War Plan Iran: The US Finally Admits Its Criminal Bankruptcy

Jan. 19, 2012 (TSR) - Officially, America is now bankrupt: financially, economically, politically – and morally. Its criminal aggression towards Iran is just one of many parts of a jigsaw that add up to a clear and grotesque picture of what the United States of America now represents in the 21st Century world.

“Are they (Iran) trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No.” - US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta

The numbers and pictures for these constituent parts of this odious jigsaw puzzle are well known. But what has become glaringly clear is just how integrated the official image of the US now is. Bankrupt.

Terminally in debt, mass poverty at record levels, rampant militarism, draconian curbs on civil liberties, government by the rich for the rich, and lately the reactionary, debased cat-fight that passes for political debate among Republican contenders for the Presidency. Cringing is the sight of super wealthy career politicians throwing sand in each other’s eyes to scrabble up the pole for yet further personal accumulation of capital; disturbing is the easy way that psychopathic targeting of imagined enemies whether at home or abroad is worn like a badge of honour. It is a sign of how depraved the American political mind has become when would-be presidents can so openly talk of conducting foreign policy in terms of unquestioned international aggression.

Of course, this kind of political and moral bankruptcy is not just confined to those seeking office. It is the coin of those who are already in office.

In a report in the New York Times Monday we have the startling admissions that, taken together, show that the US government should be certified as criminal (if further proof were needed) [1].

First we have the top US military man confirming that long-averred war plans against Iran are indeed going ahead.

The NYT: “When asked on [CBS’s] Face the Nation about the how difficult it would be to take out Iran’s nuclear ability in a military strike, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said: ‘Well, I would rather not discuss the degree of difficulty and in any way encourage them to read anything into that. But I will say that my responsibility is to encourage the right degree of planning, to understand the risks associated with any kind of military option, in some cases to position assets, to provide those options in a timely fashion. And all those activities are going on.’”

Iran is such a threat to international security and axis of evil according to USA. Where they referring to the fact that the President's wife listens to Lady Gaga and that the President of Iran doesn't like sleeping on hotel beds and goes to work preferring to eat the sandwiches that his wife makes?

In other words, the US is preparing for war.

Ironically, in the above lengthy article about the imminent opening of Iran’s second uranium enrichment plant at Qom, located under a mountain and impregnable from attack, the New York Times buries General Dempsey’s admission deep within the folds of its paragraphs perhaps in a bid to make it impregnable from attack by sane readers. Granted, the bellicose talk from US Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama and his administration of all options on the table has become so routine that the editors at the NYT have probably become inured to criminal admissions and so don’t think them worth any higher prominence that a final paragraph.

But here is the second part of the equation that adds up to definite criminality.

In the same story, the New York Times quotes US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta making what should be a startling admission: that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons programme.

Panetta says: “Are they [Iran] trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No.”

That Panetta finally admits what many people around the world know to be true, including American intelligence agencies in at least two US National Intelligence Estimates in 2007 and 2010 – that is, that Iran is not attempting to develop a nuclear weapon, should be a front-page headline. Especially when taken together with General Dempsey’s disclosure that war plans are afoot. From its own admission, therefore, the US government is pushing the world into possibly a World War III scenario on the basis of a totally spurious claim that even its own top brass do not believe.

Reflecting the bankruptcy that has corroded the US political establishment is the way that the New York Times – America’s self-styled premier newspaper – glides over these nuggets of self-indictment as if they were worthless banalities.

So if Iran is not even trying to develop a nuclear weapon, as Panetta now admits, what then is the criminal US warmongering predicated on?

Unofficially, the real reason is imperialist rivalry with other powers (Russia and China in particular) in the energy-rich Persian Gulf and Central Asia regions, and the attempt to engineer “regime change” in Iran to one that is pliant with Washington’s geopolitical designs.

Officially, for what it is worth, it seems now that the US is not happy even with the mere suspicion that Iran maybe, just maybe, might one day capable of developing nuclear capability.

This is where facts can be helpful. As a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran has the legal right to develop nuclear capability for civilian purposes. This is what Iran has consistently said it is doing and what countless UN inspections of facilities over many years, including the new plant at Qom, have verified. The enrichment of uranium constitutes “nuclear capability” and is an essential part of harnessing nuclear energy for civilian energy. Iran should be congratulated for this achievement given years of gratuitous sanctions by the US its Western allies.

But the way the US government and its Western allies put it, Iran’s legitimate nuclear capability is made to sound like a diabolical threat.

Panetta again: “But we know that they’re trying to develop a nuclear capability. And that’s what concerns us.”

There you have it. The United States can drop nuclear weapons on civilians, possess up to 10,000 nuclear warheads, supply its allies illegally with such weapons and continue to violate the purpose of the NPT by not disarming its nuclear arsenal – yet if a country uses the provisions of the NPT legitimately to pursue nuclear capability then it is reviled and made a target for an illegal war of aggression, most probably with nuclear weapons.

This is depravity-turned-foreign policy – emanating from supposedly the most democratic government in the world.

In that way, the unseemly Republican Party cat-fight between Romney et al is but a symptom of the chronically bankrupt body politic that is American government in the 21st Century.

 ______________________

AUTHOR: Finian Cunningham

Finian Cunningham is a Middle East and East Africa correspondent for Global Research and can be reached at cunninghamfinian@gmail.com  

Short URL: http://thesantosrepublic.com/?p=122519

horoscope

Jan 20 - Feb 18

By Rick Levine

About Aquarius
Yesterday | Today | Tomorrow
Daily Aquarius Horoscope

Monday, Jan 16, 2012 -- Your life may have a surreal quality to it now, enabling you to manifest your fantasies as reality or, if nothing else, lose yourself in them. But making illusions practical can be tricky because your best intentions run into your own fears of success. It's a good start to ask for exactly what you want, but being in a receptive frame of mind when it arrives is actually just as important.

i ching daily

heryl's Hexagram for Today:

28: Excessive Pressure

General Meaning:

Something is out of balance. This hexagram points to some pressure that is threatening stability and needs correcting. But if a dam is about to burst, moving out of the way is the first priority.

When a person in a sagging mine shaft feels the earth begin to tremble, it is time for quick, instinctive action and nimble footwork. At a time like this, only extraordinary measures will work. When the roof is collapsing, run first, choose your destination later.

Extraordinary times bring out the best and worst in people. Natural disasters bring with them stories of great heroism — but also looting and rioting. When the pressure is on, powerful moments present opportunities to make positive gains. Everything is in a state of flux. One can either move towards positive change and improvement or towards stagnation.

This may be the moment you've been waiting for. Although a current challenge may seem to be more than you can handle, remember that a flood reaches its high-water mark for only a few brief moments, and then begins to subside. Action must be taken now to ensure opportunities for success later on. You will never discover the true extent of your own abilities until you, at least once in your life, dive into a crisis with complete abandon, dedicating every ounce of your energy, every fiber of your being, to the cause at hand.

Dare to win.

spirit guides

TRUTH ON THE MARCH

 TRUTH ON THE MARCH: Al-Jazeera agents have been forced to leave Manouba University by hundreds of angry students, it seems Tunisian students are fully aware of Al-Jazeera's intentions and agenda to spread propaganda which serves US imperialism in the region. Tunisians are fully aware of the blunt lies and rumors spread concerning Libya which lead to a brutal war, bloodshed and continuous lawlessness which sometimes spills over to the Tunisian side of the border. Bravo, Tunisia!

Iran, Venezuela call U.S. a global danger

Bogota, Jan. 10, 2012 (TSR) - Amid escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf and a growing diplomatic squabble in the Americas, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad received a red carpet welcome in Venezuela Monday as he kicked off a four-nation Latin American tour that is raising concerns in Washington, D.C.

Ahmadinejad’s visit, which will also take him to Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador, comes a day after the U.S. Department of State confirmed that Venezuela’s consul in Miami was asked to leave the country amid reports that she took part in a 2008 discussion about a potential cyber-attack against the United States.

In this image provided by the Venezuelan Presidency Office, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez greets his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Miraflores Palace in the city of Caracas, capital of Venezuela, on Jan. 9, 2012. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Venezuela on Monday, kicking off his Latin American tour which also includes Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador. (TSR/Venezuelan Presidency Office)

It also comes the same day Iran was accused of stepping up its efforts to enrich uranium, and Iran’s courts announced a former U.S. Marine was condemned to death on spying charges.

Calling Ahmadinejad his “real brother,” Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said the two nations had to stand together against the United States and her allies.

“We didn’t ask for this task, but it’s our duty to stop the crazed imperialism that is stronger than ever before,” he said. “It’s a danger to the world — these pretensions of the Yankee Empire to control the globe.”

The escalating rhetoric came as the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had started enriching uranium at a new fortified bunker. Iran claims its nuclear program is peaceful, but the international community is increasingly concerned about its military ambitions and has been ratcheting up economic sanctions.

Ahmadinejad said his nation was prepared for “martyrdom” but that it had no bellicose intentions.

“We love everyone,” he said, on the steps of the presidential palace, “including the people of the United States who are suffering under the domination of the arrogant.”

Chávez said the U.S. and its “lackeys” were trying to paint Iran and Venezuela as the aggressors.

“Who has dropped thousands and thousands of bombs on innocent civilians — including some atomic bombs? Who has promoted coups, massacres and genocide?” Chávez asked. “Not us. We are among the countries that have been victims.”

The two leaders were scheduled to discuss ongoing bilateral projects, and the state-run Agencia Venezolana de Noticias said they would sign new accords covering tourism, science and technology, energy, and the automotive industry. On Tuesday they are scheduled to be in Nicaragua for the swearing-in ceremony of President Daniel Ortega — a staunch Chávez ally.

Ahmadinejad’s visit comes amid the backdrop of growing diplomatic spat between Venezuela and the United States over the expulsion of Livia Acosta, the Venezuelan consul general in Miami.

Last month, the Spanish-language Univisión television network reported that Acosta and an Iranian diplomat in Mexico had been approached in 2008 by university students who offered to hack U.S. government websites on their behalf.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said she could not provide details about the decision, “But I will tell you that we do not take it lightly when we declare somebody persona non grata.”

The chairwoman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, (R-Miami), led the push for Acosta’s removal.

“It would not surprise me if other Venezuelan consulates in the U.S. are staffed with spies,” she told The Miami Herald Monday. “The threat represented by the former Venezuelan consul general in Miami is real so we must remain vigilant against similar acts.”

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro said the government would respond “forcefully” to Acosta’s expulsion, but no action has been taken yet.

Also on Monday, Iran’s FARS News Agency said the government had condemned to death Amir Mirzayee Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine from Arizona, for spying and trying to “accuse Iran of supporting terrorism.” Hekmati’s family has denied the charges.

While Brazil is Iran’s largest trading partner in the region, Iran has particularly close ties with Venezuela. The two nations have signed more than 100 agreements over the years worth billions of dollars.

Chávez said Iranian companies have built almost 14,000 homes and that Iranian mills are already grinding much of the corn found in Venezuelanarepas.

Ahmadinejad was originally scheduled to visit Venezuela in September, but the meeting was cancelled because Chávez was undergoing chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer. While Chávez’s face still appears swollen, his hair is growing back and he has stepped up his public appearances.

“Thanks to God here I am without chemotherapy, no cancer and no illness,” he said.

Before stepping into the presidential palace to begin their meeting Monday afternoon, Ahmadinejad said U.S. pressure would not make Iran break its ties with Latin America.

“Despite the demands of the arrogant who don’t want us together,” he said, “we will be together forever.”

_____________________

AUTHOR: Jim Wyss (MiamiHerald), Antonio Delgado (El Nuevo Herald) and Rachel Roubein (McClatchy)  

  

Short URL: http://thesantosrepublic.com/?p=122427

Posted by TSR Team on Jan 10 2012. Filed under Features,International Security, South America. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

US sanctions on Iran’s central bank: Tehran has called this an act of war

Jan 3, 2012 (TSR) - On the last day of 2011, US President Barack Obama signed into law measures penalizing foreign financial institutions doing business with Iran’s central bank, Bank Markazi – the toughest sanctions imposed yet over Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon. In recent weeks Tehran has repeatedly warned that it would deem the signing of this measure an act of war and respond with drastic steps including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The bill targeting anyone dealing with Iran’s central bank seeks to force other countries to choose between buying oil from Iran or being shut out of transactions with US financial institutions and banks.  The new sanctions will begin taking effect in 60 days – the toughest not for at least six months, giving Tehran some space to cooperate with international demands to call off its nuclear weapon program. The president will have some flexibility in applying the measure.

debkafile’s Iranian sources report signs that rather than using this leeway to back down, Tehran appears bent on heading for a collision with the United States and its opponents in the Persian Gulf and Middle East.
Just this Saturday, Dec. 31, Gen. Masoud Jazayeri, one of the Revolutionary Guards heads, wrote on the Guards’ site: “Discourse about closing the Strait of Hormuz belongs to five years ago. Today’s debate in the Islamic Republic of Iran contains new layers and the time has not come to disclose them.”

This was published shortly after Iran announced the test firing of ballistic missiles targeting the strategic strait – and then, few hours later, contradicting itself by reporting that the missile test fire would only take place “in the coming days.”

Our sources report that Gen. Jazayeri’s comment was also made in answer to Israel’s chief of staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, who said in an address to high school students in Beersheba Friday, Dec. 30, “A nuclear-armed Iran is a threat to the region and world no less than to Israel. I think that with the appropriate international and Israeli disposition, which I will not spell out here, we can beat that challenge.”

The Iranian general likewise declined to elaborate on Tehran’s next moves.

After Obama signed the new sanctions, senior US officials stressed the administration intends to move forward with implementing the law in a way that doesn’t damage the global economy. “We believe we can do this.” They added: “The president will consider his options, but our intent—our absolute intent—is to do it in a timed and phased way.”

  

Short URL: http://thesantosrepublic.com/?p=122374

Posted by TSR Team on Jan 3 2012. Filed under Features,Middle East, Trade, Economy & Globalization. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.