Iran 01 (Jul 08 - Apr 18)

[kennynah]

i didn't know this..

Nobel Peace Prize winner President Barack Obama

[winston]

Panetta says Israel 'could strike' Iran in spring

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes there is a "strong likelihood", that Israel will strike Iran's nuclear installations this spring, the Washington Post said Thursday in an editorial.

When asked about the opinion piece by reporters travelling with him to a NATO meeting in Brussels, Panetta brushed it aside.

The Post columnist said Panetta "believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June before Iran enters what Israelis described as a 'zone of immunity' to commence building a nuclear bomb."

Panetta said Sunday in an interview with CBS that Iran needed "about a year" to produce enough enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon, and one or two more years to "put it on a deliverable vehicle."

Israeli media reported in October last year that the option of pre-emptive air strikes on Iran was opposed by the country's intelligence services but favored by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak.

Israeli television said Mossad chief Tamir Pardo raised the possibility of a unilateral strike on Iran during a visit last week to Washington.

Source: AFP Global Edition

http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?a ... &buid=3281

[winston]

Unfortunately, it's the innocent civilians that will be suffering ...

Exclusive: Israel Warns US Jews: Iran Could Strike Here

Iran Says Attack From Israel Would 'Harm America'

By RICHARD ESPOSITO

Israeli facilities in North America -- and around the world -- are on high alert, according to an internal security document obtained by ABC News that predicted the threat from Iran against Jewish targets will increase.

Guarded sites refers to government facilities like embassies and consulates, while 'soft sites' means Jewish synagogues, and schools, as well as community centers like the one hit by a terrorist bombing in Buenos Aires in 1994 that killed 85 people.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/israel-wa ... 257&page=2

[winston]

Iran is Now a Full-Blown Crisis, Stage Set for $200 Oil By Dr. Kent Moors

Just when it looked like we could take a breather from the Strait of Hormuz, all attention is back on Iran.

There are three reasons for this - all happening within the last week:

1. First was Tehran's successful launch of a satellite, viewed by all in the region as being for military intelligence.

2. Second, in his toughest talk to date, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei voiced defiance to Western sanctions and pledged open retaliation if they are instituted.

3. Finally, last Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta expressed concern that, if matters continue, Israel could attempt an air-strike takeout of Iranian nuclear facilities within a month. Iran has been frantically moving essential components of its nuclear program underground to withstand such an attack.

All of this is, once again, leading to a rise in crude oil prices.

What's more, the EU decision to stop importing Iranian crude starting July 1 will cripple any chance Tehran has to combat escalating economic and political turmoil at home.

Yet Khamenei's defiant tone during his Friday prayer meeting speech indicates that Iran's religious leadership will not wait for the system to unravel.

And that is what makes this both a full-blown and an intensifying crisis.

http://moneymorning.com/2012/02/08/iran ... r-200-oil/

[kennynah]

what is wrong with Israel in the last 10 years?

sure, they may be God's chosen people, but it doesn't mean that they have not deviated and can do no wrong

last Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta expressed concern that, if matters continue, Israel could attempt an air-strike takeout of Iranian nuclear facilities within a month. Iran has been frantically moving essential components of its nuclear program underground to withstand such an attack.

[winston]

Iran has capability to hit U.S. forces round world: report

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Iran is capable of hitting U.S. military forces around the world if attacked by the United States, Russia's Interfax news agency quoted the Iranian ambassador to Moscow as saying on Wednesday.

Iran has warned its response to any such strike would be "painful," threatening to target Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf, along with closing the Strait of Hormuz used by one third of the world's seaborne oil traffic.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/ ... pnewsearly

[winston]

Iran turns to barter for food as sanctions cripple imports

PARIS/TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran is turning to barter - offering gold bullion in overseas vaults or tankerloads of oil - in return for food as new financial sanctions have hurt its ability to import basic staples for its 74 million people, commodities traders said Thursday.

Difficulty paying for urgent import needs has contributed to sharp rises in the prices of basic foodstuffs, causing hardship for Iranians with just weeks to go before an election seen as a referendum on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's economic policies.

Reuters surveys of commodities traders around the globe show that since the start of the year, Iran has had trouble securing imports of basic staples like rice, cooking oil, animal feed and tea. Grain ships have been held at its ports, refusing to unload until payment can be received for cargo.

With Iran's rial currency tumbling, the prices of rice, bread and meat in Iranian bazaars have doubled or more in dollar terms in recent months.

Iran has been trading oil in currencies like Japanese yen, South Korean won and Indian rupees, but such deals make it difficult to repatriate profits.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/ ... pnewsearly

[kennynah]

don't them to the corner, they will retaliate...

[winston]

if you like to red long boring interviews ...

Doug Casey: Is a US-Iran War Inevitable?

US-Iranian saber-rattling or impending shoot-out? In his usual, candid manner, contrarian investor Doug Casey talks about why he believes it's serious this time… why the US is the greatest threat to peace today… why Iran might move towards a gold standard… and what smart investors should do.

http://www.caseyresearch.com/articles/d ... 420ED0212C

[winston]

Depsite the Hysteria, Experts Say that Iran Poses Very Little Threat to the West or Israel
by WashingtonsBlog

Top Iran Experts Say that Hysteria Is Baseless

The war drums are growing very loud.



http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/ ... srael.html