Posted on 12/14/2005 8:40:30 AM PST by indianrightwinger
Iran, West head for confrontation Wed Dec 14 2005 09:34:38 ET
By repeatedly calling for Israel's destruction and slamming the door on a nuclear compromise, Iran's hardline president has put Tehran on a collision course with the West, diplomats and analysts warned, AFP reports.
In his latest anti-Israeli assault, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed the Holocaust as a "myth" and said the Jewish state should be moved as far away as Alaska -- views that one European envoy posted in Tehran described as "way beyond political incorrectness".
"At first, we were tempted to put it down to inexperience or a simple gaffe," he said of the firebrand president's string of outbursts, which began in October with a call for Israel to be "wiped off the map".
"But there is now a clear pattern of confrontational, extremist rhetoric apparently designed to upset the international community. And he's succeeding," said the European diplomat, who asked not to be named.
According to the diplomat, "the very radical change of tone in Iran has to be seen in the context of the nuclear issue" -- or fears that Iran is using an atomic energy drive as a cover for weapons development.
"This kind of talk from the president is not confidence-building, this is confidence destroying. It undermines all the diplomatic efforts to find a mutually satisfactory compromise on a very serious issue. You can't help but feel pessimistic."
Developing...
Can you say "Siemens" ?
To be realisitc, the backlash that Europe would face if they went ahead with sanctions/attack, would make the France riots look like a joke.
The War on Terror will not be won until Iran is destroyed.
Yep.
And worth clarifying that we mean the regime of Iran. The average Iranian wants purple fingers as much as the average Iraqi.
Trust me on this, I wouldn't be suprised if a country such as Saudi Arabia or Egypt steps in before us to prevent a large war that would effect their economies..
And this is from a guy currently surrounded by US troops. Imagine what he'd say if he wasn't.
Friend of mine just visited Israel with his wife. Next time I see him I will tell him he should feel fortunate.
There is a substantial chance Israel (and a large chunk of the Middle east) could soon be a radioactive wasteland.
In other news, the sun rose in the East again today!
I predict some sort of "mishap" will befall Mr. Ahmadinejad in the not too distant future, and probably courtesy of the Chinese. Oil is a fact of life. Developed nations can't tolerate this guy jeopardizing the world economy. Israel can play the bluff, but Ahmadinejad's a dead man walking at this point.
If a nuclear war occurs in the Middle East, we'll be burning our computers for warmth and eating the Chia-Pet for dinner.
The War on Terror can not start in earnest until Political Correctness is destroyed.
Oh, yeah, and the borders are protected.
Wait till the election is over in Iraq and Iran moves to kick us out!
Were I the Iranians, I wouldn't be nearly so worried about "The West" as I would "The Israelis". But maybe that's just me?
It would be really nice to get Europe on board for this one, but that seems unlikely. So Israel bombs the hell out of them. Europe cries about it. Russia stands up for them and increases ties. Iran continues building nukes underground. Eventually they will succeed and they will use it quickly. Israel nukes the middle east. Anyone see a more likely outcome?
This "Headline", IMHO has been recycled for 30 years.
Iran has not been the USA's friend, it' just that they have been working on how to figure out how to destroy us during that time, while we thought Diplomacy and Discussion would change their goal.
What do we need, a nuclear attack to confirm Iran's ability to do us in as planned?
Oophs, maybe faulty intelligence. Let's not jump to conclusions. Pre-emptive action would be a no-no, even if 3,000 innocent people are blown up as Iran's first step.
Headline needs to be WAKE UP AMERICA IRAN WANTS US TO BE DUST UNDER THEIR FEET!
Painfully obvious but how much longer do we have to wait?
I think Iran has a nuclear bomb and is goading Israel into bombing one of their nuclear labs. Then they retaliate with a nuclear bomb on Jerusalem. They know that Israel will not go nuclear, but they will. Besides, if Israel does take out one or two of Iran's nuclear labs, the UN and Europe and the American left will demand Iran retaliate. Hell, they will call for the dismantling of Israel.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.