity by the Islamic republic, most of it clandestine
until revealed more than four years ago. The US criticized the deal
with the IAEA, saying the agreement won't save Iran from a third set
of UN Security Council sanctions for refusing to halt uranium enrichment. Some in the
IAEA have suggested Washington may be trying to derail important
progress in the Iranian nuclear negotiations, in a drive to impose
new UN penalties. At the presser in Teheran, Ahmadinejad said the US
president was a "wicked, selfish and arrogant" leader who has abused
the UN Security Council in a push to stop Iran's nuclear program.
Although the Iranian leader did not name George W. Bush, his remarks
were clearly addressed to his US counterpart. "You saw that your
coercion ... was futile," Ahmadinejad said. "Some wicked and selfish
leaders stood arrogantly behind the podium to say, 'we won't let
them do this' ... You sold out your prestige and stood against a
cultured nation... I recommend that you don't repeat this ugly
behavior." The US and its allies fear Teheran is using its civilian
nuclear program as a cover to produce atomic weapons. Iran denies
the charge, saying its program is solely geared toward generating
electricity. more...
Are Turkey’s Relations With Israel Crumbling?
Today's Zaman (August
25, 2007) - Just as
Turkey is tackling domestic issues surrounding the election of its
next president, the decision of an influential Jewish group -- the
New York-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL) -- to recognize the
World War I killing of Anatolian Armenians as genocide, kicked the
genocide debates back onto Turkey’s agenda again. Israel and Jewish
lobbyists have so far pursued a policy of siding with Turkey on this
controversial issue, refusing to recognize those incidents as
genocide, but this long-time policy has been reversed with the ADL’s
move, arousing suspicion that something might be askew in
Turkey-Israel relations, which cannot be considered independent from
Jewish groups operating in the US. There is a widely held view that
Turkey’s improving relations with neighboring countries,
particularly Iran, has disturbed both Israel and the US, resulting
in such consequence. Milliyet columnist Taha Akyol speculates about
the possible reasons for such an attitude change among Jewish groups
in the US and connects this to recent political developments. Akyol
thinks it was the politics of yesterday that prompted Jews to take
sides with Turkey on this controversial issue and it is politics
again that has made their stance change. Akyol, for instance, shows
that Turkey’s rejection of a motion in 2003 that would have allowed
US troops to be deployed in Turkey during the Iraq War and Hamas
leader Khaled Mashaal visiting Turkey after winning elections in
Palestine as some of the reasons for deteriorating relations with
the Bush administration neocons, who are in political and economic
alliance with Zionism. He also talks about Turkey’s improving
relations with Iran and Syria as possible reasons for the change in
stance among Jewish groups. “The Jewish groups do no act
independently from Israel. So, their taking a stance against Turkey
will undoubtedly deal a severe blow to Turkish-Israeli relations.
Turkey, Israel and the US will all suffer from the deteriorating
relations,” argues Akyol. more...
Solanaman Fulfilled
Prophecy (August 24, 2007) - A
breakthrough may have been reached with Iran's nuclear program,
according to reports from the
Islamic Republic News Agency and the
Associated Press. During two days of talks in Tehran on Monday
and Tuesday, representatives from Iran and the International Atomic
Energy Agency (the UN's nuclear watchdog) reportedly finalized an
agreement that was previously made between Iran's top nuclear
negotiator, Ali Larijani, the IAEA secretary general, Mohamed
ElBaradei, and the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana. The
agreement follows on the heels of ongoing negotiations between
Larijani and Solana that Solana called "very constructive."
Read about the talks here. And in March, the Iranian foreign
minister said Larijani's meetings with Solana were helping to
materialize a solution. The agreement reportedly includes a
framework -- a plan and timetable -- for resolving the international
community's concerns over Iran's nuclear program. It comes a month
before the IAEA is scheduled to release a progress report on Iran's
nuclear program. A favorable report would keep new UN sanctions from
being imposed on Iran. Yet, Washington opposes the agreement and
believes new sanctions should be imposed, according to the
Associated Press article. The U.S. fears that the IAEA is giving
into Iran -- and just days after the United States labeled Iran's
Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization.
Read about it here. But European nations may see things
differently. This
Asia Times Online article today reports that European nations --
with the exception of the EU3 (France, Germany and Britain) feel
that Iran and the IAEA have reached an acceptable agreement. The EU3
have sided with the United States -- agreeing that Iran is not
complying with UN demands -- and, with the U.S., these three have
been negotiating with Iran outside of the UN efforts. Yet, their
efforts haven't produced the results Solana's have, causing the Asia
Times article to ask and then answer its own question: "Why is the
Larijani-Solana duet making progress while other channels are not?
The answer is persuasive diplomacy, for Solana has wisely used quiet
diplomacy and rationality, rather than the rhetoric of Washington
and London." If Solana's negotiations continue to deliver results
with Iran, then it will be interesting to see his diplomatic skills
resulting in yet another successful breakthrough -- one others
thought was impossible. Solana has a long history of such
negotiations, earning him a reputation as a diplomatic superhero.
That's why I call him "Solanaman." The funny thing is, after I
titled this article I found another article my dad had written about
Solana by the same name.
Read it here. I guess I really rubbed off on my dad. (Ha ha! ...
I can tease my him now, and he can't say anything ... at least where
I can hear him!) We're also waiting to see if Solana's
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership for Peace will deliver stability to
the Middle East. Staying tuned!
'Terrorist' label means U.S. set for Iran attack, experts say Ottawa
Citizen (August 16, 2007)
- A U.S. decision to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a
foreign terrorist organization fuelled speculation yesterday that
the White House is laying the groundwork for air strikes against the
hardline Islamic nation before President George W. Bush leaves
office. Foreign policy analysts were surprised yesterday by the
reported White House decision, which would mark the first time in
history that the U.S. has formally declared the armed forces of a
sovereign nation to be terrorists. "The United States has chosen to
up the ante against Iran. This is a warning, or an indicator, that a
major policy shift is unfolding within the Bush administration,"
said retired U.S. air force colonel Sam Gardiner, an Iran policy
specialist and former war games planner at the National War
College. "From a policy perspective, it's huge. Never in the history
of warfare has another country declared another's armed forces to be
a separate instrument from the state." In Crawford, Texas, White
House spokeswoman Dana Perino said "it would be inappropriate for me
to comment on any possible actions" the U.S. is planning to curb the
activities of the Revolutionary Guard, an elite military force that
operates outside Iran's regular army. But several high-ranking U.S.
officials said Mr. Bush has already made a decision to sign an
executive order classifying the Revolutionary Guard a "specially
designated global terrorist" group that threatens the U.S. The
administration could formally announce the move as early as next
month ahead of United Nations Security Council meetings in New York,
when the U.S. will seek tougher sanctions against Tehran over its
nuclear program. The U.S. military has also repeatedly accused
Iran's Revolutionary Guard, particularly its covert al-Quds Force,
of supplying weapons to aid Shia insurgents fighting American troops
in Iraq. Iran's Revolutionary Guard "is well-known to be engaged in"
terrorist activities and the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction,
said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. more...
Iran-Turkey-Message Islamic
Republic News Agency (August 8, 2007)
- A message from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was submitted to
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday afternoon by a
senior Iranian official. Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia-Pacific
and Commonwealth of Independent States Mehdi Safari handed over the
message in a closed door meeting with the Turkish premier. Safari
arrived in Ankara on Tuesday to confer with Erdogan on issues of
mutual interest. An informed source at Iran's embassy in Turkey told
IRNA that the message focused on strengthening Tehran-Ankara
relations. The source added that Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was also present at the meeting. The
Iranian and Turkish sides declined to make any comments at the end
of their 40-minute meeting. Safari immediately headed for Tehran
after the meeting.
Solana hopeful Iran, IAEA will resolve issues soon Monsters
And Critics (August 1, 2007)
- The European Union's foreign policy chief expressed hope on
Wednesday that Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
would soon resolve all issues relating to Tehran's nuclear programme.
Javier Solana said Iran was now 'trying to work with the agency of
IAEA in Vienna to clarify the outstanding issues that have not been
previously resolved.' 'Once this is done - and I hope this will be
done soon - we will have to resume meetings to see if we can pave
the way to start negotiations,' he told reporters on the sideline of
his meetings with foreign ministers of the Association of South-East
Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Philippine capital. Solana said he and
Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani agreed to see how the
discussions with the IAEA go before they talk again 'to see if the
meeting is appropriate.' Solana arrived late Monday in Manila to
attend the 27-member ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the only security
meeting in Asia, on Thursday. On Monday, an IAEA delegation
inspected the heavy-water reactor at Arak in central Iran, according
to Iran state news agency IRNA. Iran's readiness to allow IAEA
inspectors to visit the heavy-water reactor currently under
construction is widely considered a major breakthrough between the
relevant sides in the nuclear dispute. According to a draft
statement, the foreign ministers attending the ARF are expected to
express their 'deep concern' over the May 2007 report of the IAEA
director general that Iran had not suspended its enrichment-related
activities. 'The ministers stressed the urgent need for a diplomatic
solution and a comprehensive arrangement with Iran, while respecting
Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy under safeguards and in
accordance with its obligations under the Non Proliferation Treaty,'
the draft added. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia,
Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Aside from the 10-member ASEAN, other members of the ARF are
Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, the EU, India, Japan,
Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, North and South Korea,
Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka and the United States. F-14 Parts Sold Despite Sales Ban Guardian Unlimited (August 1, 2007) - The Pentagon sold more than a thousand aircraft parts that could be used on F-14 fighter jets - a plane flown only by Iran - after |
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