Clipmarks | merrie's 'iran' clips

Iran Announces Bid For UN Security Council Seat

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:41:41 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki announced his country's bid today for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, a candidacy that U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad immediately rejected.

U.S. opposition would be based on the unwritten rule at the UN that nations under Security Council sanctions aren't elected to the panel. The council has adopted three resolutions imposing sanctions on Iran over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment as part of its nuclear program.

Clip Source: www.bloomberg.com

Mottaki told envoys at a meeting of the group of 57 Islamic nations that Iran would seek the seat that will become open when Indonesia's two-year term ends on Dec. 31, according to diplomats who attended the closed session. Iran would compete with Japan, the only other declared candidate for a seat that is designated for an Asian nation.

``For a country that is under sanctions and is not in compliance with the requirements that the international community has repeatedly asked of it, it is surprising that it would believe that it could become a Security Council member,'' Khalilzad said. ``That would be extraordinarily strange for Iran in the current circumstances.''

Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of Russia, which along with the U.S., Britain, China and France have permanent seats on the Security Council, said the sanctions on Iran would ``be a problem.''

Voting for five new temporary members will be held in October.

Tags: iran, u.n.security council, u.s. ambassador, britain, france, russia, china

30 Most Incredible Abstract Satellite Images of Earth

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:03:45 GMT

clipped by: missjackson

Clip Source: www.environmentalgraffiti.com

By Tom Davie and Chris Ingham Brooke

400,000 images taken by the Landsat 7 satellite

A handful of the best were painstakingly chosen and then displayed at the Library of Congress in 2000.

Guinea-Bissau

Garden City, Kansas, USA

Akpatok Island, Canada

Aleutian Clouds, North America

Mayn River, Siberia, Russia

Bolivian Deforestation

Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Ocean Sands, Bahamas

Lake Carnegie, Australia

Chilean Volcanoes

Clip Source: www.environmentalgraffiti.com

Coahuila, Mexico

The Everglades, Florida, USA

Ganges River Delta, (Bangladesh & India)

Ghadamis River, Libya

Baffin Bay, Greenland

Konari, Iran

Iraqi Military emplacement

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Dasht-e Kavir, Iran

Lena River, Russia

Clip Source: www.environmentalgraffiti.com

MacDonnell Mountains, Australia

Malaspina Glacier, Alaska, USA

The Optimist, Kalahari Desert, Namibia

Parana River, Brazil

Richat Structure, Mauritiana

The Great Sandy Desert, Australia

The Great Sandy Scars, Australia

Terkezi Oasis, Chad

Volga Delta, Russia

Karman Vortices

McCain vs. Obama On National Security

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:31:41 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: that espouses the destruction of the State of Israel as its fondest wish and pledges undying enmity to the United States to possess the weapons to advance their malevolent ambitions." He also rejects "unconditional dialogues" with Iran.

Obama has delivered messages on Iran that were more mixed. But that only makes diplomacy more important. If we must use military force, we are more likely to succeed, and will have far greater support at home and abroad, if we have exhausted our diplomatic efforts." In the same speech, however, Obama promised: "aggressive, principled diplomacy without self-defeating preconditions....Obama missed a vote on a controversial amendment offered by Sen. Jon Kyl and Lieberman that proposed labeling Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. Obama called the amendment a repeat of the mistakes that led to war in Iraq; however, he had cosponsored an earlier bill declaring the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization

Clip Source: newsblaze.com

IRAQ WAR

John McCain cosponsored the 2002 vote to authorize the use of force against Iraq, arguing at the time that Saddam Hussein was "a threat of the first order." Although he was a vehement critic of the administration's "mismanagement and failure" during the early war years, he advocated the surge of additional troops to Iraq and the need to stay as long as necessary to win the war.

In 2002, when he was an Illinois state senator, Barack Obama opposed the war. However, after he was elected to the U.S. Senate, he voted against early proposals by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and others to set a timetable for withdrawal; now Obama votes consistently in favor of establishing a timetable. Obama's plan for exiting Iraq would send home one or two combat brigades a month, with most combat troops out by the end of 2009.

IRAN POLICY

McCain has been clear about his position on Iran. In February 2008, he told an audience: "I intend to make unmistakably clear to Iran we will not permit a government

Tags: mccain, obama, iraq, iran, missile defense, nuclear weapons, north korea, guantanamo bay

Facts: 5 Years Later: New Strategy Improving Security In Iraq

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:17:23 GMT

clipped by: missjackson

Clip Source: www.whitehouse.gov

The past five years have been a critical time in history. U.S. troops should be proud of their partnership with Iraqis and the progress in Iraq.

The battle in Iraq is noble, necessary, and just.

Defeating the enemy in Iraq will make it less likely we will face this enemy here at home.

Because we acted against Saddam Hussein, the world is better and America is safer.

The "Surge" Strategy Has Produced Dramatic Results In Iraq

The U.S. is carrying out a new strategy in Iraq based on providing population security.

The surge is working.

More than 90,000 concerned local citizens are now helping to protect their communities from terrorists, insurgents, and extremists.

As we have fought al Qaeda, Coalition and Iraqi forces have also taken the fight to Shia extremist groups – many of them backed, financed, and armed by Iran.

The U.S. has doubled the number of provincial reconstruction teams in Iraq.

Political Progress Is Taking Place In Iraq

Fair-Weather Civil Libertarians

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:01:19 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: In January, Greenwald reports, Olbermann delivered an unhinged rant in which he called the immunity provision a "shameless, breathless, literally textbook example of fascism"--and in case you thought he meant the nongenocidal Italian kind, he also likened proponents of immunity to "the bureaucrats of the Third Reich."

"But that was five whole months ago" Greenwald observes:

Now that Barack Obama supports a law that does the same thing--and now that Obama justifies that support by claiming that this bill is necessary to keep us Safe from the Terrorists--everything has changed. . . .

Olbermann invited Newsweek's Jonathan Alter onto his show to discuss Obama's support for the FISA. There wasn't a word of rational criticism of the bill. Instead, the two media stars jointly hailed Obama's bravery and strength--as evidenced by his "standing up to the left" in order to support this important centrist FISA compromise.

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com and Keith Olbermann of MSNBC are in the midst of a bitter feud. They are both wrong, and they are such an unappealing pair that our first thought was, as Kissinger once said about Iran and Iraq: We hope they both lose. But actually, Greenwald has a good point at Olbermann's expense.

At issue is Barack Obama's flip-flop on legislation currently pending that would update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Greenwald and other civil-liberties extremists favor such lawsuits and thus oppose immunity. Obama used to agree with this position

Now that he is the Democratic nominee, however, he says he supports the bill and will not filibuster, though he still does not care for the immunity provision.

Call us cynical, but that's politics. Yet although Keith Olbermann is not running for office, he has flip-flopped in precisely the same way Obama did, or perhaps a bit more dramatically since he is a more dramatic personality.

Tags: foreign intelligence surveillance act, glenn greenwald, keith olbermann, jonathan alter

Damascus Reviewing Ties With Iran

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:07:25 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Damascus, 26 June (AKI) - Syria may be 'reconsidering' its relationship with Iran, according to unnamed French government officials.

Clip Source: www.adnkronos.com

In a report published on Thursday in pan-Arab daily al-Sharq al-Awsat, French officials said Iran and Syria do not agree on a number of issues and that may result in a rift.

According to French sources, Syria opposes the idea of a confessional Iraqi state under Iran's influence.

French officials also claim another point of contention is Lebanon, where they say Syria does not want any further involvement in the fragile political situation or to strengthen the Shia militia and political organisation, Hezbollah.

The French officials said Syria is more interested in strengthening and developing its ties with the European Union, western countries and negotiating with Israel.

The regime of President Bashar al-Assad is also ready to sign an agreement with the EU, which would become a tool for Syria to normalise its relations with the body and create political, trade, social, cultural and security links.

Tags: syrian president bashar al-assad, iran, lebanon, hezbollah, shia militia, european union

An Iranian "Embassy" In Boston [mullahs lobby machine]

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:16:55 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Two year ago when Maleki came to Harvard, Sadegh Kharrazi, a close friend and collaborator of his, told Shargh newspaper in Tehran (May 28, 2006): "There is actually an Iranian lobby in US which illustrates itself occasionally…. [this lobby] should remain non-governmental, but the government could support it, promote it and rely on it". Maleki's goal has been to turn this "occasional" lobby to a full time and large scale machine of influence and misinformation.

It is now apparent that the policy of United States on Iran over the past has been packed with confusion and shortsightedness. It is certainly not a mere security oversight to allow so many former officials enter the United States. Almost certainly, the United States’ goal is to create a back door channel to the mullahs in Iran, a de facto Iranian embassy. Nevertheless, this “embassy” is acting more like a Trojan horse than an ambassadorial channel.

Clip Source: english.iranianlobby.com

Three former Iranian deputy ministers, Abbas Maleki, M. Jaffar Mahallati and Farhad Atai, have made Boston the base for their mission to assist Iran's strategic goals. These Mullahs' diplomats are recycled as scholars in Harvard or other fine American institutes. Senior among them is Abbas Maleki. ¹

A former revolutionary guard, a high ranking Iranian diplomat, and now a senior fellow at Harvard, "Professor" Maleki, is a prominent figure of the Mullahs lobby in the US.

In a series of articles and speeches in Tehran, Maleki has recently elaborated on "how to combat the US". He argues that the best means of countering the US pressure on Iran with respect to the nuclear issue is the use of "soft diplomacy", which according to him is to mount a large scale PR campaign. Maleki identifies AIPAC (Pro-Israeli lobby) as a role model for a successful PR campaign. (Iranian Diplomacy, March 27, 2008)

Tags: harvard university, boston, former iranian deputy ministers, former iranian diplomat, former revolutionary guard

Sufism, Sophistry And Politics

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:56:30 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. Would the Pakistanis or the Moroccans burn their homeland by joining "the ball of fire" because Khomeinism is denied the bomb?

The "ball of fire" is a poetic expression, and I wondered where it came from.

Would Turks and Algerians jump on the "ball of fire" to show solidarity with a regime that has helped terror groups against them for decades?

Even the Syrian rulers are unlikely to risk their survival by trying to jump on El-Baradaei's "ball of fire" to please the mullahs. They like the mullahs' money, not the mullahs themselves.

Despite Tehran's massive handouts in recent years, one doubts even Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood in general would take risks to show solidarity with a regime that, while generous, has been trying to impose ideological control.

That leaves the branches of the Hezbollah, especially the largest and best-financed Lebanese one. But then, as always what Hezbollah does will be decided in Tehran not Beir

Clip Source: aawsat.com

El-Baradaei, another great Egyptian.

As a diplomat and bureaucrat in charge of one of the United Nations' affiliates, he is bound by a duty of reserve. This means that he should not use his position to askew the terms of international debate on subjects concerning his department.

El-Baradei's primary duty is to establish whether the Islamic Republic is, as the United States and its European Union allies claim, violating the terms of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). If he establishes beyond reasonable doubt, that Tehran is not trying to make a bomb, he would need no poetic cliché to prevent war. If, on the other hand, he cannot establish that or, worse still, feels that the opposite may be the case, he should not lend succor to the violator of a treaty of which he is guardian.

In any case, El-Baradaei should tell the world what exactly his "ball of fire" might consist of.

The greater Middle East, which is supposed to become "a ball of fire", is comprised of 25 countries

Tags: iran, el-baradei, middle east"ball or fire", syria, hezbollah, hamas, strait of hormuz,

Feds Charge Two With Conspiracy To Export Aircraft Parts To Iran

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:51:30 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Federal agents executed a search warrant at Bujduveanu's home and business immediately after his arrest. Agents found boxes of military aircraft parts stored on Bujduvenau's property, including hundreds of parts for the C-130, the F-5, and other military aircraft.

"Today's defendants are charged with illegally selling US military equipment to Iran, thus helping that country build up its military strength," said R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. "We owe it to the many service men and women who defend us to vigorously prosecute illegal exports of American military equipment."

"Disrupting illegal procurement networks that attempt to circumvent our sanctions against Iran is a top priority of the Bureau of Industry and Security," said Special Agent in Charge, Michael Johnson. "This case demonstrates the importance of team work in preventing diversion of sensitive US goods," he added.

Clip Source: www.aero-news.net

Two men were recently arrested on charges of conspiring to export military aircraft parts to Iran. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency states Hassan Saied Keshari and Traian Bujduveanu are charged in a federal Criminal Complaint with conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the United States Iran Embargo, and the Arms Export Control Act for their participation in a conspiracy to export US-made military aircraft parts to Iran.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the Criminal Complaint, Keshari owns and operates Kesh Air International, a business located in Novato, CA. Bujduveanu owns and operates Orion Aviation Corp., located in Plantation, FL.

Friday, June 20, 2008, federal agents arrested Keshari at Miami International Airport as he walked off a flight from Atlanta. A search warrant was executed on Kesh Air International on Friday, June 20, 2008. Defendant Bujduveanu was arrested at his Plantation, FL home on Saturday, June 21, 2008

Tags: federal criminal complaint, military aircraft parts, tomcats, phantoms, ch-53 helos, hassan saied keshari, traian bujduveanu

Suicidal Mystics With Nukes

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:27:05 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks:
After more UN sanctions were threatened, Ahmadinejad stated:

As God promised, the oppressors will have their noses rubbed in the dirt. Now they are fulfilling this promise by themselves... Let it be known that in whatever we do, I see the hand of God and the hidden imam at every moment.

The expansion [of the city of Qom] is driven by an apocalyptic vision: that Shiite Islam's long-hidden 12th Imam, or Mahdi, will soon emerge -- possibly at the mosque of Jamkaran -- to inaugurate the end of the world. The man who provided $20 million to prepare the shrine for that moment, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has reportedly told his cabinet that he expects the Mahdi to arrive within the next two years.

Clip Source: directorblue.blogspot.com

According to 'Twelver' Shi'a Mulims, Imam Hujjat al-Mahdī ( المهدى) is the twelfth Imam and the Mahdi, the ultimate savior of mankind. Twelver Shi'as believe that Muhammad was born in 868 and has been hidden by God (referred to as occultation) to later emerge to fulfill his mission.

Twelver Shi'as cite various references from the Qur'an and reports (Hadith) from Muhammad and the twelve Shi'a Imams. These texts predict the reappearance of Muhammad al-Mahdi which would, in accordance with God's command, bring justice and peace to the world by establishing Islam throughout the world.

Shi'as believe that Muhammad al-Mahdi will reappear when the world has fallen into chaos and civil war emerges between the human race for no reason.

As mayor of Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is reported to have ordered the city council to build a boulevard to prepare for the Mahdi. A year later, as Iran's president, he budgeted $17 million for a blue-tiled mosque in Jamkaran that is directly tied to the Mahdi.

Tags: madhi, tehran, ahmadinejad, islamic republic of iran, nuclear weapons

The Lava Lamp Candidate

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 01:30:43 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: ElBaradei's New Brief, Same as His Old Brief [Steve Schippert]

The buzz circulating now is that IAEA Director Mohammed ElBaradei said on al-Arabiya that Iran could be months away from producing a nuclear weapon, as noted by AllahPundit at Hot Air and Jeff Stein at Congressional Quarterly.

What's more, just about all analyses completely ignore Iran's pursuit of a plutonium-based weapon through external acquisition and production beyond Iran's borders and beneath the IAEA and Western international radar. Syria is only now entertaining the idea of limited and restricted IAEA inspections of the nuclear facility destroyed by Israel last September 6.

This "only line of defense" claim comes from the same UN "nuclear watchdog" that has no enforcement mechanism and the same one that failed to detect and/or deter North Korea, India, and Pakistan from developing nuclear weapons.

http://tank.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YTg2MjNmOTc1YTkzMGI4YjA1YWE0MTYyN2Q0YzNiMjc=

Clip Source: townhall.com

Tags: el baradei, iaea, "nuclear watchdog", iran, nuclear weapon, syria, pakistan, north korea, india

Obama: It's Only About Winning

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:08:13 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: But here's what's scary: For all of Kerry's reputed smoothness and Eastern intellect, he often tied himself in knots trying to reconcile his absurdly opposing positions. Obama can flip and flop with unmatched alacrity and facility and with the absence of self-consciousness and accountability of an accomplished sociopath. This guy doesn't even acknowledge he's changing positions; he does it without breaking a sweat and never looks back.

I ask you to consider the common thread underlying these turnarounds his nearly immediate backtracking on whether Iran poses a serious threat to America; his progressive position shifts on Iraq from "don't go in, stay in, and get out"; and his vigorous defense then abandonment of both his pastor and his church.

The common thread, in a word, is expedience. It is not toughness; it is not savvy; it is not gravitas; and by all means, it is not admirable.

Barack Obama is every bit as politically calculating as Bill Clinton but twice as smooth.

Clip Source: www.davidlimbaugh.com

The Washington Post reports that Sen. Barack Obama is aggressively trying to reintroduce himself to voters, echoing the spin of Obama's advisers that not everyone knows him yet. In reality, Obama's major campaign challenge will not be to reveal, but to conceal his true identity.

The Post says that in his reintroduction, Obama has "offered a clear road map for the kind of candidate he is likely to become...: an ambitious gamer of the electoral map, a ruthless fundraiser and a scrupulous manager of his own biography in the face of persistent concerns about how he is perceived."

What the Post left out is that Obama has also shown himself to be an unscrupulous master of the politics of calculation and expedience. Whether on public finance, NAFTA, Iran, Iraq, Jerusalem, special interests, Cuba, illegal immigration or the decriminalization of marijuana, Obama has demonstrated a propensity for flip-flopping that could embarrass the grandmaster himself, Sen. John Kerry.

Tags: obama, bafta, iran, iraq, illegal immigration, jerusalem, public finance, energy

The Israeli "Dry Run"On Iran's Nuclear Facilities

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:40:27 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Looks like there would be a side benefit from an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities: the blind, toothless UN atomic "watchdog" -- Mohamed El Baradei -- promised to resign if Iran is targeted.

US officials reported on Friday that more than 100 Israeli F-16s and F-15s staged a complex operation over the Mediterranean during the first week of June. The aircraft traversed more than 900 miles, about the distance from Israel to Iran's Natanz nuclear enrichment facility; the exercise also tested the refueling of planes and helicopters tasked with rescuing downed pilots.

El Baradei wasn't pleased.

He warned that any attack on Iran would turn the entire Middle East "into a fireball."

Russia's response: as Iran's preeminent nuclear technology supplier, Russia is concerned with its cash flow. It also warned Israel not to attack. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov instructed Israel not to use force, claiming there is no proof Iran is trying to acquire atomic weapons.

Clip Source: directorblue.blogspot.com

Tags: iaea, el baradei, ahmadinejad, russia, stratfor, john bolton

The Failed Environmentalists' Bans

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:54:43 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: The editorial, "How to cut foreign oil imports" by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a masterful piece of propaganda straight from Barack Obama's talking points.

How about we continue to do what the environmentalists want, even though it hurts us economically, but also do the following: What if we lift the ban on drilling for oil in ANWR, the Outer Continental Shelf and the Gulf of Mexico? What if we explore and drill for our own oil at a greater pace? What if we begin mining the trillions of gallons of liquid oil contained in the shale in the Bakken Formation? What if we build new refineries to produce more gasoline?

If we did these things we would increase supply! When you increase supply the price comes down.

We would stop sending our money overseas and create jobs and wealth here in America rather than in Saudi Arabia and Iran. We would stop being held hostage to the whims of OPEC. We would stop supporting Communist regimes like that of Hugo Chavez.

Clip Source: www.townhall.com

Tags: domestic oil production, nuclear power, oil shale

The New Soft Underbelly Of Europe

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:31:43 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: if Iran is able to continue a very transparent nuclear policy to its logical conclusion.

Looking at Germany, then, Iran sees a country with nothing to counter the pressure of merely an implied nuclear threat. Jihadists see the linchpin of Europe, easy of access and inadvertently hospitable to operations, that will hardly punish those who fall into its hands, and that can neither accomplish on its own a flexible expeditionary response against a hostile base or sponsor, nor reply in kind to a nuclear strike. Thus the German government should be especially nervous about cargos trucked overland from the east.

For its own protection, and thus that of Europe, Germany could more closely integrate and where appropriate reintegrate itself into the expeditionary and nuclear retaliatory structures of the U.S., Britain, and France, without moving nuclear weapons forward to German soil; embrace limited missile defense against potentially nuclear-armed Iranian IRBMs [...]

Clip Source: www.claremont.org

Germany, the strategic gate to Western Europe and by its nature and position that which stabilizes or disrupts the continent, sleeps and dreams unaware.

Germany must fascinate the jihadists, too—not for displacing America as the prime target, but as the richest target least defended. Though it will never happen, they believe that Islam will conquer the world, and so they try.

Germany found a September 11th facilitator guilty of 3,066 counts of accessory to murder and sentenced him to seven years (20 hours per person), he was recently retried and sentenced to 43 hours per person, not counting parole.

But more importantly, the variations in European attitudes and capabilities vis-à-vis responding to terrorism or nuclear blackmail are what make Germany such an attractive target.

Germany is a major country with no independent expeditionary capability and no nuclear weapons, making it ideal for a terrorist nuclear strike or Iranian extortion

Tags: germany, europe, terrorism, nuclear iran, missile defense