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I sh*t you not…! Plans to strike Iran “ready,” says U.S. Israel envoy…
U.S. plans for a possible military strike on Iran are ready and the option is “fully available”, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said, days before Tehran resumes talks with world powers which suspect it of seeking to develop nuclear arms.
Like Israel, the United States has said it considers military force a last resort to prevent Iran using its uranium enrichment to make a bomb. Iran insists its nuclear program is for purely civilian purposes.
“It would be preferable to resolve this diplomatically and through the use of pressure than to use military force,” Ambassador Dan Shapiro said in remarks about Iran aired by Israel’s Army Radio on Thursday.
“But that doesn’t mean that option is not fully available – not just available, but it’s ready. The necessary planning has been done to ensure that it’s ready,” said Shapiro…
From the AP…
US envoy to Israel: US ready to strike Iran
…In his speech, Shapiro acknowledged the clock is ticking.
“We do believe there is time. Some time, not an unlimited amount of time,” Shapiro said. “But at a certain point, we may have to make a judgment that the diplomacy will not work.” {snip}
…In Tehran on Thursday, top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili warned against Western pressure at next week’s talks, which are a follow-up to negotiations in Istanbul last month that all sides praised as positive.
“Cooperation is what we can talk about in Baghdad,” Jalili said in comments broadcast on Iranian state TV.
“Some say time is running out for the talks,” he added. “I say time for the (West’s) pressure strategy is running out.“
Now, if you were not aware of how bought-off by AIPAC, all our Congress Critters really are, today’s House votes and, the subsequent Senate floor action, should make it crystal clear…!
On the House side, H.Res. 568, passed by the overwhelming majority of 401-11…! To wit: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the importance of preventing the Government of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability… Capability…? As Dennis Kucinich had warned today…
…”This language represents a significant shift in U.S. policy, and would guarantee that talks with Iran currently scheduled for May 23, would fail,” Kucinich said. “Current U.S. policy is that Iran cannot acquire nuclear weapons. Instead, H.Res. 568 draws the red line for military action at Iran achieving a nuclear weapons capability, a nebulous and undefined term that would include a civilian nuclear program.”
Kucinich said this language would undermine U.S. diplomatic efforts with Iran…
I think that is the intent, DK…!
Meanwhile, on the Senate floor today…
Senators tussle over new Iran sanctions
Republicans blocked an attempt by Senate Democrats on Thursday to pass new sanctions against Iran, complaining the final language in the bill, which they had negotiated for months, is not tough enough to deter Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapons program.
Their objection angered Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who claimed he was being “jerked around” by Republicans.
“I’m deeply disappointed my Republican colleagues are preventing the Senate from passing additional critical sanctions against Iran. If they want to embarrass the president this is a strange way to do it,” Reid said during a testy floor exchange with GOP leaders…
…Republicans complained Democrats provided them the final language just minutes before they were asked to approve it. Republicans said the new wording appeared to water down the threat of U.S. military action against Iran if that country developed nuclear weapons; something President Obama has said is on the table.
“I’d like to think that’s an oversight in drafting and we can work this out over weekend and make this reflective of our national policy and the president’s policy,” said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri. “But I’d be very concerned about moving to this language today.”
“A little communication ought to be able to bring us together behind something we can speak to unanimously,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader. “Nothing, I think, to get angry about.”
Democrats want to get the sanctions bill completed before U.N.-sponsored talks with Iran about their nuclear program that begin next week in Baghdad. Reid said the Iranians probably were watching the Senate floor exchange on television and “laughing at us. Here is the United States Senate quibbling over a sentence.”
Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Connecticut, stepped between the two parties and said an agreement was possible because the differences between the two sides are actually “non-existent.”
Can you believe it that HoJo is actually right for once…?
I’m tired of being ‘jerked around’ myself, Harry, and I’m damn sure not Laughing…!
*gah*
47 Comments
So will this be:
A Summer Surprise, say maybe timed to move the GOP convention off the front page?
An October Surprise, to improve Zero’s re-election chances and “unite” the country in time of conflict?
if Zero loses, a November Surprise, to pay off Isreal/AIPAC and the MIC, while giving Romney cover by not making him the one who started the war?
I really don’t think we have anything to fear, though, you know, because, like, Obama ran on getting out of wars in Petrostan.
Seriously, BP, it’s only a matter of time…! The Neo/Ziocon War Drums are attaining a fever pitch…! 8-(
Goodby to what’s left of the economy. Here and in Europe.
Sadly, true.
Not much tv here is the news doing its propaganda job of selling us on a war with Iran yet? That to me would be a sign we were ready. Unless of course the polling on an Iranian war is so bad that the WH thinks its better to surprise us which I admit is very likely.
What’s so tragic is that the ‘unwashed masses’(here, and in the EU) have no clue as to what is transpiring…! 8-(
We are such a failed, failed, fucking species. I mean, what’s left to say.
At least there was some good shit like James Brown and Mozart and Nabokov and Donna Summer.
If Hugo Chávez in Venezuela were to suddenly lose power that would be a sign we cannot attack Iran and risk Hugo Iran’s ally from suddenly cutting off our oil supply.
We cannot afford to lose our 4th biggest supplier of oil Gas Prices would easily go over $5 a gallon and Given Hugo’s pattern I expect that Hugo will cut off our oil if we attack Iran.
ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html
This is the only blog I have seen this on so far. Not on RAW Story of Huffington.
*heh* No worries, TCU, the Oily Bomber is all set…! Obama may tap Strategic Petroleum Reserve…
A long war with Iran 3 months or longer would send oil prices sky high. If Iran starts shooting oil tankers even one sunk oil tanker would send oil prices sky high.
If the Pentagon has any brains they will wait until after the election. They do not want another war to be a factor in the Presidential election.
They don’t want higher gas prices to be a factor in the general election. But then again these are the same idiots who thought we could win in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I don’t have enough knowledge of the Pentagon to read their tea leaves does anyone have an opinion on how smart they are?
I do know the WH won’t act unless the Pentagon assures them they can win.
*heh* Are you surprised…? ;-)
That won’t be enough for a long war but yes thats another sign we are serious about war. I suspect Obama might tap the oil reserve but not tell us he did a few weeks or months early.
Have you noticed gas prices going down lately maybe the oil reserve is already being tapped?
I did notice, belatedly, that ex-FDL alum and current EW resident, Jim White, really hammered on it today…!
Despite Progress on Iran-IAEA Talks, US Envoy Emphasizes War Plans…
I’m a big fan of Jim’s…! ;-)
If the war lasts more than a few weeks the strategic oil reserve I don’t think will be enough. If even one oil tanker gets sunk never mind the strategic oil reserve the market will panic and oil prices never mind actual supply will go up past $10 or more a gallon of gas.
In such a situation the stock market will Freak like a young republican on acid for the first time watching the Blair Witch Project.
That’s not necessarily the truth, TCU, on the ground right now we’re experiencing a massive glut of Petro products, from all the recent ‘Drill, Drill, Drill’ actions…! That purported, Petro ‘Panic’ is akin to the TBTF Banks’ frantic shrieking in ’08′…! It’s all the same…! 8-(
On the plus side sales of the Chevy Volt and any hybrid, electric and high MPG cars will sky rocket this will reduce global warming and our long term dependence on oil.
It won’t end our dependence on oil or stop global warming but it would be a bigger step in the right direction than would otherwise happen.
Union auto making states will go for Obama in a big way. The GOP will probably get their wish and be able to drill for oil anywhere they want without any real government regulation which will result in more oil spills.
If we lose the war Obama’s Cred goes in the toilet by lose the war I define that as gas goes to $10 a gallon for 3 months or $5 a gallon for 6 months.
If Mitt is President then the GOP gets all the blame for losing our last three wars.
Mitt will criticize Obama no matter what happens and deny him credit if Obama somehow manages to win the war without oil prices rising much.
But Mitt is a GOPer he won’t be able to tap into the anti war feeling if Obama attacks Iran.
Mitt won’t be able to get any tv coverage unless the war is real real short and oil prices don’t go up.
As I said up thread if the Pentagon has any brains they will wait until after the election.
But if the WH has any brains and they trust the Pentagon to win the war then an attack on Iran before the election maybe during the GOP convention makes sense.
Even Sarah Palin as VP would not make any headlines.
Trusting the Pentagon when they say they can win a war is stupid I grant you.
But I don’t think even O trusts the Pentagon enough to risk a war right before the election.
Sure O thinks we will win in the end but even he does not want to risk something bad happening before election day like an American pilot held hostage or the media printing how much will gas prices go up.
Obama if he wants a war and assumes he will win would want the war done by election day that would be a triumph in his mind he would be better than Bush.
Obama kills Ossama, Obama defeats Iran when Bush let Ossama live for ten years and could not beat Afghanistan or Iraq.
I think Obama is wrong about a war with Iran. But if Obama does think war with Iran can be won then an attack on Iran before the election makes perfect Wag the Dog political sense.
Its speculation if I were Obama I would open the oil reserve to drop the oil price before any attack but I would not tell the world especially Iran and the American public that I had done so especially right before peace talks.
I would want oil prices as low as possible before any attack on Iran because just the news we are going to attack Iran would probably make oil prices jump a dollar at the pump overnite if not in the next 15 minutes.
If we attack Iran I call my Mom, Brother and Sister and tell them to fill up their gas tanks and buy a gas can and fill that up too.
I expect everyone else will do the same ahead of the expected rise in gas prices.
Besides the obvious people who would love to see this happen, there is also Saudi Arabia who would also be rather pleased.
A few weeks? A FEW WEEKS?!? That’s what they said about Iraq!
Don’t these people learn ANYTHING from history?
Food for thought…
*Ding-Dong* Hellooo…! ;-)
Santayana is spinning in his grave…! 8-(
He knows his history. Better than most in the west, apparently.
Sanctions and all these other “diplomatic” measures are designed to fail. To give the Government and People of America the excuse they want to start the war they so desperately want.
Despite all the reassurances to the contrary the only way to win a war with Iran will be to invade and occupy the country. That worked so well in Irak after all …
Mohammed Ibn Laith
Mahalo, Mohammed Ibn Laith…! It’s been far too long…! ;-)
I do like the fact that the ex-Mossad/Shin Bet Chiefs are telling Bibi to f*ck off…! ;-)
However, I’ve been reading a lot of disturbing reports of many Syrian and ex-Iraqi Kurds heading into Irak, and, a whole lot of sectarian spillover into Lebanon, Jordan, and, even Turkey…! 8-(
Improved ( well very likely not so much ) Shock and Awe Attack Plan On Iran is “ready” — this all smells very Hitlerian like does it not? Only it was really wrong when the Germans did it — not so really wrong when being done by the Americans and British. Peculiar how that works.
Libya? Iraq? Afghanistan? Debacles? Multiple Fails? So what? That is so 2003-2012. Dammit!! This is about going to Tehran!! You know — where Real Men and Warriors want to go — good thing Americans have a Warrior POTUS to lead joint American/NATO r2p/humanitarian troops to Tehran and liberate Iran from the Iranians to impose rule by Americans/NATO.
Imagine the Russians or Chinese talking about doing this? Surely WashingtonDC would take a dim view of that happening and claim it was terribly warlike on the parts of Moscow or Beijing. Likely could even bring on Atomic War being only Americans and their tag-team r2p buds in NATO get to do “regime change” and “liberate” lands/resources from the people in/on them.
Undoubtedly there will be lots of flowers being tossed by Iranians. Not for the invading/death dealing ignorant/arrogant Americans/NATO/Mercs but for Iranian innocents,children and collateral humans killed,missing or traumatized by the horrors being inflicted by the “good guys”.
What could/can go wrong? Onward. Forward. Attack. Attack! Incredible.
Stay with it CT. Rec’d.
Professional acquaintance of mine is retired Navy captain. He says that if even one ship is sunk in the Straits of Hormuz, Lloyds of London and the other underwriters will simply refuse to write insurance on any commercial shipping in that area. He says it won’t matter how many warships we send to guard the tankers and freighters.
Also said that a few years back there was a Navy war games scenario involving war with Iran. The officer in charge of the Iranian forces in the drill used unconventional methods and inflicted so much damage that they ran the drill three times and still couldn’t produce a “win”. Finally they just ignored most of the results from his attacks. And the officer’s career immediately hit a dead end.
I’ve been in the “it’s not a matter of if, but when” crew when it comes to Israel’s forcing us into their war with Iran. One way or another.
Probably the only thing that will keep war with Iran from happening will be if the spent fuel pool at Fukushima No. 4 collapses and melts down, forcing us to divert so many resources to dealing with mass evacuations that Israel is left out on their limb all by themselves.
*ouch* You and I both, would be truly f*cked if that should happen, ET…! 8-(
Ironically, I’m headed out shortly to a ‘Coastal Management’ seminar hosted by the State and County, seeking public input…! Should be interesting…! ;-)
WW3, everybody. An attack on Iran would set the dominoes falling around the world.
This is how economic depression ends, with a world war. Go to your bomb shelters, or just duck and cover.
With the economy teetering on the verge like it is, no relief from illegal repossessions and no banker perp walks, war weary public and continued war mongering.. trouble like this might encourage people to vote for Ron Paul.
Millennium Challenge 2002 (MC02) was a major war game exercise conducted by the United States armed forces in mid-2002, likely the largest such exercise in history. The exercise, which ran from July 24 to August 15 and cost $250 million, involved both live exercises andcomputer simulations. MC02 was meant to be a test of future military “transformation“—a transition toward new technologies that enablenetwork-centric warfare and provide more powerful weaponry and tactics. The simulated combatants were the United States, referred to as “Blue”, and an unknown adversary in the Middle East, “Red”.
Red received an ultimatum from Blue, essentially a surrender document, demanding a response within 24 hours. Thus warned of Blue’s approach, Red used a fleet of small boats to determine the position of Blue’s fleet by the second day of the exercise. In a preemptive strike, Red launched a massive salvo of cruise missiles that overwhelmed the Blue forces’ electronic sensors and destroyed sixteen warships. This included one aircraft carrier, ten cruisers and five of six amphibious ships. An equivalent success in a real conflict would have resulted in the deaths of over 20,000 service personnel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/…
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/19/1075317/-We-can-t-win-a-war-with-Iran-not-if-they-have-half-a-brain-
Links to the war game and my own thoughts on war with Iran.
If the banks won’t insure oil tankers then the navy will supply crews and nationalize the oil tankers sure its illegal but thats how bad we need oil.
I expect the stock market to tank if oil prices stay high for 3 months. Banks and insurance companies are invested in the market.
Also expect inflation ever good we produce is transported by vehicles that run on oil.
Wages should go up to like it or not workers can’t go to work unless they make enough money to pay for gas.
December 21st anyone?
We know. All these invasions and military actions are very successful.
For the suppliers of munitions, weapons, war material, and the careers of many.
Right:
and just where will the Iranians get the cruse missiles?
Maybe Putin should send Medvedev to the G-8 instead of boycotting it?
Here maybe: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/02/iran-cruise-missile-test_n_1179350.html
Or here: http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/x-55.htm
Do not underestimate Iran’s tech’s or engineers. They are skilled and sophisticated and they have had YEARS to prepare. These are not the camel herders portrayed on TV.
Boxturtle (That said, the US military is quite aware of the above. So all bets are off)
I was talking with my wife about this subject just yesterday.
Iran is not a small state of feudal tribal lords. It’s a highly educated large population with a number of first world amenities and a technologically capable military.
If/When we attack Iran we will lose billions in assets, from air assets to sea assets. The cost in lives of military personnel from in the first week will probably be in the hundreds, if not thousands.
This will be a higher tech scenario similar to storming the beaches at Normandy. The Iranians have extensive, technologically advanced air defense systems. They have surface-to-air missiles. They have naval assets.
It will be fucking ugly. Nothing like the initial attack of Afghanistan or Iraq.
me too!
What scares me the most about this is I think we’re in a state just like Israel was in 1967. He who strikes first, wins. The temptation on both sides to strike without warning must be strong.
If we strike first without warning, Iran loses their AA system, their non-mobile missles, their subs and most of their airforce and rest of the war is spent “degrading” their remaining assets.
If Iran strikes first, we lose most of our ships in the Gulf, the Saudi Oil Fields, and the Bases-That-Don’t-Exist on the Iran/Iraq border.
Boxturtle (No point bombing a missle battery if all the missles have been fired)
I agree.
This is when the world is truly terrifying for me. When it comes down to two men with their fingers on two separate triggers. It’s just a matter of who twitches first.
One thing the Iranians could resort to is a passive/negative attack signal. That’s a situation where every hour or so forces (like subs, missile sites, etc.) get a signal NOT to attack. That signal doesn’t come…fire away. This kind of “non-notification” system is designed to insure the independent response of units when central command and control is hit. I imagine you could get it down to a point where there is a repetitive, non-stop message NOT to attack, and if that message suddenly stops coming…
Difficult to nationalize the tankers. Many are under foreign registry. And you have the problem of providing adequate crews for the tankers while you’re still busy trying to supply full manpower for fighting forces. Could be done, but not exactly a cakewalk.
Russia
Not a cakewalk but we do need oil that bad.
According to one report, when the Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani visited Moscow in October 2001 he requested a test firing of the Sunburn, which the Russians were only too happy to arrange. So impressed was Ali Shamkhani that he placed an order for an undisclosed number of the missiles.
The Sunburn can deliver a 200-kiloton nuclear payload, or: a 750-pound conventional warhead, within a range of 100 miles, more than twice the range of the Exocet. The Sunburn combines a Mach 2.1 speed (two times the speed of sound) with a flight pattern that hugs the deck and includes “violent end maneuvers” to elude enemy defenses. The missile was specifically designed to defeat the US Aegis radar defense system. Should a US Navy Phalanx point defense somehow manage to detect an incoming Sunburn missile, the system has only seconds to calculate a fire solution not enough time to take out the intruding missile. The US Phalanx defense employs a six-barreled gun that fires 3,000 depleted-uranium rounds a minute, but the gun must have precise coordinates to destroy an intruder “just in time.”
. A single one of these missiles can sink a large warship, yet costs considerably less than a fighter jet. Although the Navy has been phasing out the older Phalanx defense system, its replacement, known as the Rolling Action Missile (RAM) has never been tested against the weapon it seems destined to one day face in combat. Implications For US Forces in the Gulf
http://www.rense.com/general59/theSunburniransawesome.htm
http://my.firedoglake.com/thingscomeundone/2012/03/14/we-cant-win-a-war-with-iran-not-if-they-have-half-a-brain/
My bold