16 July, 2008

The New Reality in Iraq
Wall Street Journal – USA
The Shiite militias have also been broken apart, sending thousands of their leaders scurrying for safety in Iran. Iraqi forces continue to hammer …
online.wsj.com/article/SB121617045
543756423.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Talking To Iran
By Joel Davis
The US has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since the Hostage Crisis of 1979 (holding the diplomatic staff hostage is generally not conducive to good relations) and the US has used intermediaries ever since rather than risk …
usrole.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/07/15/talking-to-iran/

Iran Update
By Kevin Drum
IRAN UPDATE…The latest on the diplomacy front:President Bush has authorized the most significant American diplomatic contact with Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, sending the State Department’s third-ranking official to …
www.washingtonmonthly.com/
archives/individual/2008_07/014096.php

Top US diplomat to meet with Iran’s nuclear negotiator
By Blake Hounshell
In a break with past Bush administration policy, a top US diplomat will for the first time join colleagues from other world powers at a weekend meeting with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator… William Burns, America’s third …
blog.foreignpolicy.com/node/9267

US To Talk To Iran
By Alan
The package of incentives was accompanied by a letter from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the foreign ministers of the other five countries and sets out a scenario in which Iran would get a temporary reprieve from economic and …
liberalland.com/2008/07/16/us-to-talk-to-iran/
LiberalLand

Breaking News: US Diplomat to Meet with Iran
By Patrick Disney
Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns, the number three official within the US State Department, will join representatives from the other P5+1 countries for a meeting this Saturday in Geneva with Iran’s nuclear …
niacblog.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/breaking
-news-us-diplomat-to-meet-with-iran/

Iran Says Shahab-3 Missile Has Longer Than Reported Range
www.spacewar.com/reports/Saudis_offer_Moscow
_billions_to_break_with_Tehran_report_999.html

Iran-US talks possible in near future: Ahmadinejad
www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran-US_talks_
possible_in_near_future_Ahmadinejad_999.html

US official to attend Iran talks
BBC News – UK
A top US official is to attend talks aimed at persuading Iran to halt its nuclear enrichment programme. Under Secretary of State William Burns will travel …
news.bbc.co.uk/go/click/rss/1.0/-/2/hi/middle_east/7508748.stm

Israel ’s War with Iran and The Zionist Power Configuration in America
Center for Research on Globalization – Montreal,Quebec,Canada
James Petras “My strong preference here is to handle all this (US conflict with Iran) diplomatically with the other powers of government, ours and many …
www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9590

15 July, 2008
Ahmadinejad predicts better Iran-US ties after elections
Monsters and Critics
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday predicted that relations between Iran and the United States would improve following the US presidential election. ‘Regardless of who would become next (US) president, whether from this (Democratic) or that (Republican) party, that person would have more understanding with Iran,’ Ahmadinejad told state television. ‘The probability of talks in the future between the two sides in certain fields definitely exists,’ he said… Ahmadinejad further said there are already several requests by US non-governmental sections through the Swiss embassy – representing US interests in Iran – to hold talks with Iran, adding that these talks would eventually be held in line with national interests…
www.uruknet.de/?p=45727

Iran denies oil market rumour of nuclear deal
Reuters
A senior Iranian official denied on Tuesday a rumour in the oil market, cited by some traders, that suggested Tehran had reached a deal on its disputed nuclear programme with the United States. Oil plunged more than $9 in early trade to below $136 a barrel amid growing concerns about the economy of the world’s top energy consumer, with some traders mentioning talk of an accord between Tehran and Washington. “Such reports (on a deal) are psychological war to undermine talks (between Iran and world powers). Iran will never make a deal on its legitimate rights,” the official told Reuters…
www.uruknet.de/?p=45736

Iran Shows Its Cards By Scott Ritter
 I’ve always pointed out that no plan survives initial contact with the enemy, and furthermore one can never forget that, in war, the enemy gets to vote. On the issue of an American and/or Israeli attack on Iran, the Iranian military has demonstrated exactly how it would cast its vote.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20284.htm
 
A Phony Crisis – And a Real One By Patrick J. Buchanan
 A Democratic House that came to power denouncing the rush to war on Iraq is about to vote to demand that Bush commit an act of war against Iran.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20283.htm

Kicking Sand In Russia’s Face By Eric Margolis
Bush’s paranoia and obsession with Iran is causing him to risk provoking a military clash with Russia. He is fast pushing Russia’s new President Dimitri Medvedev and PM Vlad Putin to the wall.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20285.htm

Karzai opposes U.S. use of Afghan soil against Iran:
“Afghanistan should not become the battleground of differences of any country,” he said in a wide-ranging interview. “Afghanistan does not want its soil to be used against any country and Afghanistan wants to be a friend of Iran as a neighbour which shares the same language and religion.”
news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080714/ts_nm/afghan_iran_usa_dc_1
 
Army chief: Iran to hold another air force war game soon:
In the wargame dubbed “the protectors of Velayat air,” “we will demonstrate our strength and will give the message to our enemies that in case they have the dream of any offense, they will receive a very crushing blow,” he told reporters.
news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/15/content_8550648.htm
 
Grave mistake to attack Iran, warns Syria:
Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, warned yesterday that any attack on Iran’s nuclear programme would have grave consequences for the US, Israel and the whole world.
tinyurl.com/6ab3qq
 
Iran to powers: No more “condescending” atom talks:
Iran has told big powers it will enter no more “condescending” talks meant to scrap its nuclear program but wants to negotiate a broader peace and security deal, according to an Iranian letter leaked on Tuesday.
tinyurl.com/6ncg9g
 
Gwynne Dyer : Tehran calls Washington’s bluff in high-risk war game:
The Iranians have clearly concluded that all the American and Israeli threats to attack them are mere bluff. Israel could not destroy all of Iran’s nuclear facilities unless it was willing to drop several nuclear weapons on Iran.
www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?
c_id=2&objectid=10521518&pnum=0
 
Iran’s Missile: The Goose, the Sauce and the Gander:
The saying that the sauce that is good for the goose is also good for the gander – in other words, that the principle of equality should extend to personal and international conduct – has been stood on its head by absurd western reaction to Iran’s missile tests.
www.counterpunch.org/cloughley07152008.html
 
Saudis offer Moscow billions to break with Tehran:
Saudi Arabia has offered to buy Russian arms worth 2.4 billion dollars (1.5 billion euros) if Moscow stops supporting Iran, a Russian newspaper reported Tuesday, citing diplomatic sources.
tinyurl.com/6dcdnf
 
Russia denies reports of freezing ties with Iran:
The Russian government Tuesday brushed aside press reports suggesting Moscow’s development of ties with Riyadh was at the expense of freezing ties with Tehran.
tinyurl.com/6a99ks

US says Iran has missile that could hit Europe
Reuters UK – UK
By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon said on Tuesday that Iran has the ability to launch a ballistic missile capable of hitting
sections of …
uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKN1532412820080715

Assad to relay Sarkozy’s message to Iran
PRESS TV – Tehran,Iran
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says he has been asked by his French counterpart to relay an EU message to Iran about its nuclear issue. …
www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=63834&sectionid=351020104

Iran Shows Its Cards
By Eric A. Blair
There can no longer be any doubt about the consequences of any US and/or Israeli military action against Iran. Armchair warriors, pundits and blustering politicians alike have been advocating a pre-emptive military strike against Iran …
salonesoterica.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/iran-shows-its-cards/

Report: Total to continue projects in Iran
Xinhua – China
TEHRAN, July 15 (Xinhua) — A senior official of French energy giant Total said that its company is interested in continuing cooperation with Iran in its …
news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/16/content_8551805.htm

Iran in the Crosshairs
By WynD
But the most important evidence of the split within the powerful elites came with the release of a new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran (NIE) on December 3, 2007. The NIE, reflecting the consensus view of all 16 US intelligence …
persianthoughts.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/iran-in-the-crosshairs/

Iran: Battlefront In The New World War?
By Donnachaidh
14/07/08 “ICH” — – It is difficult to imagine why the Bush administration dares- pretends- to threaten Iran with military confrontation. On its face, war with Iran is a preposterous proposition. This administration’s Iraq foray hardly …
www.vnnforum.com/showthread.php?t=76219

John Bolton:Diplomacy::Jack Ripper:Surgery
By Carah Ong(Carah Ong)
Wall Street Journal ran an Op-Ed today by John Bolton entitled “Israel, Iran and the Bomb” in which he advocates military strikes on Iran. Now this may come as a bit of a surprise, especially after Fox News just last week asked Bolton …
irannuclearwatch.blogspot.com/2008/07/
john-boltondiplomacyjack-rippersurgery.html

Obama’s Iran nonsense: Let’s Not Be Provocative!
By Against Obama
Iran revealed to the world in late 2002 that it had been conducting a secret uranium enrichment program for 15 years. This was a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which Iran is a signatory. Uranium enrichment is the …
www.againstobama.com/2008/07/obamas
-iran-nonsense-lets-not-be-provocative/

Spokesman: Iran ready to negotiate with US
Xinhua – China
TEHRAN, July 15 (Xinhua) — Iran’s government spokesman Gholam-Hossein
Elham said on Tuesday that Tehran is ready to hold talks with other
countries, …
news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/16/content_8551798.htm

Senate panel to consider wider Iran sanctions
Reuters UK – UK
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Senate panel will consider legislation this week
that would expand economic and trade sanctions against Iran days after
Tehran …
uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN1531765620080715

Syria: Attack on Iran Will Have Dire Consequences
New York Sun – United States
By HENRY SAMUEL, The Daily Telegraph | July 15, 2008 PARIS — The
President of Syria gave warning yesterday that an attack on Iran would have
dire …
www.nysun.com/foreign/syria-attack-on
-iran-will-have-dire-consequences/81863/

US should ‘use all tools’ to pressure Iran, says Obama
Independent – London,England,UK
US presidential hopeful Barack Obama said today that preventing Iran from
acquiring a nuclear weapon was in America’s vital interests and vowed to
use all …
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-should
-use-all-tools-to-pressure-iran-says-obama-867992.html