Keyword: iran

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  • Oil Could Soon Hit $200 a Barrel: Iranian Oil Minister ( We need S.2958 passed!)

    05/10/2008 2:32:15 PM PDT · by kellynla · 81 replies · 713+ views
    tehran times ^ | May 10, 2008 | staff
    TEHRAN (RIA Novosti) - The price of oil could reach $200 per barrel if current market conditions persist, Iran’s oil minister said on Thursday. “If the current conditions remain the same, a period when oil is supplied at $200 a barrel is not out of the question,” Gholamhossein Nozari told the IRNA news agency. He said the weak US dollar and supply concerns from Nigeria were the main reasons behind the surge in oil prices. On Wednesday, crude prices hit a record high of $123.53 a barrel. “The US dollar has weakened ... Another reason is related to problems in...
  • Lucky Number 10,000: Ten Thousand Human Shields Pledge to Protect Iran

    05/11/2008 8:43:59 PM PDT · by mondoreb · 58 replies · 812+ views
    DBKP ^ | May 11, 2008 | Ginn
    The Human Shield Movement has announced it reached its 10,000th pledge member. The lucky guy to sign on as a Human Shield Volunteer number ten thousand is Steven Morris from Birmingham UK. Morris has pledged to use his body as a “human shield” against an “attack on Iran” from “neo-con” President Bush. Volunteers from 22 countries not from Iran have pledged to travel to the Middle Eastern country at a moment’s notice to place their “human shields” or in simpler terms, their bodies in front of civilian infrastructure in Iran in order to “prevent what they believe would be...
  • American Support For Teheran?

    05/11/2008 7:19:35 PM PDT · by Dawnsblood · 109+ views
    Watching America ^ | 5/10/08 | Translated By Ron Argentati
    The Iranian sister organization of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has accused the United States of indirectly supporting the Teheran regime’s war against the rebels. Head of the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), Haji Ahmedi, declared that the U.S. provided aerial reconnaissance intelligence to Turkey which was then passed through Ankara to Teheran. On May first, Turkish warplanes bombarded PKK positions in the Kandil Mountains. According to Turkish military sources, 150 PKK rebels were killed in that action. Turkish media speculated that the attacks also killed PKK military chief Murat Karayilan. The PJAK, however, denied these reports claiming only...
  • Lebanese Army caught in crossfire between Druze and Hezbollah gunmen

    05/11/2008 6:57:33 PM PDT · by Perdogg · 15 replies · 320+ views
    Timesonline.co.uk/ ^ | May 12, 2008
    Heavy clashes erupted south of Beirut yesterday between mainly Shia and Druze militants, breaking a tense calm that had taken hold after feuding factions reached a tentative agreement to end four days of fighting. The crackle of machinegun fire and thump of exploding mortar rounds echoed through the town of Shwayfat on the lower slopes of the Chouf mountains overlooking southern Beirut as fighters from the Shia group Hezbollah and its allies fought Druze gunmen loyal to Walid Jumblatt, a key government ally.
  • Operations continue in Sadr City

    05/11/2008 4:11:50 PM PDT · by Ernest_at_the_Beach · 13 replies · 601+ views
    Long War Journal ^ | May 11, 2008 10:55 AM | Bill Roggio
    Map of the disposition of Iraqi and US forces in and around Sadr City, and the progress on the barrier. The red portion has yet to be completed. Map courtesy of Multinational Forces Iraq. US and Iraqi forces continue to strike at the Mahdi Army in Baghdad despite the agreement reached between the Iraqi government and the Mahdi Army late Friday. Seventeen Mahdi Army fighters were killed in northeastern Baghdad over the past 24 hours. Nine of the Mahdi Army fighters killed were killed in Sadr City: four Mahdi fighters were killed by an air weapons team as they planted...
  • Countering Iran - How to deal with the clerics in Tehran.

    05/11/2008 3:11:56 PM PDT · by The_Republican · 7 replies · 232+ views
    Weekly Standard ^ | May 11th, 2008 | Reuel Marc Gerecht
    What are we going to do about Iran? When Hillary Clinton surreally promised to obliterate the Islamic Republic if the mullahs nuked Israel, she at least recognized that a nuclear-armed clerical regime is a serious menace, and that successful diplomacy with Tehran without the threat of force is fantasy. How to handle Iran may well be the decisive foreign-policy question of the 2008 presidential campaign--especially if Tehran continues to exploit the vacuum left by the collapse of the Bush administration's Iran policy and the general listlessness of the U.S. presence in the Middle East outside of Iraq. Tehran is on...
  • Building a Case for War in Iran

    05/11/2008 3:09:31 PM PDT · by freerepublic_or_die · 19 replies · 746+ views
    Yankee Sailor ^ | May 11, 2008 | Staff
    Most of us that were around in 2003 still remember the run up to the invasion of Iraq well. And, it seems the puzzle pieces are falling into place with Iran. First, there was the recent tough talk from Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen. Last week, there were Admiral Mullen’s comments: Late last week, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pointed to the Qods Force for its “increasingly lethal and malign influence” in Iraq. Adm. Mullen added that evidence would be publicized in the coming days that newly made Iranian armaments are being smuggled into Iraq...
  • Happy Sixtieth Birthday Israel

    05/11/2008 12:52:40 PM PDT · by forkinsocket · 2 replies · 131+ views
    Amil Imani ^ | 09 May 2008 | Staff
    Israel, your people, as well as people of good will, are celebrating your sixtieth birthday. We, the children of Cyrus the Great, also would like to offer our heartfelt best wishes to you on this occasion. Yet, this, in fact, is your rebirth. Your birth occurred some 4,000 years ago. Regrettably, your journey from your early beginning to the present has been fraught with great suffering. It is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of your people that they persisted in their valiant struggle to re-gather again in the land of their birth. A noble and just Persian king, Cyrus...
  • MND-B soldiers rescue kidnap victim

    05/11/2008 10:59:53 AM PDT · by SandRat · 1 replies · 106+ views
    CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers rescued a kidnapped Iraqi citizen May 8 near Ibrahim Bin Ali, northwest of Baghdad. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment “Gimlets,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, acted on tips from Iraqi Army soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division, in addition to tips provided by Iraqi Police and Sons of Iraq (Abna al-Iraq) members. The suspected kidnappers were detained and are being held for further questioning. “U.S. soldiers, in full partnership with Iraqi Security Forces, are aggressively pursuing criminals and terrorists,...
  • MND-B soldiers return fire, engage bomb emplacers

    05/11/2008 11:06:12 AM PDT · by SandRat · 2 replies · 187+ views
    BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers continue to deny criminals freedom of movement in and around the Adhamiyah and Sadr City districts of Baghdad May 10-11. At approximately 7:30 a.m. May 10, MND-B soldiers with Company D, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, returned precision fire and killed a criminal who attacked them with small-arms fire in Adhamiyah. At approximately 10:50 a.m., soldiers from Company C, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Infantry Regiment, returned precision fire and killed a criminal who attacked them with small-arms fire in Adhamiyah. At approximately 4 p.m. May 10, soldiers from Company E, 1-68 CAB,...
  • Coalition forces target AQI foreign terrorist network (Mosul)

    05/11/2008 11:03:16 AM PDT · by SandRat · 3 replies · 223+ views
    BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces conducted an operation targeting associates of an al-Qaeda in Iraq foreign terrorist facilitator in northern Iraq Saturday. Information from detainees led Coalition forces to a location south of Mosul where they were targeting associates of a suspected AQI facilitator. Surveillance teams observed a vehicle leave the target building and followed the suspected terrorists. After the suspects’ vehicle made several stops at other locations, dropping off and picking up additional men, Coalition forces attempted to stop the vehicle. Coalition forces fired three warning shots, but the driver refused to stop and one man made threatening movements...
  • On Israel 60th Birthday, Picnics And A Warning To Iran

    05/11/2008 10:37:17 AM PDT · by IsraelBeach · 7 replies · 502+ views
    Israel News Agency / Google News ^ | May 11, 2008 | Joel Leyden
    On Israel 60th Birthday, Picnics And A Warning To Iran By Joel Leyden Israel News Agency Jerusalem ----- May 11, 2008 ....... Israel is celebrating her 60th birthday this week. From colorful fireworks, laser shows and Israel flag draped skyscrapers to country picnics, folk dancing and IDF parachute drops. The mood is upbeat. And Israel security forces deserve a loud applause for their Intel and field work in preventing Islamic terror attacks from interrupting this joyous and historic anniversary. But quietly inserted into Israel's 60th birthday celebrations was a highly lethal message for Iran. It was not articulated in the...
  • Iranian Man Sentenced For Exporting US Military Aircraft Parts To Iran

    05/11/2008 3:49:49 AM PDT · by Fennie · 6 replies · 700+ views
    Canada Free Press ^ | By Jim Kouri
    An Iranian-born United States citizen was sentenced here yesterday in US District Court to two years in prison and six months of home confinement for illegaly exporting US military aircraft parts to Iran via associates in Germany and the United Arab Emirates. Reza Tabib, 52, of Irvine, CA, pleaded guilty in June 2006 to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which prohibits the export and re-export to Iran of certain items of US origin. The prosecution is the result of a joint investigation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). In...
  • Shell pulls out of Iran gas deal

    05/11/2008 3:07:41 AM PDT · by knighthawk · 5 replies · 230+ views
    Iran Focus ^ | May 11 2008 | Tom Bergin/Reuters
    LONDON (Reuters) - Oil major Royal Dutch Shell has pulled out of a planned gas project in Iran, after coming under pressure not to participate from U.S. lawmakers who were concerned about Iran's nuclear programme. A spokeswoman said on Saturday that the world's second-largest non government-controlled oil company by market capitalisation was pulling out of Phase 13 of the giant South Pars gas field but may yet join later stages of the field's development. Shell, Spain's Repsol and the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in January 2002 to develop Phase 13 in a project to...
  • Exclusive: Iran-backed Hizballah offensive closes in on Israeli border

    05/10/2008 7:55:06 PM PDT · by Perdogg · 24 replies · 1,599+ views
    Debka ^ | 05.10.08
    DEBKAfile’s military sources report: Hizballah’s advance on two key Lebanese locations Saturday, May 10 had immediate effect on the strategic balance between the Iran-backed Shiite group and Israel. Sidon in the south, Lebanon’s second largest city, which provides Hizballah with control of a continuous coastal strip from its southern Beirut district all the way to Tyre. The second point is on the northern slopes of the Hermon range. After Hizballah seizes control of this enclave and the Syrian 10th and 14th armored divisions step over the border into Lebanon, the two forces can join to form a strong military line...
  • Hezbollah claims victory as Lebanon gov't U-turns

    05/10/2008 6:19:32 PM PDT · by mojito · 10 replies · 935+ views
    Harretz ^ | 5/11/2008 | Yoav Stern & Barak Ravid
    Hezbollah scored a major victory Saturday after four days of fighting across Lebanon, when the Lebanese army reversed two cabinet resolutions that kicked off the fighting on Wednesday. The resolutions, if implemented, would have removed the chief of Beirut Airport's security, Major General Wafiq Shukeir, who has ties to Hezbollah. It also would have dismantled Hezbollah's private telephone network. Instead, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora announced on Saturday that he was putting the two issues into the hands of the army, which said in a statement that it was keeping Shukeir at his post and that it would handle the Hezbollah...
  • U.S. looks set to offer Israel powerful new radar

    05/10/2008 2:01:31 PM PDT · by Dawnsblood · 11 replies · 173+ views
    Swissinfo.ch ^ | 5/10/08 | Jim Wolf
    The system Bush may offer is known as a forward-based X-band radar. Transportable by air, it uses high-powered pulsed beams for extremely high-resolution tracking of objects in space such as a missile that could be tipped with a chemical, germ or nuclear warhead. Built by Raytheon Co, the system has been described by U.S. officials as capable of tracking an object the size of a baseball from about 2,900 miles (4,700 km) away. It would let Israel's Arrow missile defences engage a Shahab-3 ballistic missile about halfway through what would be its 11-minute flight to Israel from Iran, or six...
  • Obama Changes His 'Unconditional' Position on Iran

    05/10/2008 1:44:01 PM PDT · by MaestroLC · 16 replies · 142+ views
    Little Green Footballs ^ | May 10, 2008 | lgf
    In yet another New York Times advocacy piece for Barack Obama, we discover that Obama’s advisers are trying to rewrite history again. Susan E. Rice, a former State Department and National Security Council official who is a foreign policy adviser to the Democratic candidate, said that “for political purposes, Senator Obama’s opponents on the right have distorted and reframed” his views. Mr. McCain and his surrogates have repeatedly stated that Mr. Obama would be willing to meet “unconditionally” with Mr. Ahmadinejad. But Dr. Rice said that this was not the case for Iran or any other so-called “rogue” state. Mr....
  • Bush Heads to Middle East Tuesday

    05/10/2008 12:13:26 PM PDT · by Ernest_at_the_Beach · 7 replies · 65+ views
    VOA ^ | 09 May 2008 | Scott Stearns
    U.S. President George Bush heads to the Middle East Tuesday for a five-day trip to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns looks at what the president hopes to accomplish. President Bush, 29 Apr 2008 President Bush returns to the region hoping to build on the latest round of Israel-Palestinian peace efforts that he began last year with a conference outside Washington."Today, Palestinians and Israelis each understand that helping the other to realize their aspirations is key to realizing their own aspirations.  Both require an independent, democratic, viable Palestinian state," he said.This two-state solution is the...
  • Military adds armor to protect troops in Iraq

    05/09/2008 10:21:19 PM PDT · by Westlander · 1 replies · 12+ views
    Associated Press ^ | 5-9-2008 | Associated Press
    The U.S. military is reinforcing the sides of its topline mine-resistant vehicles to shore up what could be weak points as troops see a spike in armor-piercing roadside bombings across Iraq, The Associated Press has learned.
  • Building a Case for War in Iran - Part 3

    05/10/2008 9:11:04 AM PDT · by Yankee Sailor · 2 replies · 31+ views
    The Yankee Sailor ^ | 5/9/2008 | The Yankee Sailor
    As of this writing, the situation in Lebanon outlined in my last post in this series has considerably worsened. Open fighting has broken out on the streets of Beirut, refugees are starting to mass at the Syrian border, and Western governments are planning evacuations. In addition, a former administration insider and U.S. Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, openly voiced what an increasing number of opponents of Iran’s nuclear programs seem to be thinking. Mr Bolton said that striking Iran would represent a major step towards victory in Iraq. While he acknowledged that the risk of a hostile Iranian response...
  • Sadrist bloc buckles, agrees to let Iraqi Army in Sadr City

    05/10/2008 8:47:49 AM PDT · by Ernest_at_the_Beach · 26 replies · 82+ views
    Long War Journal ^ | May 10, 2008 10:54 AM | Bill Roggio
    After over six weeks of heavy fighting in and around the Mahdi Army stronghold Sadr City, where Mahdi Army forces took lopsided casualties in the fighting, the government and the Sadrist political bloc has signed an agreement to end the fighting. The agreement will allow for the Iraqi military to operate freely inside Sadr City while the Mahdi Army must halt its fighting. The negotiations, which took place over the course of the last several days, culminated in the signing of a 14-point agreement. Both Iraqi government spokesman Ali al Dabbagh and Sadrist spokesman Sheikh Salih al Ubaydi confirmed an...
  • Iraq govt, Sadr bloc agree truce - officials ( For 4 days? )

    05/10/2008 8:15:40 AM PDT · by Ernest_at_the_Beach · 22 replies · 84+ views
    Reuters ^ | Sat May 10, 2008 9:52am EDT | Waleed Ibrahim and Khalid al-Ansary
    * Iraq govt agrees truce with Sadr bloc to end clashes * Iraqi military to halt activities for 4 days - Sadr aide * U.S. military makes no comment on agreement (Adds government, Sadrist comments) By Waleed Ibrahim and Khalid al-Ansary BAGHDAD, May 10 (Reuters) - Iraq's government on Saturday agreed a truce with the movement of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to halt weeks of fighting in eastern Baghdad between Shi'ite militia and security forces, officials said. The truce could end violence that has killed several hundred people, trapped the 2 million residents of Sadr City in a battle zone...
  • Israel will not tolerate nuclear Iran: Olmert

    05/09/2008 8:42:44 PM PDT · by Flavius · 16 replies · 27+ views
    afp ^ | 5/8/08 | afp
    WASHINGTON, (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reiterated his warning that the Jewish state will not tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran, but expressed hope the international community would be successful in checking Tehran's nuclear ambitions. "Yes, Israel will not tolerate a nuclear weapon in the hands of people who say openly, explicitly and publicly that they want to wipe Israel off the map. Why should we?" Olmert asked in an interview with The Washington Post.
  • The Offer He Will Refuse

    05/10/2008 5:26:46 AM PDT · by nuconvert · 2 replies · 19+ views
    Asharq Alawsat ^ | May 09, 2008 | Amir Taheri
    The Offer He Will Refuse May 09, 2008 Asharq Alawsat Amir Taheri Will you take an offer if you knew that by refusing it you would get a better one? The answer from Tehran is an emphatic no, and concerns the latest "generous package" that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany put together in London last week. The “package” shaped after days of hard bargaining between the United States and the European Union on one side, and Russia and China on the other, is designed to persuade the Islamic Republic to break the diplomatic logjam...
  • Iran Blames US-Backed Monarchists for Shiraz Blast (ridiculous)

    05/10/2008 5:14:28 AM PDT · by nuconvert · 7 replies · 36+ views
    FarsNews ^ | May 9, 2008
    Iran Blames US-Backed Monarchists for Shiraz Blast TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran on Thursday blamed Western-backed monarchists, who oppose the Islamic Republic, for an explosion that killed 13 people at a religious center in the southern city of Shiraz last month. "The Shiraz blast was an act of sabotage and a plot by the enemies of the Iranian people in the name of monarchism," Interior Minister Mostafa Pour Mohammadi told FNA. "Their headquarters are in countries which claim (to support) human rights, defend their nations and be anti-terrorist," the minister said. "They are supported in these countries where they have been given...
  • US Special Forces fighting inside Sadr City

    05/09/2008 7:53:04 PM PDT · by Tennessean4Bush · 18 replies · 119+ views
    The Long War Journal ^ | 5/9/2008 | Bill Roggio
    Soldiers from Company A, 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division set concrete barriers in place in the surroundings of the southern portion of the Sadr City district of Baghdad May 3. (US Army photo/Specialist Joseph Rivera Rebolledo) The battle for Sadr City continues as US and Iraqi forces continue to erect the concrete security barrier on Qods Street, the main thoroughfare that divides the southern third of Sadr City from the northern portion. US Special Operations Forces teams have entered the fray, and the specialized teams are fighting inside the Mahdi Army bastion for...
  • Hezbollah Deals Blow To US By Seizing West Beirut

    05/09/2008 9:44:19 PM PDT · by Fennie · 21 replies · 94+ views
    The Scotsman ^ | May 10, 2008 | By Michael Theodoulou
    US POLICY on the Middle East suffered a major blow yesterday as Hezbollah fighters seized control of Muslim west Beirut, tightening their grip on the city after routing supporters of the western-backed government. At least 13 people have been killed and 30 wounded in three days of battles between pro-government gunmen and fighters loyal to Hezbollah. The fighting was the worst since the 1975-90 civil war, and brought familiar scenes of young men with ADVERTISEMENT assault rifles roaming the streets amid smashed cars and smouldering buildings. The White House said it was "very troubled" by Hezbollah's move and urged Iran...
  • Warfare in Beirut: more Mideast trouble for Bush, U.S. allies

    05/09/2008 6:34:08 PM PDT · by Flavius · 4 replies · 6+ views
    mc cluchy ^ | 5/8/08 | Warren P. Strobel, McClatchy Newspapers
    WASHINGTON — Iranian-backed Hezbollah's seizure Friday of large swaths of Muslim Beirut in a blow against the U.S.-backed Lebanese government is the latest in a string of setbacks to U.S. allies in the Middle East and the latest bad news for President Bush from a region that he set out to remake five years ago.
  • Coalition Soldiers Kill Six Enemy Fighters, Capture Weapons Caches

    05/09/2008 5:09:01 PM PDT · by SandRat · 1 replies · 53+ views
    WASHINGTON, May 9, 2008 – Coalition and Iraqi soldiers in Baghdad killed six enemy fighters, fended off an attack, and captured and destroyed several weapons caches yesterday. Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers killed six criminals, who attacked coalition forces with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms during multiple engagements in the Sadr City district of Baghdad yesterday. -- At about 1:30 p.m., soldiers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, were attacked by criminals with RPGs and small arms. Soldiers returned fire and killed one criminal. -- At about 2 p.m., soldiers from 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat...
  • US says Syria, Iran behind Lebanon violence

    05/09/2008 1:35:41 PM PDT · by NormsRevenge · 10 replies · 234+ views
    AP on Yahoo ^ | 5/9/08 | Matthew Lee - ap
    WASHINGTON - The Bush administration accused Iran and Syria on Friday of fueling ongoing violence in Lebanon by inciting members of the radical Shiite Hezbollah movement to take up arms against the country's western-backed government. As Hezbollah militants seized control of large parts of Beirut, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice denounced the show-of-force, which she said was being supported by Iranian and Syrian elements, and reaffirmed the firm support of the United States for Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's shaky coalition. "Backed by Syria and Iran, Hezbollah and its allies are killing and injuring innocent citizens and undermining the legitimate authority...
  • Obama's History Lesson

    05/09/2008 9:34:22 AM PDT · by Starman417 · 20 replies · 488+ views
    Flopping Aces ^ | 05-09-08 | Curt
    In this earlier thread I commented on the incredible ignorant statement by Obama that FDR and Truman talked to our enemies: The other side can label and name-call all they want, but I trust the American people to recognize that it’s not surrender to end the war in Iraq so that we can rebuild our military and go after al Qaeda’s leaders. I trust the American people to understand that it’s not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but our enemies – like Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did. Its a breathtaking quote and...
  • Appeasing Iran, North Korea?

    05/09/2008 12:02:45 PM PDT · by JZelle · 3 replies · 143+ views
    As President Bush enters his final months in office, there are mounting signs of disarray when it comes to current U.S. policy towards Iran and North Korea. The three remaining plausible candidates to succeed him — Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain — have yet to explain how thier policies will differ from the current administration. Regarding Iran, for example, senior administration officials are continuously disavowing their own administration's National Intelligence Estimate, produced late last year, which suggested that Iran had halted a critical component of its nuclear weapons program. But the damage to American credibility has already occurred,...
  • In Visit to Israel, Bush Can Prevent A War With Iran

    05/09/2008 10:21:36 AM PDT · by The_Republican · 4 replies · 259+ views
    RCP ^ | May 9th, 2008 | Mort Kondracke
    When President Bush visits Israel next week, he should offer to bring that ally fully into the U.S. missile defense network - a step that might forestall an Israeli attack on Iran this year. Two of the most strategically minded Members of Congress I know - Reps. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Jane Harman (D-Calif.) - have enlisted 63 colleagues to urge the move as Bush prepares to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Israel's founding. Specifically, the bipartisan group is calling on Bush to give Israel the advanced X-band radar system that would enable Israel to knock down Iranian missiles early...
  • Iran, via Hizb’allah, moves in on Lebanon

    05/09/2008 9:47:28 AM PDT · by Victory111 · 258+ views
    Cross Action News ^ | 5-9-08 | Stan Goodenough
    Lebanon appeared to be sliding into chaos Friday as the Iranian-backed, Syrian-supplied Hizb’allah moved to dramatically upgrade its role in the running of Israel’s sorely-troubled northern neighbor. At least 11 people were reportedly killed and dozens wounded in three days of clashes which saw armed Hizb’allah fighters - who are Shia Muslims - clash with Sunni Muslim and other government-supporting Lebanese and take over most the Muslim western part of Beirut.
  • Lebanon in Turmoil as Hezbollah Takes West Beirut

    05/09/2008 8:36:26 AM PDT · by freerepublic_or_die · 11 replies · 613+ views
    AFP ^ | May 9, 2008 | Staff
    Hezbollah fighters, their guns blazing, seized control of west Beirut on Friday after three days of street battles with pro-government foes pushed Lebanon dangerously close to all-out civil war. The sectarian fighting had eased by early afternoon and the army and police moved across areas now in the hands of Iranian-backed Shiite opposition forces who routed Sunni militants loyal to the Western-backed government. "There are no clashes anymore because no one is standing in the way of the opposition forces," a security official said as convoys of gunmen firing celebratory shots into the air and flashing the victory sign took...
  • Iran Shouts “Nuclear Apartheid”

    05/09/2008 7:40:07 AM PDT · by Jbny · 10 replies · 311+ views
    Commentary Magazine ^ | May, 9, 2008 | Gordon G. Chang
    On Monday, Iran’s Ali Asghar Soltanieh said Tehran would not submit to extensive U.N. inspections of its nuclear program while Israel refuses to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Iran is a signatory to the NPT, as the global pact is called, and, as such, is not permitted to build or hold nuclear weapons. Israel, which maintains a small arsenal of nukes, has not joined the NPT. Citing “nuclear apartheid,” the Iranian diplomat said The existing double standard shall not be tolerated anymore by non-nuclear-weapon states.
  • Syria Rejects Israeli Demand To Sever Ties With Iran, Hizbullah

    05/09/2008 3:03:48 AM PDT · by Flavius · 7 replies · 229+ views
    nasdaq ^ | 5/9/08 | nasdaq
    (RTTNews) - Friday, Syria rejected an Israeli demand that Damascus sever its relations with the predominantly-Shi'ite Islamic Republic of Iran and the Shi'ite terrorist outfit Hizbullah. Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview published Friday with the Italian magazine L'Espresso, that detaching his country from the two, both of whom seek Israel's destruction, was "irrelevant" to reviving peace talks.
  • Who's pulling Lebanon's strings?

    05/09/2008 3:54:23 AM PDT · by Flavius · 2 replies · 175+ views
    metimes ^ | 5/8/08 | CLAUDE SALHANI
    SPECIAL REPORT: The key to solving the sectarian clashes between Hezbollah fighters and Sunni Muslim gunmen loyal to the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in the Lebanese capital Beirut can only be found in the context of a larger Middle East solution involving Lebanon's two powerful neighbors; Israel and Syria.
  • Hezbollah routs pro-govt gunmen; controls Beirut

    05/08/2008 11:59:18 PM PDT · by HAL9000 · 63 replies · 2,760+ views
    Reuters (excerpt) ^ | May 9, 2008 | Tom Perry
    Excerpt - BEIRUT, May 9 (Reuters) - Hezbollah gunmen took control of large areas of Beirut on Friday in a third day of fighting between the pro-Iranian group and fighters loyal to the U.S.-backed governing coalition. Security sources said at least 10 people had been killed and 20 wounded. The thud of exploding grenades and crackle of automatic gunfire echoed overnight in the worst internal strife since the 1975-90 civil war. Gunmen loyal to Hezbollah forced the pro-government Future News television off the air on Friday, said a senior official at the Beirut station. Future News is owned by Saad...
  • Al-Mahdi army leader, 2 aides detained in Karbala

    05/08/2008 10:26:01 PM PDT · by Ernest_at_the_Beach · 2 replies · 311+ views
    aswataliraq ^ | Thursday , 08 /05 /2008 Time 11:07:51 | Karbala - Voices of Iraq
    Karbala, May 8, (VOI) - Security forces on Thursday arrested leader of Shiite Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s al-Mahdi army’s special brigades and two of his aides during a security raid in central Karbala, a security official in Karbala said. Security forces detained the leader of al-Mahdi army’s special brigades, based on intelligence tips pointing to his presence inside a house in central Karbala,” Maj. General Raed Shakir Jawdat, Karbala police and operations chief, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).“The forces cordoned off the region and arrested two of his aides, including a policeman who provides the armed group’s...
  • Is Iran next? (The Great Australian Moonbat Flies Again)

    05/08/2008 9:13:04 PM PDT · by shellypossible · 1 replies · 158+ views
    ABC(AU) ^ | May 8, 2008 | Antony Loewenstein
    http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2239342.htm Time for another round of Looney Lefty Bingo? 1. "Corporations are fighting this war for OIL!111!" 2. "Neo-cons, oh my!" 3. "sabre-rattling" 4. "Why shouldn't Iran be allowed to have unlimited nukes?" Did I miss any?
  • Iraq Quietly Confronts Iran With Evidence of Wepons Trafficking

    05/08/2008 4:28:35 PM PDT · by Ernest_at_the_Beach · 10 replies · 351+ views
    pajamasmedia.com ^ | May 8, 2008 | Omar Fadhil
    The Iraqi minister of defense pushed the debate with the Iranians over their provision of weapons to Shia militias one more step on Monday. Minister Abdul Qadir Obeidi indirectly confronted the Iranians, without naming them, with new findings that prove their involvement in the arming of Shia militias.On Monday, state-owned al-Sabah published a statement by the minister in which he spoke of the capture of a certain type of rocket that was never found in militia-held caches until now: Defense minister Abdul Qadir Mohammed Obeidi revealed that army troops found a 200-mm ground-to-ground rocket manufactured in 2007 during a search...
  • IRAQ: Big push coming in Sadr City

    05/08/2008 12:24:04 PM PDT · by Ernest_at_the_Beach · 29 replies · 1,001+ views
    Hot Air ^ | May 8, 2008 8:15 am | Ed Morrissey
    Iraqi soldiers have begun evacuating families from portions of Sadr City, a sign that a large offensive will start shortly against the Mahdi Army militia that have long controlled the sector of Baghdad. Two stadiums have been secured for sheltering the evacuees as the government of Nouri al-Maliki attempts to break Moqtada al-Sadr’s last stronghold and end mortar attacks on the Green Zone. Maliki also wants to end Iran’s influence in Iraq, which caused Iran to cut off security talks with Maliki and the US:
  • Where The Wild Cards Are (The 2008 Election and Iran)

    05/08/2008 12:17:29 PM PDT · by 2ndDivisionVet · 5 replies · 335+ views
    The Washington Post ^ | David Ignatius
    The potentially transforming events in the 2008 campaign are matters of war and peace. Both may be in play between now and November, in ways that add extra volatility to the presidential race. Let's start with war: The United States is already fighting two of them, in Iraq and Afghanistan. But judging from recent statements by administration officials, there is also a small, but growing, chance of conflict with Iran. The administration is signaling the Iranians that they need to stop supplying and training Shiite militias in Iraq -- or run the risk of U.S. retaliation. The Maliki government in...
  • Residents says Iraqi soldiers warn them to leave Sadr City

    05/08/2008 5:09:58 AM PDT · by DogBarkTree · 8 replies · 358+ views
    Townhall.com ^ | 5/8/08 | SELCAN HACAOGLU
    Iraqi soldiers for the first time warned residents in the embattled Sadr City district to leave their houses Thursday, signaling a new push by the U.S.-backed forces against Shiite extremist who have been waging street battles for seven weeks. Iraqi soldiers, using loudspeakers, told residents in some virtually abandoned areas of southeastern Sadr City to go to nearby soccer stadiums, residents said. UNICEF says about 6,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Sadr City, most of them from the southeastern section. U.S. forces have increased air power and armored patrols in an attempt to cripple Shiite militia...
  • Baghdad stadium to shelter Iraqis fleeing Sadr City danger

    05/08/2008 11:44:28 AM PDT · by Ernest_at_the_Beach · 9 replies · 292+ views
    CNN ^ | May 8, 2008 updated 1 minute ago | CNN
    BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A top official in Baghdad said the capital's biggest stadium is one of three locations being prepared for residents fleeing Baghdad's Sadr City, where Iraqi and U.S. forces have been fighting Shiite militants for weeks. Tahseen al-Sheikhly, the civilian spokesman for the Baghdad security plan, said no more than 400 families have fled the war-torn neighborhood so far. There have been reports that thousands of people have fled. Al-Sheikhly discounted reports that soldiers have been using loudspeakers to tell people to leave. He said "criminal gangs" are spreading the rumor to generate fears among the populace...
  • IRAQ: Shiite parliament bloc calls on Shiite extremists to lay down arms

    05/08/2008 11:52:31 AM PDT · by Ernest_at_the_Beach · 8 replies · 481+ views
    PR-inside.com ^ | 2008-05-08 17:23:11 - | AP
    BAGHDAD (AP) - A senior Iraqi representative of the Shiite parliamentary bloc says a committee is meeting representatives of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to get his fighters in Sadr City to lay down their arms. Jalal Eddin al-Sagheer of the United Iraqi Alliance, the largest bloc in parliament which includes Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's party, says the committee will tell al-Sadr that wanted militants must surrender and roadside bombs cleared. A female Shiite lawmaker from al-Sadr's bloc, Gufran al-Saadi, added Thursday that they have no problems with the Iraqi army but demand the withdrawal of U.S. forces and an end...
  • Iran's Supreme Leader: US root-cause of insecurity, instability in region

    05/08/2008 10:30:43 AM PDT · by Siberian-psycho · 16 replies · 190+ views
    Iran-Supreme Leader-Persian Gulf Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Thursday that presence of US troops in the Persian Gulf region and Iraq is the root-cause of rampant 'insecurity and instability' in the region. Addressing thousands of enthusiastic people in the city of Lar in Fars province, the Supreme Leader said the great Iranian people with reliance on Islam have got united and are determined to defend their dignity and identity. "Islam has brought us freedom, independence, dignity, public welfare and all-out development and this nation is determined to attain its lofty goals," Ayatollah Khamenei...
  • Ahmadinejad calls Zionist regime a 'stinking corpse'

    05/08/2008 10:14:01 AM PDT · by Siberian-psycho · 38 replies · 596+ views
    President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here on Thursday labeled the Zionist regime as a "stinking corpse" and said those who think they can revive the corpse of this fabricated and usurper regime are in mistaken. Lambasting the 60th anniversary of establishment of the Zionist regime, he said those who attend such a shameful ceremony should bear in their mind that their names will be listed as Zionist criminals. Addressing Majlis representatives, he said the philosophy of existence of the Zionist regime is now under question and the usurper and fabricated regime is moving towards annihilation. The Zionist regime is a puppet for...