Posted on 05/14/2006 6:43:05 AM PDT by Dark Skies
Indicators observed by independent Iran watchers during the past week are raising the question that nuclear-seeking Iran is not merely playing a serious game of brinkmanship, but is actually preparing to strike at Israel, European and US interests.
Headlined "Iran declares war," a May 11 editorial in the New York Sun expressed the belief that a recent letter written by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which had been widely interpreted as a peaceful gesture, "is in fact a declaration of war."
According to the Sun, a coded message is contained in the closing section of the eight-page letter. While the rest of the message had been translated into English, the salutation in had not. It reads "Vasalam Ala Man Ataba'al hoda" and means "Peace only unto those who follow the true path."
Says the paper:
"It is a phrase with historical significance in Islam, for, according to Islamic tradition, in year six of the Hejira - the late 620s - the prophet Mohammad sent letters to the Byzantine emperor and the Sassanid emperor telling them to convert to the true faith of Islam or be conquered. The letters included the same phrase that President Ahmadinejad used to conclude his letter to Mr. Bush."
Concluded the Sun:
"For Mohammad, the letters were a prelude to a Muslim offensive, a war launched for the purpose of imposing Islamic rule over infidels."
Two days earlier, the CBN network's "700 Club" ran a special feature based on information just brought back from Iran by investigative reporter George Thomas.
Footage that surprisingly made it out of the Islamic Republic showed Ahmadinejad exhorting his countrymen, and specifically his troops, to prepare for martyrdom and their entry into paradise.
In an exclusive interview, an Iranian general told CBN his country planned to "teach the American Army a lesson they will never forget," which will eclipse anything they experienced in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Thomas also reported that 52,000 people are believed to have joined a new Iranian organization called the "Lovers of Martyrdom" whose goal is to place a "suicide" bomber unit into every division of the Iranian army.
Its men making maniacal statements, its women covered in heavy black cloth as they swear their allegiance to Allah and emphasize their eagerness to die in his service, these Muslim elite killers make Hitler's SS look tame.
Following his filed report, Thomas showed his viewers a picture of Ahmadinejad taken a week ago, in which the president was seen to be sporting a black and white keffiyeh around his neck.
Said Thomas:
The would-be suicide bombers "wear this scarf that is similar to the one worn by the Palestine Liberation Organization.""When they wear this scarf they told me it means: I am ready, I am purified, I am militarily trained, I am Islamically pure to commit a suicide attack right now…
"What is interesting is that this week, President Ahmadinjad was wearing a similar scarf in a similar way."
The Iranian leader seemed to be sending his own message, that he is ready and willing to be a martyr for Allah.
Ahmadinejad has almost daily made threats against Israel while telling the world he will not allow it to impede his efforts to obtain nuclear power.
In a speech last month, the Iranian demagogue declared:
"The Zionist regime of Israel is like a rotten, dried tree that will be annihilated by one storm."
CBN President Pat Robertson asked Thomas to explain about the concept of the Mahdi or 12th Imam the Islamic world has been and is looking for.
According to Thomas:
"Ahmadinejad believes that he has been chosen – he has a divine mission – to usher in the 12th Imam – the Mahdi."He believes that in order for this Mahdi to return … the entire world should be filled with chaos; there should be a battle between good and evil – in his mind between the east and the west."
It was into this situation of universal chaos that the Mahdi would come to establish peace and justice in the earth.
Thomas said rumors in Iran were that Ahmadinejad has ordered the city of Tehran to prepare a route for the Mahdi to take upon his return.
"We were at this parade, and in all his statements he tells his people: 'Prepare in your hearts for the return of the Mahdi...' Speaking to his troops he actually said: 'You are the men who have been commissioned to usher in the return of the Mahdi.'"
Responding, Robertson described Ahmadinejad as "nuts … out of his mind."
But Thomas cautioned that the Iranian leader was actually "a deeply religious man" described by many in his country as "the most fanatical leader they have ever had."
"The thing that makes this very dangerous is that you have Ahmadinejad’s nuclear ambitions coupled with his interest in wiping Israel off the face of the earth; and then he has this religious, ideological bent."
Last week, US President George W. Bush told the German newspaper Bild the United States and Europe were taking Ahmadinejad's threats "very seriously."
Bizarrely, Israeli media were reporting at the weekend the words of a Tel Aviv history professor who apparently said that the death of a million Jews in an Iranian nuclear strike would not mark the end of Israel.
Quoted in Ynetnews, Aviad Kleinberg said that although it was unclear "whether Israel can withstand the death of a million people in an Iranian nuclear attack," such a strike would nonetheless "not be the end of the Jewish State."
The academic warned world leaders not to simply write Ahmadinejad off as a psychopath:
"I'm not at all certain that he's insane. I’m afraid he's playing a much more complex game; and this is a dangerous game. One cannot simply assume that Ahmadinejad is bluffing. In certain instances you don't have a choice but to assume that the other side is not bluffing."
Cluster bombs will make hamburger of these 52,000.
Boy you had me going for a minute there. Fortunately I picked up on your implied sarcasm tags by the last two paragraphs ;-)
1) Lib's will NOT retake the Congress in upcoming elections.
2) Bush will remain in office until Jan. 2009.
3) Iran will NOT give up their nuclear ambition.
4) America WILL destroy Iran's nuclear capability, while Bush is in office.
5) This only requires air strikes, no troops on the ground.
I thought the 12 Medhi lived in a water well?
The islamic apocalypse includes Jesus as a major player.
and the liberals will say he lied and hyped the intel and that it can't be proben that peaceful Iran gave WMD to the terraists
You, my friend have very optimistic view of things.. However, since a large portion of consevatives have fallen into the Dem wedge issue trap I cannot share in your optimism... check out recent conservative polls....
HA
Why do you say that? Is it because it is a Christian news source?
Anyway, the program went on to state that there are six strategic points in the US that could 'knock-out' all the electrical power to the whole US if those six points were destroyed. Fortunately, the program didn't say specifically where those six points were.
Worst case, if Dem's gain control of Congress in Nov. 2006, then Bush will strike before their Jan. 2007 installation.
Striking Iran doesn't require a congressional vote, or a public poll.
"I think Ahmenejad's invitation to Bush to join Islam was touching."
Islam teaches that you must extend an offer to your enemy to convert before you attack him. Bin Laden did the same thing before 9-11.
Ironically, Iran doesn't have any refineries... they have to import all their gasoline. They seem to forget this when they talk about cutting the oil to everyone else.
I saw an oil analyst say a couple weeks ago that our SPR (strategic petroleum reserve) was more than enough to out-last anything Iran can do with an oil 'shut-off.'
Your "scenarios" are full of too much Fox News-type "Infotainment" items and ridiculous assumptions about what our administration can and won't do. Despite your use of acceptable buzzwords, you are off the mark on so many things it's hard to sort out and know where to start.
So I won't.
Inspite of all your talk, you are missing "key facts". ..the ones that provide the "glue" that holds the world picture together. You have the elements on your table. You just have'nt connected them.
Think.
Starters: The Dems are dead in the water.
Of course the anti-Christ will show up in Israel as the bible predicts...But he will come as a peacemaker, for a little while...
And the question is: what will precipitate the need for a peacemaker???
Ahmanutjob seems to think that he must make some serious disruptions in order for this imam to show up...
And altho we can see the signs on the Christian side of the phrophecy, it never occured to me that the anti-Christ side had a role to fulfull as well...They are looking for the anti-Christ as well...And not only looking, but are convinced the TIME IS NOW...
Things are coming together nicely (prophetically speaking, that is)...
Doubt it.. immediate censure, impeachment proceedings... Calls for limits of executive power... BLAH BLAH BLAH... The dummies don't work this hard to convince america and then back down... They will ride this wave all the way to shore... even if it breaks them in 08... The bottom line.. any problem is the world is now, was always and forever will be GEORGE W. BUSH'S Fault....
And they will...
Perhaps one or more of those nukes are already in Iran, just waiting to be detonated if it becomes necessary. Just saying.
How can you expect a source like this not to be biased ?
IIRC, this "President" is the one who matched the face of a picture from the US Embassy hostage days. Insane or not, he clearly has decided who he likes and who he doesn't.
If Israel can destroy Iran ten times over, then the US can burn Iran all the way down to sub-continental basalt. No surprises all around on this point. The dedicated turbs like to self immolate, but when they do, from their point of view, they are still gaining something. I see no gain for themturning their own country into a cinder.
Then why all the trash talk, deliberately provocative? If the cinder ending holds no gain for Iran, then either they believe they can prevent it, or else they are only threatening it without intending to actually carry it out.
Obviously we have to be aware of and ready for the former possibility, but missing cues that point towards the second possibility would be just as costly a mistake as failing to plan for the former.
Can a third rate sandbox achieve superpower status by threatening nuclear armageddon and then backing off at the brink? Yes, Russia did, except we didn't know at the time that their military was third rate. We seem to like to have one "go to" enemy in our pockets at all times, does Iran realize this and are they applying for the job?
If so, and if we also need to keep in mind a possible intent to go all the way, how do we cover both bases?
Lots of answers there, but the big one is to quietly get ready and stay ready until the board looks right from our side of it, make our move, dispense with the trash, all the while keeping the issue on the back burner as much as possible.
Iran a superpower?
Uh-huh, sure, when pigs fly out my butt.
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