A Look at Iran
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html
Previously...
Quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2491260/posts
Iran says its drones can gather intelligence, strike targets
The International News ^ | 4/12/2010 | The International News
Posted on April 12, 2010 2:18:16 AM PDT by sonofstrangelove
A top Iranian general said on Monday that the military’s newly produced aerial drones, which have aroused US concern, are capable of gathering intelligence and striking at targets.
“We have made good advances and production is going on at suitable rate,” ground forces commander Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan told reporters ahead of the annual Iran Army Day on April 18.
“These planes would be used for operations as well as surveillance which means they can send us online footage from faraway distances and can also be armed for striking at targets,” the local news agency quoted the senior commander as saying.
He also said that Iran was working on producing unmanned helicopters, whose details would be announced later, agency reported.
(Excerpt) Read more at thenews.com.pk ...
Isn’t Qatar supposed to be a US ally? What is going on here?
So much for friends.
It is very interesting and important info.
A few notable points:
1. All news sources you mention, in the main post, are IRI dominated news agencies. So, I’d be mindful of their partial exaggeration & propaganda.
2. Being aware of historical details of “Persian Gulf States” aka “Arab states of the Persian Gulf” might shed more light on the present situation.
Today these consist of six Arab monarchical states (or Sheikhdoms) being: Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Most were under Iran’s rule or belonged to Iranian (Persian) territory, at many points in history, both pre and post Islam in Iran. This began circa 3rd century B.C.
Equally, in recent centuries, the Ottoman Empire and the Portuguese (especially in Bahrain) tried to dominate. The Portuguese were expelled from Bahrain early 17th century by the Safavid “Turkic speaking” dynasty which was ruling Iran.
*The same Safavid dynasty which brutally enforced Shia Islam on Persians (Iranians), primarily as a political tool to differentiate between Persians (Iranians) and most Arabs & Turks from Turkey, at least in terms of religious sect of Islam.*
More significantly, in recent politics, would be the British influence in the mentioned region. The British Empire exerted varying degrees of political and economic control from early 18th thru to late 20th centuries. Namely, in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar through the British Residency of the Persian Gulf. In early 19th century, the Brits viewed this region as critical for their own interests as well as one which would facilitate a secure passage to their growing interest in India.
The British still maintain a high profile in parts of the region, for example, Dubai. Particularly after Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1997.
3. Although, most are Not of Persian or Iranic ethnicity, The Persian Gulf Arab states share a regional culture that is sometimes referred to as “khaleeji (Gulf) culture”. They all speak the Gulf dialect of Arabic and share similar music styles (sawt, fijiri, ardha, liwa etc.), cuisine, dress, etc. Most Arabs living near the Persian Gulf also trace their ancestry back to Arab tribes of either Najd (in what is now central Saudi Arabia) or Yemen.
Overall, I’d suggest that although there is certain amount of fear of the Iranian Regime and its subtle aggression thus far, there is also a more direct desire to cooperate with IRI.
After all, Iranian regime is an Islamic one, and there is more of a shared “culture” compared to others who would be considered as complete outsiders. Iranian regime plays heavily on the *Islamic* history, values and culture. For example, obviously, Iranians in Iran do Not speak Arabic, but note that there are quite a few Arabic satellite TV stations broadcasting from Iran - Al Alam (you mention) is one of them.