Khamenei, whose public statements should be taken seriously, is promising some sort of devastating “punch” against the West on Thursday the 11th, the same day as the Green Movement is calling for a monster protest against his regime.
What might he have in mind? I don’t know; they say a lot of things just for effect, but threats/promises from the supreme leader have a certain standing. If I were an Israeli official, I’d recheck my information on Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.
Some think he’s preparing some kind of attack against Israel. Surely there has been no shortage in recent weeks of nasty language against the Jewish state. Here’s Foreign Minister Mottaki a day ago:
“Iran is facing a mad nation led by insane people. This is the reason why all of us in the region – in Syria, in Lebanon, and the Palestinians – must be prepared constantly for any crazy operation against us.”
Other Iranian leaders have spoken of the “inevitability” of Israel’s destruction. Maybe they have something in mind.
The other obvious possibility is that he’s ordered a massive, Chinese-style crackdown on the opposition. Since he believes that the opposition is foreign-based and foreign-controlled, a devastating massacre might count as a big “punch” to the West.
He’s totally obsessed with bringing an end to the protests, and the nightly chants of “Death to the Dictator” that haunt him so. In the last few days he’s been telephoning opposition journalists and intellectuals, telling them to give it up, and the preparations for the crackdown have gone so far as to replace the traditional plastic garbage cans in Tehran — in which demonstrators have been setting fires to combat tear gas — with metal ones. I don’t understand the point of that, but I’m sure it annoys the sanitation workers, who will now have to hoist much heavier containers.
Meanwhile, the purge of journalists and activists continues. Since June 12th, the regime has arrested slightly more than 11,000 people, more than 3,000 of whom are still in those nightmare cells. Executions continue at a regular tempo, as does torture.
The Greens expect the regime to go all out on Thursday. The leaders believe they will be arrested on Friday, and are prepared for it. In his recent interview Mousavi remarked that a large number of his best friends were in prison, and he was sad not to be with them.
He also said that the Green Movement did not depend on his leadership, or anyone else’s.
That theory may be about to be tested by Ali Khamenei, starting Thursday.
PJM Home
Accomplice to Evil: Iran and the War Against the West
The Iranian Time Bomb: The Mullah Zealots’ Quest for Destruction
The War Against the Terror Masters: Why It Happened. Where We Are Now. How We’ll Win.
Tocqueville on American Character: Why Tocqueville’s Brilliant Exploraton of the American Spirit is as Vital and Important Today as it was Nearly Two Hundred Years Ago
Machiavelli on Modern Leadership: Why Machiavelli’s Iron Rules are as Timely and Important Today as Five Centuries Ago
Freedom Betrayed: How America led a Global Democratic Revolution, Won the Cold War and Walked Away
Dr. Ledeen,
As an Iranian-American, I want to thank you for your terrific coverage of and commentary on the ongoing uprising in Iran. If I may make one request it is that you update ‘Faster, Please!’ more often from now through February 12th.
In solidarity.
Iran might start attacking oil tankers as they pass through the Persian Gulf, shutting down a large fraction of the world’s supply of oil. The administration will hold a press conference to announce they are working on countermeasures, to be announced real soon now. The world then waits for these countermeasures, and waits, and waits … The most damage, ironically, could turn out to come from how thoroughly the situation demonstrates Obama’s fecklessness rather than the loss of oil.
Perhaps an underground detonation of a nuclear weapon, for demonstration purposes only, no doubt, is what they have in mind? I recall the west was surprised by both India and Pakistan when they fired off their nuclear tests. Since we(the US) and Europe have continuously and consistently misjudged Iran for 30 years why would we have any confidence in any of the predicted timelines regarding their nuclear program? Thanks…Bob Schena
I have wondered if the movement of U.S. Navy ships into that area is based on some intelligence gathered my agents not being questioned by Eric Holder’s Department of Justice.
I came to the same conclusion last night. A slaughter of the demonstrators would be a punch and blow to the west in their group think.
The other plausible event is they will do a pin point reentry of the pets they shot into space this week. That will demonstrate the potential for intercontinental ballistics. Scary too but undermines their insistence they are all about peace.
Seems to me that metal trash cans would keep the fire going longer, because plastic ones would melt and burn.
a nuke test.
or a missile test of s missile that can reach london.
Lots of bluster here from Iran but it still scares me because by our worldview they are prone to do what we call “crazy” things. By their worldview they are only doing what they feel called to do to obey their god. We need to be ready for anything.
I would expect an internal crackdown. An external attack would invite a military response, which could further weaken the regime’s hold on power. (An unprovoked attack on Iran would likely have the opposite effect.)
Maybe they’re thinking about a Pearl Harbor style surprise attack against US and NATO naval forces in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, using the tactic of swarming by small suicide boats self-detonating close enough to sink US and NATO warships. They could be counting on the lack of declared hostilities and unclear rules of engagement to prevent the US and NATO navies from being the first to open fire, allowing their boats to get close enough to cause real damage before the good guys realize that they are under attack.
They could also be counting on the weakness of the Obama Administartion and on the US military being pinned down in Iraq and Afghanistan and not having any forces available for a war with Iran (just as in December, 1941 the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and British Army were otherwise engaged).
They could see the impending “crippling sanctions” as regime threatening under current conditions and hope that their surprise attack – if successful – would so shock and undermine the confidence of an economically devastated American populace so as to lead the US to sue for peace (as the Japanese plan called for in 1941).
The Iranian leadership would be mistaken in all of this, as were the Japanese (see, for example: the fire bombing of Tokyo; Hiroshima; Nagasaki). Even as weak a president as Obama could not withstand the sense of fury that would overtake America if Iran attacked American ships.
Michael,
You wrote:
…I’m sure it annoys the sanitation workers, who will now have to heist much heavier containers…
I think you intend “hoist” rather than “heist”, unless the sanitation workers are going to be so irritated that they decide to just steal the containers!
Jamie Irons
Iran’s little man; whose big mouth is bigger than his tiny little legs, is going to end up getting wacked.
Would it really shock anyone if they conducted a nuclear test at this point? They have been “on the verge” of nuclear capability for, oh, ten years?
As memory serves we were caught off guard by Pakistani and North Korean tests.
In the old cold war days, and even now, nations often shoot off missiles or display something that signifies military might to establish their right to be considered major players on world stage. I expect a display of something which won’t directly bring retribution down on Iran, but whose implications are chilling. They love the thumb-nose game, and this will be a big one.
Let me qualify that statement; ‘won’t bring retribution down on Iran’ by most of the world.
I can’t speak for Israel. They’re a wild card too.
Interesting analysis. Thanks.
(I think you mean “hoist”, not “heist”.)
I think they may lash out at Saudi Arabia. It is no secret that Iran, and Shiites in general, resent Sunni control of Mecca… and in fact tried to take it over back in ‘79. It wouldn’t surprise me if they tried to shut down Saudi oil production, which would spike oil prices to $300 per barrel (the punch at the West), as well as weakening the (in their eyes) pro Western Saudi royal family… as part of a long-term plan to “liberate” Mecca from Saudi control.
Saudis have nearly as much to fear from the mullahs as do the Israelis.
Hmmm…
As long as we’re making WAGs, North Korea has nukes but no rockets to get them anywhere. Iran has rockets that will reach orbit, but no nukes.
They’ve been sharing certain types of military ’secrets’ for several years, now.
(Think EMP over/near a major population center…)
Am I missing the obvious: A nuclear test??
I’m guessing this punch has to do with an announcement that they have a nuclear reactor online or they have built a bomb.
I fear the punch could be the declaration that they are now nuclear capable, or worse, a nuclear detonation.
The IslamoFascist Regime in Iran is getting very close to imploding. My guess is that February 11th will come and go without incident. These people are dead Mullahs whining, and they will not be with us a year from February 11, 2010.
NewsBusters — Open Thread: What is Iran planning for Thursday?
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb-staff/2010/02/09/open-thread
My money is on a nuclear test.
Michael, you are setting a good example. Memri has this, http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/24445.htm
which shows that people are starting to support those on the receiving end of the version of man’s inhumanity to
man, being dished out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Khameimi, Ahmadinezhad, and the other deformed
souls, reprobates, scalawags and similar ilk, calling the shots (for now) in Teheran.
If the Iranians detonate a test bomb, expect every other country in the Middle East to begin arming themselves with nukes.
Nuclear test, yes, of course!! Probably nuke their own people.
whatever it is, we will not respond. The UN won’t lift an eyebrow.
Obama will bow to the east and we’ll be told not to worry, the fact NK and Iran are buds should not be of any concern.
Glenn Greenwald notes that Ledeen has several time said that Khameini died in the past, when it wasn’t true. http://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/8855077659
My question is why has the media not talked about this?
My question is where are our intelligence services in all this?
Whatever Iran plans, now is a good time for them to do it, with such a weak and foolish U.S. President in place.
“My money is on a nuclear test.”
I hope you don’t go to Vegas much.. a nuclear test would be possibly be the stupidest most illogical thing they could do.. even for them, and would most likely result in immediate US retaliation.
Maybe they’ve arrested some Mossad/CIA agents (gotta be a few hundred in Tehran alone) and parade them in blindfolds followed by execution?
Mr. Ledeen is a merchant of fear, he is holding a position to create war. IRAN has no power to punch anyone. RELAX. With this economy do we really need another mess to get ourselves involved with?
Please don’t read too much into this, within months there will be a democratic government ruling in IRAN, US/ISRAELI politicians should be very carefull, Mullas need another war to hide behind and get the oppositions on thier side,DO NOT MAKE ANOTHER MISTAKE!!!!!!! Watch this, it may offer learning from mistake and preventing one to take place. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy3KDYE5KQE
do you really think the leaders believe that it is outsiders that are pushing the revolt ? I don’t. I think they have nothing to lose and that they know the USA will not aid the people so go like China.
Whatever happens, all we can says is “Thanks, Jimmy.”
I don’t know.
This whole story seems to me a bad movie.
A cult of black-robed murderers who believe that “god” is a blood-thirsty idol, and sacrifice humans to such “god”, and keep torturing, keep murdering people.
What can they do worse ?
Anything.
But really, nothing at all: they can just show the devils they are.
We need a powerful exorcist to get rid of these monsters.
Vade retro satan !
God is Infinite Love and Infinite Wisdom.
For the past year or so, Iran has been test firing missiles off of boats in the Strait of Hormuz. They’ve been shooting them straight up. To successfully carry out an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack against the United States (and thereby send us immediately back to the stone age), all one needs to do is detonate a missile with an attached nuclear warhead 300 miles above ground.
An EMP attack would cause any device which uses solid state electronics to fail (permanently). All modern electronics would, thus, be dead. The power grid would be fried. Cars wouldn’t run. Planes would drop out of the sky and become giant missiles (there are about 4000 commercial flights in the air over the U.S. at any given moment during the business day). Police forces would be completely impotent. In the blink of an eye, the United States would be every bit as backward as the most remote regions of the Amazon.
If Iran has a nuclear warhead, they’re definitely capable of mounting an EMP attack against the U.S. They could fire a missile from any random container ship off the Gulf Coast. It would take about 2-3 minutes from launch for the missile to reach optimal height for detonation. There’s nothing that could be done to stop it.
Let’s hope that’s not what they’re talking about. But I suspect it may be.
Iran is impotent. Might be a nuke test–big deal. They are just bankrupting their country with their nuclear program. Don’t see why the US has to be the nuclear policeman anyway. If it is a test, obama won’t do anything. One thing the world knows is that they need not be concerned about the US when obama is running the show.
A treaty with Iraq, Afghanistan,…essentially allowing Hamas, Hezbollah…even al Qaeda reign, regional state sponsorship and supply of state level protection, weapons, intelligence.
The “punch” to the West would be cooperation of Karzai and Maliki.
If they both fear that America has “gone soft” on standing up to Iran and has no appetite to root out al Qaeda, based upon their interpretation of the wishy-washy handling of terrorism and the limp response to Iran’s naked aggression in pursuit of nuclear weapons…Karzai and Maliki might be forgiven for genuflecting towards Tehran.
It would serve this administration’s hard left base…because a “get out” message, would be well received…as we tucked tail and ran…with the “political cover” of being “asked” to leave.
It would be the unkindest “punch” of all. And, it would find very few worldwide leaders to stand up and be counted against such a move. We would be alone, most likely…and even then, more divided within.
Are the Iranians that clever? Maybe not.
But almost anything else, leaves them open to worldwide criticism. This…would be a kick in the stomach.
#23 SDB, if that is really you, it is nice to see you out and about once more.
As far as testing nukes, there is a possibility that Iran already has. Back in Late October of 2008, there was an anomalous series of earth quakes in Iran. A quake and 4 aftershocks, IIRC. One of those aftershocks was in the center of the Iranian desert, which has always been considered stable ground. No history of quakes there. That after shock also had the characteristics of a bomb test. The profiles are a little different from the normal eathquake.
None of this made the MSM because the Stock Market had just melted down and that was waaaay more important, or so it seemed to the gatekeepers. Since there wasn’t much ‘hard evidence’ and it really might have been a really strange aftershock, the politicians didn’t want to deal with it. Really really didn’t. All Bush wanted was to get out of town without the tar and feathers, The Left had prevented military action to halt the Iranian nuclear program and didn’t even want to face that mistake. So the possible nuke test was swept under the rug.
12,000 centrifuges running 24/7 take about 14 months to produce 10 kilos of U-235. Allowing time to assemble, we get to Thursday.
With an illegitimate POTUS that is both a coward and a fool, now would be a good time to declare.
After all, it isn’t like anyone will do anything about it.
I predict the sanctions will be lifted. After all, they hurt the countries imposing them more then they did Iran.
Just remember to stay away from New York, D.C., Chicago, Houston, L.A. and any other potential target for nuclear terrorism.
Muscle Shoals is safe, which is all I care about.
Go for it ya persian/arab rednecks, then afterwards we will meet down at Delgato’s place for some mescal.
Did my post get lost in the spam filter again? I have had that happen several times recently…it’s getting a bit frustrating.
Anyway…perhaps it is something else.
A political move…involving Karzai or Maliki or both?
Fearing a weakness in American resolve, could either or both try to curry favor and protection from a nuclear Iran?
A deal brokered by Russia, to “share” oil fields and “sanction” the West?
These geopolitical moves are more in line with the mullahfia, not the open nuclear threat or any overt action against Israel, I would think.
they(with a lot of help from aq khan) managed to find enough material in pakistan to construct a bomb.
surface test, small device…10 kilotons.
Mr. Ledeen,
You are joking right? how many times are you going to be wrong about Iran before you admit you know nothing about Iran and it’s people or its leaders.
Nothing will happen on the 11th. It is going to be a big rally and celebrations. FYI, I am in Tehran and the trashcans have not been changed! what the hell are you talking about?
Its perfectly fine to have a conversation and discussion about Iran, but when someone like you who has been wrong about Iran for so many years is involved, it changed the conversation into nothing but lies and fear mongering.
THis is pathetic, get a life! Just read some of the assanine responses and fears people post on this blog and stop your bs.
After weeks of careful preparation the supreme idiot will pee “Death to America” on the ceiling. In a deft display of timing and finesse, nutjobman will cross the t and dot the i.
Watch and quiver.
The Hidden Imam reveals himself.
Mr. Ledeen, this is pure hyperbole. The Iran regime is horrible but you are like chicken little,at some point you are going to lose credibility even among people sympathetic to your point of view.
Anything blatant would be totally counter-productive since the US Military can bomb the Iranian economy back into the 18th-century just by damaging the Karg Island refinery and blockading their diesel and gasoline imports. They are dependent on over 50% imported gasoline, kerosene and diesel fuel and one refinery at Karg refines the bulk of the rest. How long can an industrial state survive in winter without gasoline, kerosene, heating oil and diesel fuel? No heat, no transport, the electrical grid fails….
The Iranians pump oil, but they can’t refine it…or eat it. Who needs nukes?
I recomend Mike Goodwins’s piece in the NY Post last week speculating that because sanctions have been ineffective or blocked by Russia/China and because Israel lacks conventional deep penetrating ordinance, the Israelis may have to employ tactical nukes in order to atrit the Iranian nuclear program. Ponder that one for a minute.
Meanwhile, President Obama can’t seem to bring himself to support the Greens, the easiest way to put the genie back in the bottle. The greens need communications equipment and weapons, they can handle regime change from there. It is completely pathetic that Mr Hope and Change is so alienated from the concepts of freedom and liberty that he can’t bring himself to support these couragous Iranian patriots. I pray for their durability and courage in the face of what is to come. Obama and his Sec of state ought to be ashamed of themselves, what cowards.
I strongly suspect we will see…. nothing of consequence. All the talking heads will say “See, we said they were just rattling their sabers.”
Some months down the road they will do it again, and again, and again, until we become inured to it. THEN they will strike.
Threat Analysis asks what an opponent
_could_ do, not what they _will_ do;
Iran should have gotten a Regime Transplant
long ago: Not puppets, just a Regime which
would refrain from acquiring WMD, and would
allow inspections to verify their restraint.
Now it looks like we are going to find out
the hard way what they have got, and how
they will use it.
sure hope there is not an Apocalyptic
Millenialist with access to the Big
Red Button, and that Israel will not
carry out Operation Samson as suggested.
Well, surely one of these days, they’ll actually do something.
A treaty with Iran and such countries are about as good as the one we signed with the greenies on the moon last week.
I am for covert action.
Any Iranian test of a nuclear weapon would trigger a nuclear response from Israel. An EMP attack anywhere in the world by Iran would result in immediate nuclear destruction of the country by any number of countries, i.e., Israel, France, US or even Russia. Even if an EMP attack damaged US civilian infrastructure our nuclear forces would remain unaffected. By the way the physics behind EMP effects is not really all that well defined. There are theories of how it would work but there is little empirical evidence to go on. Needless to say it won’t send us back to the stone age and probably not even to the 19th Century. The Iranian leadership is not so foolish as to believe that they could survive any kind of demonstration shot particularly one that effects the US or Israel.
Lance:
I hope you don’t go to Vegas much.. a nuclear test would be possibly be the stupidest most illogical thing they could do.. even for them, and would most likely result in immediate US retaliation.
And No.Korea is still reeling from our ‘retaliation’ after their nuke test, right?
It will be another missile copied from the Chinese who 10 years ago copied from the Soviets who developed it 60 years ago.
36. I’ll tell you why a nuke test would be a big deal- it would start a nuclear war. Israel sees a nuclear Iran as an existential threat, and they will not wait for anyone’s permission to attack if it is clear this threat is imminent. Given the distance between Israel and Iran, Israel will not be able to pull off multiple raids, even as Iran’s nuclear sites are scattered across the country and buried underground. There’s no way Israel could destroy them all in one wave with conventional weapons. Israel’s only choice would be to use nuclear weapons to destroy the Iranian nuclear program, even as Iran’s conventional forces would be left largely intact. Ezekiel 38, here we come.
The key thing to these countries is to render them unable to reach the outside world. You will not change them into a Democracy or any such glib idiocy. What you can do is neutralize them. The first cruise missles should be aimed to kill every mullah and Govt figure in one blow. Then go after the radar then bomb every military target at will.
Well it looks like they sized up Obama perfectly.
And the end result just might be a suicide bomb attack
using nuclear weapons. The end result of Hope and Change will be 20 million dead Americans.Sure Iran will be destroyed in return ..but since when is a Death Cult like Islam afraid of death?
we could dismantle their program, without loss of life…
we provide the target list to the UN, 24 hours before we bomb a single target.
without loss of life, it becomes a pecuniary issue. let em sue us.
rinse, repeat.
they could declare it as a state of war, whereupon the US would rescind its offer to declare the targets beforehand, due to ‘their escalation’.
to e:
You wrote “It will be another missile copied from the Chinese who 10 years ago copied from the Soviets who developed it 60 years ago.”
You left out the continuation: “…who copied it from the Nazis who developed it 65 years ago”.
The closer the regime comes to being overthrown, the greater the likelihood that it will take actions that under other circumstances would seem crazy. Indeed, if there is any concern that the regime may be coming to an imminent end, then the regime might even find it perfectly rational to dare the West to attack.
If I were the crazy mullahs, intent on some “punch” to the West, I am not sure I would take the nuclear option even if I had it. The West (and Israel in particular) likely could not ignore that under any circumstances. I would look for something else … big but of the sort that might cause great havoc without being so provocative as to mean a certain response. And I would trigger this act if and only if I thought my regime was in imminent danger of being overthrown.
Some major disruption to oil markets seems very plausible to me.
It seems like the most effective punch to the West and still maintain their position of being the victim of The Great Satan and The Zionists, shut off the oil from their country until the sanctions are lifted.
#58. “Sure Iran will be destroyed in return ..but ……”
====
Only if Obambi has been removed as president. Otherwise it will be one or another form of ‘Can’t we just all get along?”
57 ehunter – 100% right! I’d only add that it be done without ultimatums, warnings, negotiations, blockades etc.
Actually, maybe a visit by Jimmy Carter bearing an olive branch would be OK. Then, once Djimmi is safely home, strike
suddenly and relentlessly.
According to the Bible, in Ezekial 38 & 39, there is a prophecy that states that Iran(Persia)would be hooked up with Russia(and other Middle Eastern nations) to come against Israel. It also implies that this conflagration would be nuclear(skin melting off of bodies and nuclear waste containment). That being the case, if Iran doesn’t have nuclear weapons now they will have at some point so all the sanctions are worthless. Whatever “punch” Iran is planning it will not be something that will hinder this prophecy. An EMP attack on America would not. In fact, as America is not listed in prophecy in particular, it being thrown back to the 1800’s by an EMP would even make sense. America would not be able to come to the aid of Israel.
While I understand that not all readers of this will blindly accept it, it is still something to consider. It makes sense.
Here is a preview just to get in the ‘mood’
Iranian militia attacks French, Italian, possibly Dutch embassies
DEBKAfile Special Report February 9, 2010, 6:17 PM (GMT+02:00)
maybe he’ll shave
Successful nuke test along with a mutual defense treaty signing (along with Syria) with China and/or Russia – and a declaration of war against Israel.
An Open Letter to Iran’s Grand Poobah
The 22nd of Bahman may not ring many American bells but it’s shaping up as an eventful day for Iranians, and for the Great Satan if they follow through with their sinister plans.
It isn’t an official Iranian or Islamic holiday but it sure is time for celebration, as per Iran’s top “holy” cleric, commander in chief, chief bottle washer, and beard shampooer, ”Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Sorry to sound disrespectful to a religious leader but what he said on Monday wasn’t very religious: ”Iran is set to deliver a ‘punch’ that will stun world powers during this week’s 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution.”
That threat doesn’t command or invite any respect so Ali gets none.
The Iranian revolution was effectively launched when Iran’s air force signed up for revolt by throwing its support to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini thereby giving him the gonads to order the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran in 1979.
Khomeini’s heir, Grand Poobah Ali Khamenei, went on to be somewhat more specific saying, “The Iranian nation, with its unity and God’s grace, will punch the arrogance (Western powers) on the 22nd of Bahman in a way that will leave them stunned,” according to an AFP report: http://bit.ly/dnFZEb
Big doings must indeed be in the Iranian playbook for the near horizon since Iran’s less-than-holy President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has chimed in with threats against the West to commemorate that mass kidnapping of Americans.
Those threats coincide with a new Usama bin Laden tape so something must truly be afoot.
I feel an open letter to the ayatollah is in order. This should be the prerogative of America’s President Barack Hussein Obama but I’m not certain he’s up to the task. It therefore falls to me, Joe Citizen, to compensate for America’s ineffectual leadership.
Tuesday, February 9th (Bahman the 20th)
Dear Ali,
I hope no offense is taken to my use of your given name since no offense is intended.
I feel this is a friendly, personal missive and I’d like us to be on a first name basis, sort of like when Barack had his beer summit here with Sgt. Crowley and that prof Henry Gates last July.
If and when you respond, you can call me Joe, ok, or Mr. C. if you insist on formality, and feel free to share the contents of this communication with Mahmoud and the other Muslim gutless maniac, Usama.
Now here’s the straight poop, as we say in the States.
First of all, Ali, we Americans don’t take kindly to threats. I might paraphrase the motto of our great state of Texas: “Don’t threat on me!”
That means, Don’t mess with us, okay?
We’ve been tolerating Iran’s nutty warnings for over 30 years now and I have to tell you, we’ve had enough, they’ve gotten very old.
If you want to come at us, then come at us, but cut the baloney. We’ve been tolerating Iran’s silly saber-rattling and, recently, missile-rattling for much too long.
I’m not saying to bring it on because Americans really don’t want any more war. However, if you choose to bring it on, starting on the 20th of Bahman or whenever, rest assured that you won’t get away with it.
You’re guaranteed to receive far more than you bring on.
You may be thinking that you have an easy mark with Obama in our White House but keep in mind it’s America’s White House, not his. The Obama clan are very temporary residents.
With your nascent nuclear program, you may be thinking differently than you were after 9/11/2001. Remember? When Iranians were scared, if I can be indelicate, sh*tless, at the thought Iran would be blamed and that Tehran could be reduced to a molten puddle by September 12th.
You may recall that time when the toothless chants of “Death to America” were suspended for a while in your mosques as you wondered if the Great Satan would take out the Great Persian Charade.
It didn’t happen then but it could be in your future should your Bahman 22nd threats not be just the usual bluster.
There’s an eye of newt spoiling your hummus if you think Americans will let any president get away with minimal retaliation if you guys do something very stupid.
Trust me, if you do something dumb by attacking us or our Western allies, either Obama will order a massive strike against your country or some disobedient officer will level Tehran and accept the consequences. He will then become an American hero.
Either way, your sorry excuse for a country will be returned to the 7th century.
The good news is that then you could personally ask Muhammed where you went wrong.
Mind you, Ali, this is not comparable to one of your warnings. As we say here, it’s not a threat but a promise and America follows through on its promises.
I know it’s late in the game but you made the rules and set the schedule.
The 22nd of Bahman is just two days away. I seriously suggest you call off any plans in progress, call off your terrorist goons, or else both you and we will regret it.
And trust me again, Ali, Iran and Islam will regret it far more.
I know Mahmoud believes the end is near as whackos on our street corners have been preaching for years and you may share that theory.
Whether that theory comes to fruition, whether Iran succeeds in delivering its “punching” and “stunning,” know that Iran will have precipitated it, which may be what you wish to accomplish.
However, as our Boy Scouts say, Be prepared. Be prepared with an alternative in case you merely succeed in wounding this sleeping tiger or our allies. One alternative might be to evacuate Tehran posthaste.
I realize that the new Islamic terrorist battle cry ”Allahu Akbar” is Arabic and not Farsi but do keep in mind that our pledge of retaliation is delivered with our own version of “God is great.” It goes, ”So help me, God,” which has the same effect. In spades.
Sincerely,
(Mr.) Joe Citizen
“Iran’s nuclear sites are scattered across the country and buried underground.”
Meaningless.
Iran’s program, like all nuclear weapons programs, it made of a chain of events. Stop any single event and you break that chain and halt (delay) the program. So Israel doesn’t need to hit more then one or two targets.
Being underground makes no difference. In order to manufacture what ever component they are making at this underground facility, stuff has to go in there. Then after that stuff is made into whatever (Widgets?) they have to be brought out. All of which requires a door. Bury the door so it won’t open and nothing goes in or out of the underground facility. Which is the same as destroying it.
Being underground doesn’t make anything harder to find. For the same reason. Stuff goes in, stuff comes out. Just keep track of that stuff and you know where the door is.
The Chinese hide their nukes in tunnels. From above (satt radar) you can see the railroad track going into a cliff. The door is hidden. Right where the tracks go in.
The Norks are just as simple minded. They put their artillery in caves. Coming out of each cave is a track the tubes ride on. The idea is the run the tube (gun) out of the cave on the rack, shoot, then run the tube back in the cave. A 1,000 Lb JDAM above the door to the cave means they won’t open and the tube won’t run out to shoot. This has the same affect as destroying the gun.
So ‘hiding’ something underground is a real stoooooooopid idea. It worked a few centuries ago, but this is the 21st century and it ain’t your fathers bomb anymore.
They are hurrying up the nuke program, The dying regime of Iran will going to used it, What have they got to loss they regime might survive for using it, this is the only way that they can be united by attacking somebody for sure Israel.
According to the Bible,
Would that be in the original Hebrew? Or some phony translation.
BTW The Saudis and Israelis are de facto allies.
Michael,
Just like my other compatriots, I’d like to thank you on your knowledge of Iran and IR’s main players.
Taking both scenarios into account (and they both crossed my mind too), whichever way they decide to go, they’re DOOMED. Iranians are tired of playing 2nd fiddle to the Palestinian cause so by destroying Israel, they’re gaining NOTHING but hostility from the Iranians and the world.
If they decide on a Chinese type crackdown, Iranian people are free spirited people, and as you know IR’s always had trouble with uprising so why would the Iranian people stop there? Not only that, that type of crackdown will only fule more hostility from the Revolutionary forces that’re already on the brink of revolt. Iran’s a tinder box.
In solidarity,
Roya
I feel quite certain that Iran is just joking. Obama apologized for America and things should be ok now
It is going to be really difficult for Iran to do anything evil that surprises me. If, however, surprise is their aim – why not have the Supreme Council abdicate to the Sufis. Disband the IRG. Pin the tail on Ahmadinejad. Embrace the People of the Book as brothers. Recognize that there are many true paths to God. That’ll show us.
Lance (#31): “a nuclear test would be possibly be the stupidest most illogical thing they could do.. even for them, and would most likely result in immediate US retaliation.”
Retaliation? by Obama? He of the outstretched unclenched hand? They’re not afraid of Obama.
And with both Russia and China as major trading partners (and UN veto powers), they’re not afraid of the UN Security Council either.
Iran is on Fire and Its Latest Vow to “Punch” the West is a Bait and Switch
11 February marks the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution (you know, the Revolution that resulted in our embassy being taken over and our fellow citizens being held hostage till Reagan replaced Carter as President.)
The Iranians also announced yesterday they have going to enrich uranium to a 20% level, (strictly for medical use, mind you /s off)
It is a ruse to get our attention focused on their Nuclear Bomb making program and divert us away from what is really going to happen on 11 February: The massive marches of protests that are being called for by opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi on that day.
The Mullahs in charge (led by the ailing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) and their President (and alleged ringleader of the US Embassy hostage taking in 1979) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are girding up for a full scale crackdown on the opposition and protestors. Expect the Radical Revolutionary Guard and hired Arab guns from Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as some homegrown thugs imported from the countryside, to violently take on the protestors and kick some serious butt. It will be bloody, but the Iranian regime has learned how to shut down communications and restrict the western press from covering the riots in the streets.
Thousands of anti-government protestors are already rotting in prison and public executions have been made as an example of what lengths the current regime will go to in order to stay in power. So on 11 February, expect to hear some hearsay stories of the Mullahs putting down protests, but in our 24 hour news cycle, without it happening live and on camera… it will be a second tier story in the press, because, with CBSNBCABCMSNBC and yes, FOX, no video means no story.
What will be the story on 11 February is: “Whew, it was all rhetoric…they didn’t detonate or announce they have the bomb, so we can go back to ignoring Iran a while longer” by the Obama administration (BTW, have you noticed that Obama has taken to not wearing neckties, just like Ahmadinejad? Just wondering if anyone else has noticed, that’s all…) and in relief, little or no protest will happen over the Mullahs quashing the unarmed anti-government protestors with truncheons and guns.
End result: Lots of bloodshed in the streets of Tehran and other urban areas, many arrests and not quite a few deaths and the regime keeps a lid (for the most part) on any outside press coverage.
Don’t expect the Obama Administration to do much of anything other than give lip service condemning the violence. I mean, even the French are being tougher than Obama on Iran! With Obama in charge, the two key ingredients have been lost in our ability to conduct effective foreign policy: Respect and Fear.
Wanting to be liked doesn’t count for beans…
And for the record, I am still standing by my prediction in June of last year when all these protests started and what we should do to make regime change happen:
http://www.bloggybayou.com/2009/06/ya-say-you-want-revolution.html
70. Berlet98
Thank you.
My take is that the Iranian threat is the usual bluster from an impotent regime. Why would anyone with a legitimate strike capacity warn his enemies ahead of time? Would the target nations not take counter-measures that might cause the plan to fail? An ace in the hole is always concealed until it’s played.
A nuclear test is a possibility, but what of it? The possession of a warhead means little if there is no 100% guaranteed means to deliver it on target. How many concentric circles of missile defense do you think exist between the Iranian missile sites and Tel Aviv? I can count at least three: US Persian Gulf fleet, Saudi, and Israeli. One clay pigeon and three shotguns. Bets?
The Iranian regime is about to go down for the count. Baghdad Bob wasn’t this lame. The kleptocrats in holy robes have already sent their ill-gotten gains abroad. They’re not about to stick around to be hanged with their own entrails. You’ll notice that jihadists always send others to do the dirty work. Cowards.
The 12th will be a day of reckoning, no doubt, and a long time coming. I hope only that Mousavi is a moral and rational leader. The Iranian nuclear program can be bartered in negotiation for benefits that will finally give Iranians their due. I pray that these brave people will finally enjoy the fruits of modernity.
Quoted from and Linked to at:
Wacht Am Iran
The Iranians believe that there supreme leader can never be wrong and that he hears from allah directly. I wonder what they may have up there sleeve? A nuke test? embassy take overs? we’ll have to wait and see.
100 million lives on the line.
i’m glad the great debebste agreed with me.
lance 31 is wring when he wrote:
“… a nuclear test would be possibly be the stupidest most illogical thing they could do.. even for them, and would most likely result in immediate US retaliation.”
we did no such thing v noko.
the mullahs know this; they believe that a nuke protects them.
Maybe the Iranians will buy Toyota.
Maybe they will compete with the fast food chains and sell falafel.
Maybe they’ll buy more coffee.
Starting rumors is easy.
I would take those threats seriously and I like millions around the world will be watching. In order of likelyhood these are the possible scenarios:
A) Massive crackdown and murder of protestors.
B) Some attempt to shock world oil markets with a view to driving up oil prices to $200/barrel – that would cripple an already sick Western economy. The only problem with this is that China would advise them not to do anything like this.
C) A massive attack on Israel by Iranian surrogates.
D) Massive attack of US forces in Gulf.
D) Detonation of an underground nuke.
The Iranian leadership will do something. To distract their people from the state of the Iranian nation they will mostly likely send a rocket attack into Israel to provoke a war. In their twisted minds this will unite the Iranian people. If there is any enemy greater in the minds of the Iranian people than their own leaders it is the Israels. I would hope the leaders in Iran would not be so stupid but given their track record…well…
Another thing they may do is hang in public any westerns they have in their prisons to show they are not afraid of western retaliation.
Perhaps a better question is `What is Israel planning for Wednesday`?
Where to begin?
1) If Steven Den Beste is betting on a nuclear test, that raises my evaluation of its probability quite a bit.
2) For those who are depending on an American or non-Israeli Western retaliation deterring an Iranian deterring an Iranian nuclear test or strike; I offer two thoughts. a) the governing Iranian theology/ideology requires a period of fire, death, destruction, and chaos for the appearance of the Mahdi to conquer the world for Islam. Retaliation sounds more like wish fullfillment for the Iranian regime than deterence. b) Other than Israel, there are 5, possibly 6, nuclear nuclear powers with the capability of hitting Iran. Strike the UK and France off the list, because of what they have become. Strike Russia off of the list, because they have created and enabled the Iranian nuclear weapons program and any Iranian test or strike will be with their knowledge and approval. China does not have a dog in this fight. India has the capability [the space probes they have launched show they have the capability for an ICBM, and if reports are true about modifications to their shorter range missiles that increase the range ...] so,yeah they could hit Iran. But they have no motive unless attacked. That leaves the US.
The concept of deterence has many components, each of which is vital or it breaks down. Looking at just one of them, Iran has no fear. Each nuclear actor is deterred, in part, by the probability of retaliation being high enough to be taken as a certainty.
The Iranian regime has had a series of encounters with Buraq Hussein Obama. In each Buraq has either grovelled, run away, or both. They have taken his measure. To be honest, a plurality, if not a majority of Americans probably would not rule out the possibility that he would allow a strike on the United States to go unanswered. If his own people are not sure that he would retaliate for a strike on the US, why should the Iranians?
Another factor that might enter into this, is that unless reports are wrong, the locations of the additional PATRIOT missiles [which are purely short range point defense anyway] and the two newly arrived AEGIS SM-3 BMD ships deployed “in the Gulf” are such as to protect Muslim states, but are out of position to block an Iranian missile strike towards Israel. They are ideally positioned to theoretically be able to play hell with any conventional Israeli air strike on Iran.
Before Saddam Hussein attacked Kuwait, one of our diplomats [April Glasspie(?)] mistakenly led Saddam to believe that we would not object to such an attack. Actions do speak louder than words.
The necessary components for deterence to not obtain in those cases.
3) I do not rule out the possibility of Israel reacting. Definitely if they are attacked. I would note with a certain amount of nervousness that if Israel is forced to use nuclear, instead of conventional, weapons against Iran; it knows that it will be immediately at war to the death with the entire Ummah, and possibly with the Western Powers. There is no upside to limiting the attack to Iran, at that point, and every possible benefit to trying to use its nuclear arsenal to destroy the Ummah as an entity capable of attacking Israel, and attempting to deter attacks from the West. Their promise of retaliation if attacked would have far more credibility of will than the current administration’s in re Iran. From my study of Israel’s nuclear arsenal and available means of delivery; I think it is possible.
4) For those who think Mr. Ledeen is playing this up for his own benefit, I have to note that the Iranian government has made the statements listed. Some may think it best to ignore such statements as a policy. I think it prudent to take bellicose statements by a country that has threatened ourselves and Israel with destruction in the past and continues to do so, a country that regards itself as being at war with us, with a certain amount of seriousness.
That does not mean that we will do anything to defend ourselves or to preempt any strike.The Iranians and their sponsors are well inside our OODA loop. They have the initiative. The question is how long it will take for us to decide to get inside theirs.
Subotai Bahadur
iran will be “glazed” if they attempt either an emp or nuke attack against “western” forces (i.e. u.s., israeli, eurpoa or gulf allied/forces). my guess is unrestrained slaughter of civilian political dissidents, taking down greens, mulawi. iran is a desparate nation theoylogically, the “people” are good, nice, they need our help and support.
#78 is right.
We may be unsure as to how far along Iran’s nuclear capabilities are, but they’re unlikely to be well developed -yet. The Iranians would not risk partially incapacitating Israel by lobbing 1 or 2 small nuclear devices, knowing the far superior Israeli arsenal would guarantee a devastating second strike. Attacking Israel would be more plausible if Iran’s nuclear program were at a far more advanced stage (with enough weaponry to destroy Israel), but not now.
In any case, the Iranian regime knows any large-scale strike outside its borders (e.g. a strike on Israel or the fabled EMP over the US) would be met with potentially massive retaliatory attacks. Yes, despite our President’s lack of resolve, an EMP over the US would be such a threat to our national security, even he would be forced to act.
Closing the Strait of Hormuz would be economic suicide for the Iranian regime, as nearly half of its income derives from oil exports -all of which flow through the Strait. And the US Navy would quickly act to restore the Strait’s shipping lanes -after embargoing all gasoline products heading towards Iran…
It’s entirely possible Iran could detonate an underground nuclear device, to show the West it has become a nuclear player. But then again, the most pressing threat to the regime now comes from within -and a nuclear detonation would likely not faze the protestors.
Thus, the mullahs’ threats are probably directed at the protestors. Feb. 11 is the perfect day to quash once and for all this pesky internal rebellion that threatens their hold on power. What better way to mark the Revolution’s anniversary than to call to defend and preserve it against all -including fellow Iranians- who wish to destroy it? Tehran will become the new Tiananmen, and Iran will be reduced to a more dangerous version of Zimbabwe.
Everyone needs to think about this one carefully. If the Iranians launch a missile at Tel Aviv and wipe out most of Israel, they’d be killed by the Israeli retaliation from nuclear-missile-armed submarines. The Iranian regime is weird, at times fanatical and even a bit superstitious, but they aren’t stupid; they’re aware they can’t openly attack Israel. So what would they do if they manage to acquire a nuke?
One scenario would go something like this: The nuke is placed in a shielded compartment on a merchant vessel from a foreign, non-Arab nation that allows foreigners to register ships easily, say Panama. The people who register the ship are non-Arabs, perhaps people using pseudonyms. The ship sails to Tel Aviv, and before it clears customs, when it’s in the middle of the port, the bomb is detonated. When the Iranian government is asked, they formally categorically deny any involvement, and perhaps even send a small disaster relief force to help the Palestinian victims of the attack. Meanwhile, through back-channels, the Iranian government claims credit for the attack when talking to groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, thereby pushing their street cred with radical Muslim groups through the roof. After a few months, when the Israeli submarines have put into ports overseas and been demilitarized, the Iranians slowly admit to everyone what is already obvious: they conducted the whole thing, and are responsible for Israel’s defeat.
Most people, in my opinion, don’t understand why they would do this. I don’t believe that it’s simple hatred of Jews. For one thing, if that were the case Iran’s small Jewish community would have been killed or expelled from the country a long time ago. Instead, I believe the Iranians are looking for regional power, which would increase exponentially if they manage to destroy Israel. It’s conceivable that some nations in the Middle East might have their government collapse or transform, so that in some fashion they’d be allied with, aligned with, or even joined to Iran. The more of the Middle East they control, the more oil they control too. That in turn would lead to control of oil prices, and that could eventually lead to control of a large part of the world’s economy. Islam, which is an overtly expansionist religious and political movement, would see that as a very worthy goal…economic power could be used to twist arms towards conversion to Islam. Pretty much unique among world religions, Islam has a still-alive tradition of forcing people to convert to it, and killing those who convert from it. The goal has always been (and always is, to my mind) something like this.
I know it sounds fantastic to a Westerner. You have to remember though that these people don’t think the same way we do. They believe numerous conspiracy theories, some of them contradicting one another. They believe silly rumors and inuendoes that don’t make any sense, if they feed some crazy paranoia that large parts of the Muslim world hold dear. It doesn’t matter if the scenario is possible; the only important thing is whether a crazy person in Iran would think it might work. I think the jury’s still out on that one.
EMP attack, blah, blah, blah.
Shielded by hundreds of feet of water, submarines, US and Israeli. Expect immediate retaliation.
Once you take away the internet, gameboys, and cellphones you will have the undivided attention of the youth of America. After millions die of cold and starvation in the US, expect extermination of every last rock worshiper on earth.
You fools- it’s staring you in the face. There is going to be a huge state-sponsored cyber-attack that paralyzes Pajamas Media.
How about a combination of possibilities:
A nuclear test followed by an attack on Israel?
BTW, Debka is reporting militia rioting at French, Italian, and possibly Dutch embassies in Tehran. Apart from whatever intelligence these putative “dens of spies” might be generating on Iranian intentions, don’t all three countires contribute to the Unifil force?
The mad mullahs have recruited hundreds of thousands from villages and cities for a massive demonstration in Tehran in support of the Islamonazi republic that can be shown as a sign of “devastating punch”. Another possibility is exhibiting a ballistic missile or something like that or the worst testing a nuclear device all thanks to China, Russia, North Korea, Pakistan and greedy Western companies (Siemens, Nokia,…) who have given all to this genocidal regime and a gutless Europe, USA and a useless and worthless UN who did nothing to stop these Islamonazis. Iran is Germany 1938.
States that have aggressive intentions are easy to spot. They are aggressive. Not just talking.
Like:
- Russia invading Georgia,
- Venezuela lining up troops on the border with Peru and Columbia.
- Iraq (under Saddam) lining Tanks on the border with Kuwait
Focus should be on the States that are actually aggressive. Talk is cheap.
That doesn’t mean, Iran should be allowed to get the nuke.
But the clear and present danger at this moment is not from Iran.
Something tells me that there will be a massive, Chinese-style crackdown on the opposition. Iran still does not have the capability of testing a nuclear bomb and I doubt the Iranians really want to pick a fight with Israel right now. Nope, when a dictatorship really feels threatened, the first thing to go is the opposition. Hitler did it with his “Night of the Long Knives,” when he literally executed is political opposition. I think we’re going to see something like that happen here because: A) He knows Obama and the United States (let alone the Europeans or the United Nations) will not lift a finger to stop him and that B) The killings will be seen as a clear sign that the mullahs are consolidating their power and are not going to leave anytime soon. The downside for the mullahs is that it will solidify the opposition to their regime and that it could set off a civil war within the country. Pity Obama did not support an overthrow of the government last summer, when average Iranians were protesting in the streets. The bloodshed that is coming now will be huge and the West did nothing to stop it.
What would be truly stunning would be Iran’s Islamic regime all converting to Judaism and going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to attend a Benny Hinn revival.
Hey Mark if we provided the UN with a target list they will tell Iran in 5 seconds.
This “punch” will involve oil. Obama is a joke to the Islamic countries ( if not an brother )As long as he is in power they have no fear of the USA. At best he will deliver a stern lecture to them.
The best “telling blow” I can think of would be to stop oil flow. You can’t attack them for it and it would be total kaos. Total kaos.
A HUGE MURDER OF THE PROTESTORS WITH A NUCLEAR WARHEAD.
Hmmmm, remember when all the liberal fools where running around saying that President Bush had no right to tell a country they could’nt have nuclear capabilities. I hope Iran hits Follywood first.
The Iranian government’s primary concern is staying in power. To accomplish this they must reduce the people’s anger and refocus it on an outside threat. How can they do this?
1) Generate a crisis. Expect an action that will force their perceived enemies to respond – a strike at Gulf oil transportation would compel the US and others to act. A strike at Israel by a surrogate, less likely.
2) Use the crisis to rally the population while declaring all opposition to be in league with the enemy. This also enables the brutal crackdown.
3) Use the “enemy’s” actions to back away from the nuclear deal and start negotiations over. Time is their friend.
We have all recently learned that a crisis should not be wasted. A corollary would be; if you need a crisis and there is not one available, create one.
Maybe Iran will stop accepting US Dollar as the settlement currency for its petroleum contracts..? It may opt to accept Rubles, Euros, Yen, Chinese yuan…would cut the legs out from under the US.
That would shake economies and signal the beginning of the end for the petro dollar system.
It would be doubly bad if Iran then accepts the Chinese Yuan as the settlement currency for Petroluem…there would be a flood of sell orders on the NYSE, and then buy orders on the Hong Kong and Shanghai Exchanges to maintain liquid currency pool to settle petroleum contracts.
Michael,
An email campaign is underway to convince Ayatollah Sistani to announce a Fatwa ordering the expulsion of all murderous Palistinians in the Shia Umma.
Look forward to seeing you in Santa Barbara.
Regards.
I think Iran is planning to celebrate “National Hummus Day”. It is obvious that Iran holds the entire world hostage with their seemingly endless supply of Hummus. While the rest of the world pays dearly for this widely consummed dip, Iranians have been feasting and taughnting the west and it’s allies.
Iranian president Manny Ahmadinejad is quoted as saying, “The world will crumble without this middle eastern delight and Iranians will be a world power as the infidels and the jews are forced to eat their falafel with no dressing and americans will only have nachos to snack on while watching their american,christian sporting events that celebrates satan and defiles the entire muslim world…blessed be allah”
Hummus, according to rhe Irian government has mystical powers and is used to fuel tanks and is used as a lubricant of russian rifles.
think Iran is planning to celebrate “National Hummus Day”. It is obvious that Iran holds the entire world hostage with their seemingly endless supply of Hummus. While the rest of the world pays dearly for this widely consummed dip, Iranians have been feasting and taunting the west and it’s allies.
Iranian president Manny Ahmadinejad is quoted as saying, “The world will crumble without this middle eastern delight and Iranians will be a world power as the infidels and the jews are forced to eat their falafel with no dressing and americans will only have nachos to snack on while watching their american,christian sporting events that celebrates satan and defiles the entire muslim world…blessed be allah”
Hummus, according to the Irian government has mystical powers and is used to fuel tanks and is used as a lubricant of russian rifles
Michael,
Guess the next few days are going to be very messy. In addition to the Palistinian/Hizbollah murders, any Chinese or Russian influence needs to be shared with the world.
As you know, most Iranians are still chaffing from their participation in the 1979 debacle.
Convinced that we will be witnessing history…again.
Appears the men have grown the backbones Iranian women have been showing-off.
Regards
The Iranian leadership has no idea of the horror about to befall them. The leadership will wish for death and it will come, but slow & agonizing. The demonstrators are only the beginning of their problems and that chapter will end with Kahmenei being tortured & hung, and with the Hitler wannabe chased like a dog though the streets and finally shot and shredded (think Ceausescu). From now going forward, their lives will be unending nightmares unfolding before them. All who goad them on & assist them should be very afraid for they will be next and there will be no place to hide.
We are in for a Shit storm in the very near future…God save the Jews…they’re the only civilized people in the middle east..and have contributed to the world in a positive way…The Arabs have wasted the oil wealth and contributed very little for the betterment of the world…..How about a “right of return” for the Christians and Jews for them…to the land and property the Arabs ripped off in the Middle east..!
Tonight at 10 PM, Central, Michael will be talking about these matters with us on the Extension 720 program at WGN Radio in Chicago.
To listen: WGN Radio, 720 AM
or http://www.wgnradio.com (go to “Listen”)
Israel will lose any war with Iran because Israel has gays in their military.
Israel is cursed and deservedly so.
All this chatter about what Iran will do is just what the Mullahs hope for…they love to be the big scary bully on the block. I do think they will do something nuclear to showoff what they have. Let us hope they only do a test and not an actual attack but they are a crazy lot.
Jarjar1
You are a fool. You know nothing of Jewish history or you would know theirs is a “charmed” history. Every nation that has tried to wipe them off the face of the earth have failed…I do not think puny little Iran can manage it.
101. The fatal flaw in that is Israel won’t ask Iran whether or not they’re responsible; they’ll assume Iran, or some other Muslim nation, is responsible and activate the Samson Option, punishing all of Islam for that attack, and hundreds of millions of muslims will perish in nuclear fire.
123. Israel can never lose a fight for its survival; God Himself will see to it that the invaders are crushed.
Listen up, Listen up.
Israel is going down, just like the USA. Introducing gays in the military all but assures Israel’s annihilation. I will play the world’s smallest violin when it happens.
actually what iran does have and just put in space was a microwave telecomunications satellite with the help from russian scientists put out of work during the ronald reagan era, my old friends explained it to me that it approaches an american satellite handling cell phone calls descrambling the software and on completion the iran satellite clones the american satellite then taking its place and disabling the latter, then with pre-recorded voice patterns and prior cell phone records from hacking internet the microwave beam is loaded with radio-active electrons that pass thru repeaters to desired targets for eventual elimination
106 JL:
Venezuela has no border with Peru. And it’s Colombia, not Columbia.
Venezuela’s scrawny armed forces are no match for the larger, battle-hardened Colombian army. Venezuela’s oil fields and refineries are huge targets that, if bombed by the Colombians, would cripple Venezuela’s economy. Chavez is saber rattling. He may be crazy, but he’s not stupid. Above all, he’s a survivor. And he knows he wouldn’t survive a major Colombian onslaught.
Insofar as your other two examples, they are past, not present. If Iran is not the clear and present danger, what is? We don’t craft our foreign policy by necessarily measuring what nations are being “aggressive” or not. We act depending on which states can seriously cause damage to our national interests or those of our allies -whether they have acted or not. Hence, invading Afghanistan was important, while stopping the proxy wars in Africa is not. At times we may act on behalf of human rights as well. But it would be foolish to go on human rights crusades, expending blood and treasure for no actual national benefit.
Mousavi “also said that the Green Movement did not depend
on his leadership, or anyone else’s”
Sounds like a “Tea Party.”
123…are you nuts??? Don’t bother answering, it’s obvious you are.
Well I can tell all of you that no matter what horrors Iran has to dish out tomorrow…Obama will get on them…real soon..infact, he will answer them no later than next month!!! so take that IRAN!!!
tomorrow I will wear green.
Plus!!convert my piggy bank money to gold I can hold in my hand. Just incase #115 is right..hhmmmmmm food storage, gold, a cave….
O
On the first of February I knew what Iran was going to do. It is going to attack the world and what better way to do that than to take out the Vancouver Canadian Olympics with the whole world involved and the whole world watching! Both are on the same day and hundreds of thousands will be on hand to die. This, of course, will shock the world. The U.N. will have to deliberate for a couple of years to try and figure out the obvious. The U.S. will sit on it’s ass because it happened in Canada. Then, the world will move on and forget all about it just like the World Trade Center and people will not discuss it because it will upset them.
128…I fear you are correct about Mr. O. He is without a doubt the biggest joke of a president the USA has ever had and there have been some lulus.
Iran has so many things it could potentially do that I just don’t think we can guess it. I’m worried about the people living in Iran. They are shutting down media over there. In addition, they have been doing what appear to be EMP test runs. In addition, they have lunched a satilite in low orbit. What do you get if you add this all up?
Well it is Thursday in Iran and nothing. More mullah BS.
Wouldn’t it be possible for the US to rig up a holographic projection of the 12th Imam, who would tell the ruling clique
that their highest ranks had been infiltrated by Zionist secret agents masquerading as devout Shi’a?
Then watch them turn on each other like a pack of rabid warthogs.
what a terrific movie! miguelj, call peter jackson.
Patrick1 writes: “Well it is Thursday in Iran and nothing. More mullah BS.”
This brings to mind a bit of dialogue from Julius Ceaser:
“Caesar: The ides of March are come.
Soothsayer: Aye, Caesar, but not gone. “
http://irannewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/iran-video-people-marching-against.html
This clip says it all. But will you see it in the world media. Mr Leeden, our problem is the media and China and Wal-Mart.
First tell Wal-Mart to get out of China if it does not stop dealing with the mullahs. That is where it all starts.
Second tell the media to question the regime’s ability to withstand a non-violent general strike.
The solutions are at your end.
Except for this:
“TEHRAN — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad boasted Iran was now a nuclear nation as he announced on Thursday the production of its first highly enriched uranium on the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
“One day they said we cannot enrich uranium, but with the resistance of our leader, nation … and with the help of God, the Iranian nation has become nuclear,” Ahmadinejad said.
“They (Americans) want to dominate our region but the Iranian people will never let them do that,” he said in a speech at Tehran’s Azadi (Freedom) Square before a crowd of hundreds of thousands.
“The head of the atomic energy organisation (Ali Akbar Salehi) said the first stock of 20 percent fuel was produced and delivered to scientists,” he added.”
You listen up jarjar, because that violin will be playing “Nearer My God To Thee,” when you see Israel stand victorious over a Russian-Iranian led alliance who, despite massive firepower advantage, are completely and utterly annihilated when they try to attack Israel, as the forces of nature rise to Israel’s defense, and the invaders are consumed by fire.
Thursday’s announcement comes and it’s… nothing. Let the EU soft power handle it. It’s in their league.
Yup, day’s over, and all they did was kill some protesters. As the cowboys say: Big hat, no cattle.
Thursday: they added vitamins to their ‘uranium’
They know how to keep the paranoid westerners on their toes.
20% U-235 is splitting distance from weapons grade. This is no joke, and the Israelis will take it seriously.
My guess is that February 11th will come and go without incident. These people are dead Mullahs whining, and they will not be with us a year from February 11, 2010.
True. they’ll still be with us a year from February 11, 2110, because we don’t have the balls to do what should be done.
So today Iran Announced they are now a nuclear nation, congratulations.
About an hour or two ago there was a 4.6 Quake in Iran. At a depth of 10KM
or 6.2 Miles very shallow, could it possibly be a Nuke test? maybe, about
two years ago North Korea tested a Nuke, and the result showed up as a 4.7
Quake on the Richter scale with a depth of 10km as well, is this all just a
coincidence or was there really a Nuke test?
Notice how the news reported N koreas test, silence on Iran, cause they know
what it would do. Too late now.
Devastating “punch”? Is that some kind of Persian kool-aide?