Premptive strike on US?...

[unkachuck]

I don't know if this article has been posted before, but Iran warns that they may use a 'premptive strike' on US forces....

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1512&u=/afp/20040818/wl_afp/iran_nuclear_us_israel_040818201404&printer=1

October surprise, surprise.....

[althecat]

1. Well that looks just like what some people have been expecting....

.. indeed it explains this...

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0408/S00078.htm

.. and it may also explain all the crap in Najaf which if you think about it really seems calculated to make the entire situation in the ME explode.

[unkachuck]

2. yikes....

....these neocon 'crazies' are going to push the whole ME into a catastrophe.....

[althecat]

3. Asefi: Shamkhani`s remarks distorted

The following clarifies the situation.... but only very slightly as Asefi does not go to much effort to explain where the misrepresentation was made...



http://www.irna.ir/?SAB=OK&LANG=EN&PART=_HOME&TYPE=HP&id=200408211134133

Asefi: Shamkhani`s remarks distorted

Tehran, Aug 21, IRNA -- Iran`s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza
Asefi said here Saturday that remarks made by Iran`s Defense Minister
Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani on the country`s preventive operations have
been distorted.
Talking to IRNA, he stressed that the Iranian defense minister, in
his remarks, stressed that the Islamic Republic defends its
territorial integrity and its national interests.
Asefi further quoted Shamkhani as saying that "Tehran does not let
any one invade the country. If any one tries to attack Iran, we will
decisively respond and will defend the country`s interests."
He once again stressed that Shamkhani`s remarks have not been
quoted precisely and that they have been misrepresented.
1422/1423

[Birthmark]

4. I hate to say this, but...

...this could be very serious. I expect that it is simply bluster, but the alternative could be horrific for us, the ME, and the whole world. It seems to me that we have our asses hanging out in Iraq and that if Iran attacked, we'd have very little with which to respond.

[unkachuck]

5. do you....

....or anyone else know if Iran is reported to already have nuclear weapons like North Korea?....

[althecat]

6. No they do not... officially anyway

That said Pakistan does, and the Saudis are reported to have attempted to obtain them from Pakistan for a similar purpose i.e. a deterrent against Israel. And given that nuclear war in the neighbourhood is not in the interests of Pakistan I should imagine the Echelon bods are working overtime on figuring out what everybody is up to.

Iran claims that it hasn't got them and has no desire to obtain them. Others disagree of course with this but given other recent WMD intelligence one has to be a bit skeptical about anybody's views on this point.

Finally.. there are fairly close relationships between Iran and Russia I think. From what I gather Russia has been supplying the plant at Bushehr that the Israelis are reportedly considering taking out. Therefore I should imagine that Russia would not think it is in their interests to have a nuclear war launched in thier backyard either and they have probably made is fairly clear to the other players.

Nuclear politics is one of those games in which everybody has a gun pointed at everybody elses head. In this game the question of whether or not Iran actually has a bullet in the chamber is probably not as significant as it looks.

What this story clearly does show us is that Iran is very nervous about US and Israeli intentions. And for fairly obvious reasons it makes sense for us all to be similarly concerned.

[Birthmark]

7. I don't think they have them.

They want nukes, but I don't believe that they have them yet. Israel would probably make sure that they don't acquire any.