And that is how it started. Thirty years of frustration boiled over with stolen votes and continued lies. Thirty years ago when the Iranians revolted, this is not the government they expected. Today Iranians live under a theocratic dictatorship.

Remember in America, when George Bush and his gang of thieves, stole our votes? Government suppression, vote stealing and corruption are just a few of the activities that all world governments participate in. While these Supreme Leaders, Dictators, Prime Ministers and yes even Presidents,  all spew their lies, they work for their own interests.

Citizens of the world need to support Iranians in their march for fair elections, honest governments and end to theocratic and dictatorship. Now, before any in the U.S. or the western world get on your high horse, we have just as much illegal government behavior and corruption as everyone else.

What is happening in Iran is a reflection of what each and every one of us are living through in one fashion or another. In the U.S. we have had several years of Bush corruption, censorship, illegal activities both domestic and international.  Governments, no matter how they are formed or the method in which they control us need to be held accountable.

Modern communication can expose government lies,  abhorrent behavior, election rigging and treatment of their people. They can censor the press, arrest activists, but cannot continue to suppress our voices. Governments have told the world what they wanted everyone to hear and see. But now we must use our technological ability to expose their lies with social networking, camera phones and blogs. World governments whose ancient thinking cannot be hidden any longer. We will continue to expose your lies and your treatment of human beings throughout the world.

The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has stated that the opposition candidates will be held accountable for the protesters. Khamenei has even stated that the protest are the fault of the British and a variety of other countries. Is he freaking kidding me? Everyone can see what’s going on in Iran. Just as every citizen in the world saw what Bush, Blair and all the rest of the world leaders have done. Yes, they all think we are stupid. Yes, they all think, because they tell us to go home and be good children, that we will!  And yes, because these world leaders say its  so, they really think it is.

So today, as Iranians take to the streets, Khamenei’s henchmen gun them down, run them over and beat them with batons. And the protesters only have rocks and voices.  The Iranian government has shut down the internet, monitoring cell phones and going after bloggers, FaceBook and twitter.  Reporters from all over the world have been banned, arrested or detained. And yet, Khamenei, and his puppet Ahmadinejad, want everyone to believe that the overwhelming elections were legal.

Since all media has been shut down, news of whats going on can be found on Twitter and FaceBook. Many injured protesters are showing up at various Embassys for help because they will be arrested at the hospitals. Bravo to the Embassys accepting the injured: Australia, Finland, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Mexico, Portugal Romaina, Slovenia, Croatia. Of course the Canadians won’t answer the door or the phone. Proud of you neighbor! Italy, well they changed their mind and pulled out,  just like in WWII.

University in Shiraz, Police Beating Women and Bystanders

Translation via HuffPo

A reader, Poria from Amsterdam, provides the rough translation:

“prepare, get ready… pedar sag (your dad is a dog) farsi equivalent of SOB… he says Haroomzadeha a lot. which is a typical farsi insult meaning Bastards (plural)… He shouts at them: Dont hit them! Dont hit them combined with above insults… Dont hit an old woman several times… go away… bastards(really pissed), why are you hitting peoples daughters… israelis (used as slang for very violent people)… honorless ones… they are hitting people daughters and sisters… then you hear the girl shouting bastards after which the guy says: i shit on the souls of your father and mother… go away filths, bastards, fatherless ones

The people fight back against the Basiji

It is time that will of all citizen of the world are heard.

©2010 BlueBloggin. All Rights Reserved.

©2010 BlueBloggin. All Rights Reserved.

US to invade Iran any day now?
A few weeks ago the Russian newspaper Izvestia, a well-known and authoritive daily published nationwide and abroad, came forward with something that would have been looked upon as a conspiracy theory if published by a tabloid.

The paper suggested that by attacking South Ossetia, the Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili had badly damaged a planned U.S. military operation against Iran. In the newspaper’s opinion Georgia was supposed to play the role of another “unsinkable aircraft carrier” for the U.S., i.e. an operational and tactical base for U.S.
aircraft that would be making bombing raids into Iran. Something akin to what Thailand was in the Vietnam war.  [Whole Article]

U.S. could use Georgia as bridgehead to attack Iran – Rogozin
Georgia would be an ideal bridgehead for a U.S. invasion of Iran, Russia’s NATO envoy said Wednesday.

The United States and Israel have consistently refused to rule out the possibility of military action against Iran over its refusal to halt its uranium enrichment.

At a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels Dmitry Rogozin said that Russian intelligence had obtained information indicating that the Georgian military infrastructure could be used for logistical support of U.S. troops if they launched an attack on Iran.

“This is another reason why Washington values Saakashvili’s regime so highly,” Rogozin said, adding that the United States had already started “active military preparations on Georgia’s territory” for an invasion of Iran.

“Georgia’s president is ready to make his nation a virtual hostage of a risky military gamble,” he said.

Pentagon boss slams Russia but plays down threat

Mikhail Gorbachev harshly criticizes Condoleezza Rice for her political rudeness

Stand up: Condoleezza Rice delivers her speech in Washington last night calling for a firm response to Russia

The ex-president of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, stated that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice should “use more caution in her call for the West to stand up against Russia, which she said has become “increasingly  authoritarian at home and aggressive abroad.”

“I believe that the secretary of state should be more careful and should show greater calm and responsibility for her judgment in calling for the West to unite against Russia,” Gorbachev said through an interpreter at a press conference held before the Liberty Medal ceremony at the National Constitution Center, the AP reports.

The former Soviet leader commented on Ms. Rice’s remarks, in which she said that the Russian administration had infringed upon the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Georgia. Rice also described Russia’s operation in Georgia as a military occupation and urged Europe to join the United States in the endeavor to suppress Russia’s aggression.

Mr. Gorbachev said that the current state of affairs in the relations between Russia and the USA could not be characterized as the best period, “but the period would pass.”

“The state leaders must act and conduct a dialogue. One must not lose a connection and preserve the trust that originated during the years of perestroika. Much of this trust has been wasted during the years, but it still remains,” Gorbachev said.

In his speech, Mr. Gorbachev warned the world of the threat of a possible militarization of political thinking. Estimating a historical time period over the two decades, the former Soviet Union leader reminded that the world had not used the advantages, which appeared after the end of the cold war. Millions of people budget themselves to one or two dollars a day and have no drinking water. They suffer from wars and carry the arms race burden, Gorbachev believes.

“Being unable to find answers to global challenges, politicians tend to use weapons instead. There is nothing more absurd and running counter to common sense,” the politician said.

He did not name any culprits in his speech, nor did he give any more details in the estimation of the recent events and the confrontation between Russia and the West which subsequently emerged as a result of those events. “There is a shortage of political will and political leadership in the world today,” he said.

We won’t go back behind the Iron Curtain, warns Medvedev as Rice demands the West stand up to ‘bullying’ Russia

Confront Russian aggression, urges Rice —– Quotes by Condoleezza Rice

TruthHugger and BlueBloggin have expected this power play for over a year.  Bush always has a distraction up his sleeve.  With elections so close, Bush is in a hurry to make his move.  Time is running out for him to enforce his Executive Order to suspend elections.  Perhaps Russia was right to interrupt this administration’s Armageddon fetish.  The Rapture Bound will have to wait a little longer.

©2010 BlueBloggin. All Rights Reserved.

Todays Asia Times article: Bush buried Musharraf’s al-Qaeda links
By Gareth Porter, reveals several interesting points that would be orgasmic for Conspiracy Theorists.

Pervez Musharraf’s resignation as Pakistan’s president on Monday brings to an end an extraordinarily close relationship between Musharraf and the George W Bush administration, in which Musharraf was lavished with political and economic benefits from the United States despite policies that were in sharp conflict with US security interests.

It is well known that Bush repeatedly praised Musharraf as the most loyal ally of the United States against terrorism, even though the Pakistani military was deeply compromised by its relationship with the Taliban and Pakistani Islamic militants.

Hints of this relationship have been sneered at by NeoCons from the beginning. But, A.Q. Khan’s actual nuclear role is still under scrutiny, after his daughter wrote a book saying that he was just a pawn for Musharraf’s nuclear dealings with North Korea and Iran.  Musharraf convinced Khan to be the “fall guy” to appease Bush’s need for political currency.

What has not been reported is that the Bush administration covered up  the Musharraf regime’s involvement in the activities of the Abdul Qadeer Khan nuclear technology export program and its deals with al-Qaeda’s Pakistani tribal allies.  The problem faced by the Bush administration when it came into office was that the Pakistani military, over which Musharraf presided, was the real terrorist nexus with the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Quote Bruce Riedel, National Security Council (NSC) senior director for South Asia under Clinton and Bush:

“… al-Qaeda “was a creation of the jihadist culture of the Pakistani army”. If there was a state sponsor of al-Qaeda, Riedel said, it was the Pakistani military, acting through its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Vice President Dick Cheney and the neo-conservative-dominated Bush Pentagon were aware of the intimate relationship between Musharraf’s regime and both the Taliban and al-Qaeda. But al-Qaeda was not a high priority for the Bush administration.

After 9/11, the White House created the political myth that Musharraf, faced with a clear choice, had “joined the free world in fighting the terrorists”. But as Asia expert Selig S Harrison has pointed out, on September 19, 2001, just six days after he had supposedly agreed to US demands for cooperation against the Taliban regime and al-Qaeda, Musharraf gave a televised speech in Urdu in which he declared, “We are trying our best to come out of this critical situation without any damage to Afghanistan and the Taliban.”

Musharraf played a complicated game. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was allowed to operate in Pakistan’s border provinces to pursue al-Qaeda operatives, but only as long as they had ISI units accompanying them. That restricted their ability to gather intelligence on the northwest frontier. At the same time, the ISI was allowing Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders to operate freely in the tribal areas and even in the southern port city of Karachi.

The Bush administration also gave Musharraf and the military regime a free ride on the Khan network’s selling of nuclear technology to Libya and Iran, even though there was plenty of evidence that the generals had been fully aware of and supported Khan’s activities.

The article also confirms that the Bush Administration manipulated terrorist news and events to control the 2004 election outcome.

The New Republic magazine reported July 15, 2004, that a White House aide had told the visiting head of ISI, Ehsan ul-Haq, “It would be best if the arrest or killing of any HVT [high-value target] were announced on 26, 27 or 28 July.” Those were the last three days of the Democratic National Convention.

The military source added, “If we don’t find these guys by the election, they are going to stick the whole nuclear mess up our a**hole.”

Just hours before Democratic candidate John Kerry’s acceptance speech, Pakistan announced the capture of an alleged al-Qaeda leader.

It is well established that ISI is the managing head for Taliban and al Qaeda … Bush hosted ISI leaders in the White House.

Musharraf was making a political pact with a five-party Islamic alliance in 2004 to ensure victory in state elections in the two border provinces where Islamic extremist influence was strongest. This explicit political accommodation, followed by a military withdrawal from South   Waziristan, gave the pro-Taliban forces allied with al-Qaeda in the region a free hand to recruit and train militants for war in Afghanistan.

Yet another deal with the Islamic extremists in 2006 strengthened the pro-Taliban forces even further.

But Bush chose to reward Musharraf by designating Pakistan a “Major Non-NATO Ally” in 2004 and by agreeing to sell the Pakistani Air Force 36 advanced F-16 fighter planes. Prior to that, Pakistan had been denied US military technology for a decade.  … al-Qaeda’s new “safe haven” was in Pakistan’s tribal areas and that the terrorist organization had reconstituted its “homeland attack capability” there. That estimate ended the fiction that the Musharraf regime was firmly committed to combating al-Qaeda in Pakistan.

Had the Bush administration accurately portrayed Musharraf’s policies rather than hiding them, it would not have avoided the al-Qaeda safe haven there. But it would have facilitated a more realistic debate about the real options available for US policy.

The details supporting treason for the entire Bush Administration are still surfacing.  Accumulation of legal evidence is mounting.  Once a “Constitutional” administration takes office, justice may finally be served.  Impeachment is moot, but High Treason is just one of the options for the American Court System.  Then, again, the World Court may now have opportunity to indict Bush for “Crimes Against Humanity”.  In spite of the cover up and coercion activities by the Bush Administration, truth will wiggle its way to the surface.

The satisfaction of seeing political criminals brought to justice is second only to the damage that has been wrought.  There are global crises of Bush making that must be addressed.  Dallas, Texas may want to re-think its role to house a library of lies …

©2010 BlueBloggin. All Rights Reserved.

From American News Project

Washington’s neocons are alive and well, advising both John McCain and President Bush. Now many are saying Bush should permit Israel to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities after Election Day before the new president takes office. ANP investigates as we chase down John Bolton, Bill Kristol and Frank Gaffney to see how far ahead these hawks are thinking. And a new report says the whole plan could backfire.

©2010 BlueBloggin. All Rights Reserved.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — It is a politician’s dream: Handing out cold, hard cash to people on the street as they plead for help. Iraq’s prime minister has been doing just that in recent weeks, doling out Iraqi dinars as an aide trails behind, keeping a tally.

· Goal is to rebuild basic services, jumpstart economy by doling out oil windfalls

· Maximum grants are $8,000, but most top out at $400 for widows, ill, unemployed

· Al-Maliki, a Shiite, pledges money to many Shiite areas, fanning favoritism fears

· Disorganization, lack of know-how impede government spending, past surveys say

The handouts by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and a handful of other top officials are authorized — as long as each goes no higher than about $8,000, and the same people don’t get them twice. Aides say they are meant merely to ease the pain a bit, and are motivated by a belief that better conditions will lead to more security.

The cash handouts are just one small — if eye-catching — part of a major investment push this summer by Iraq’s government. The aim is to rebuild basic services and jumpstart Iraq’s damaged economy by quickly distributing as much of the country’s glut of oil revenue as possible.

U.S. officials and a fed-up American public are urging exactly that — for Iraq to spend its own money, not America’s, to rebuild the country now that violence has eased.

Yet the Iraqi effort runs a high risk of failure: The government is disorganized, fears of favoritism remain and the shadow of corruption haunts every step.

The United States has been doling out cash itself, most effectively to former Sunni militants who switched sides to fight al Qaeda. The military has also provided money and assistance to projects like fixing damaged roads in the Shiite enclave of Sadr City after battles there.

Yet most recent big spending announcements have been Iraqi: $100 million to rebuild Sadr City; another $100 million to the Shiite city of Basra after fighting there; $100 million for another southern Shiite town, Amarah; and $83 million to help internal refugees return home.

In efforts to get government money to local farmers suffering from drought. “We’re starting to get a lot more attention and a lot more love,” First Lt. Paul Horton, an assistant civil military operations officer in Diyala, said.

U.S. and Iraq scale back security plans

US considering recall of more troops from Iraq

Report: Bush Administration Considers Stepping Up Pace of Iraq Withdrawal

Time for US to leave Iraq? Not so fast, say analysts

The idea to move out quickly from Iraq reflects the view of many in the Pentagon who want to ease the strain on the military and to free more troops for Afghanistan and potentially other missions, it reported. More US and allied troops died in Afghanistan at the hand of Taliban and other fighters than in Iraq in the last two months, a trend that continued this month. The US is mulling withdrawal of combat forces from Iraq beginning in September to free additional troops for deployment in Afghanistan. … with the two wars straining the army and the Marines, officials haven’t been able to send any extra forces. No additional forces would be deployed in Afghanistan until next year, when fighting is expected to intensify with the arrival of spring. The Pentagon has also declared the redeployment of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its support ships from the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea to provide greater air power and surveillance for the Afghanistan mission until next spring.

Bush must have shared his formula with Maliki for buying time.  Maliki has decided that cash payments will appease the stomach turning mess that resulted from King George’s folly.  Maliki has to face the music by himself pretty soon.  McCain’s plan to occupy Iraq for another 50 to 100 years is tenuous, at best.  Obama has other plans.  Whatever the outcome, Maliki is left holding the bag until someone hangs him beside Saddam. Bush bought himself a temporary distraction, by returning a few Tax Dollars back to his angry Taxpayers.  Taxpayers, after all, funded his oil for fun and profit folly, the token Stimulus Payment was the least he could do.  Maliki does the same while US troops start shifting from Iraq to Afghanistan.  Karzai must be pondering a similar stunt.  Karzai, also, has a stomach turning mess and a lot more challenge to behold.  The Taliban and Drug Lords can hand out a lot more cash and offer security to boot.  The US has a lot of catching up to do for the Afghans.  Meanwhile back at the Israel vs Iran ranch,  Olmert and his henchmen are itching to pull the trigger before Bush leaves office … there is not enough cash in the universe to pay for that catastrophe …

©2010 BlueBloggin. All Rights Reserved.

Mounting sense of crisis over Iran

Israel’s defence minister has warned of his country’s readiness to act against Iran if it feels threatened.

Ehud Barak, speaking in Tel Aviv, said Israel had “proved in the past that it won’t hesitate to act when its vital security interests are at stake”.

He spoke as Iran’s testing of missiles that could reach Israel stoked tensions between the two, and with the US.

But Mr Barak added that diplomatic solutions should be pursued before other options were taken up.

“Currently the focus is international sanctions and vigorous diplomatic activity, and these avenues should be exhausted,” he said.

US warning

Over the past two days, the Iranian military has tested missiles, including one that it says could reach Israel.

Iran has been accused of altering an image of a missile test, possibly to exaggerate its military capabilities.

The two images show marked differences. The top photograph shows one of the missiles still in its launcher after apparently failing to fire from a desert launch pad. In the bottom image four missiles take off.

Defence analyst Mark Fitzpatrick of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies told AFP: “It very much does appear that Iran doctored the photo to cover up what apparently was a misfiring of one of the missiles.

“The whole purpose of this testing was to send a signal so Iran both exaggerated the capabilities of the missile in their prose and apparently doctored the photos as well.”

Why the hell would Ahmadinejad need to fake a missile test photo? The saber rattling is deafening in Israel and US, already. Why is he provoking two knee jerks before they leave office? Does he share the same Armageddon fantasy with these idiots?

BlueBloggin posts have suggested Bush will manufacture an incident to justify aggression against Iran before elections. Bush already has covert agents in Iran shaking up their politics, he needs little excuse to start a bombing campaign. He knows better than to blatantly use American troops … until his preparations and provocations are successful. These three players are committed to self-destruct at the expense of their countries. Enter Russia with a big grin. Who is watching the spectators?

BlueBloggin hinted about Bush plans, often …

• Israel Rehearses Bush Plans For Armageddon – UPDATE

• Food & Oil Shortage, Politics & Religion Guilty – Op Ed

• Oh No, You Can’t Use Iraq To Attack Iran

• Fool Me Once, Mr Bush, We Don’t Buy Your New Iran Claims

• Cheney Stalks Middle East One More Time

• Israel’s Harshest Criticism Yet of the U.S. Intelligence Report

• Consequences Of Deception – US Pakistan History Speaks

• $750 Million A Day Spent On Bush Armageddon Envy

• Israel, Syria, North Korea – Nukes, Real or Imagined

• Israel Drops Bombs, Syria Shoots Back, Fools Games

• While Middle East Anticipates Bush Free World, White House Launches Propaganda Storm

• Pentagon Authorizes Evangelists To Proselytize In Iraq

• Good Timing For Bush – American Al Qaeda Speaks

• Just A Quick Op-Ed: My Own Gut Feeling

• Al-Qaeda: Sunni vs Shia Threatens Iran – Spreading Fires

• Bush Administration Last Days – Are We Scared Yet?

• Manufactured Rapture – Armaggedon Equals Corruption

• King George Has Armageddon Envy!

©2010 BlueBloggin. All Rights Reserved.

• Pentagon chief: U.S. no closer to Iran confrontation
• Pentagon: Iran’s Missile Tests Prove Threat
• Shelby:Missile defense work must continue
• Gates: US-Iranian confrontation not likely
• Rice: We Will Defend Israel From Iran
• Are Iran and Israel on a collision course?
• Iran fires missiles but rejects talk of war
• Gates: Iran’s missile test shows need for missile defense system in Europe
• Iran ready to retaliate?
• Iran test-fires more missiles
• US Officials React To Iranian Missile Test
• We will paralyse Persian Gulf if attacked: Iran
• U.S., Israel Condemn Iran Missile Tests
• Missile Tests Hint New US Iran Policy
  

WASHINGTON, July 9–Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that Iran’s missile tests highlight the need for direct diplomacy as well as tougher threats of economic sanctions and strong incentives to persuade Tehran to change its behaviour.

US-Iran ‘not on brink of war’

• Total freezes Iran investments

• US condemns Iran missile tests

• Iran atomic bomb ‘within years’

• Timeline: Iran’s nuclear programme

Ahmadinejad rules out war against the U.S. or Israel

US ‘escalates covert Iran missions’

US congressional leaders have agreed to a presidential request for up to $400 million in funding for covert operations against Iran, according to a report in the New Yorker magazine.

Preparing the Battlefield

The Bush Administration steps up its secret moves against Iran.

Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources. These operations, for which the President sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country’s religious leadership. The covert activities involve support of the minority Ahwazi Arab and Baluchi groups and other dissident organizations. They also include gathering intelligence about Iran’s suspected nuclear-weapons program.

Clandestine operations against Iran are not new. United States Special Operations Forces have been conducting cross-border operations from southern Iraq, with Presidential authorization, since last year. These have included seizing members of Al Quds, the commando arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and taking them to Iraq for interrogation, and the pursuit of “high-value targets” in the President’s war on terror, who may be captured or

State Department’s Iran Democracy Fund Shrouded in Secrecy

US Increases Security in Persian Gulf as Iran Tests More Missiles

‘Iran is a challenge to the whole world’

… US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran that Washington will not back down in the face of threats against Israel. “We are sending a message to Iran that we will defend American interests and the interests of our allies,” Rice said Thursday in Georgia at the close of a three-day Eastern European trip.

What you see here are multiple interpretations for the ongoing confrontation among the Iranians, Israelis, United States and the whole Middle East. Depending on the part of the world you reside, the ongoing escalation of demonstration and rhetoric surrounding the Middle East are serious threats to the future condition of the entire world. Forward thinkers can depict the consequences of the final breakdown. People living in the region are too aware of these consequences, because they feel the results in their daily lives … and deaths. The Western world is being dragged from the bleachers by an economic crisis exacerbated by the unstable US dollar and oil prices. Food is the casualty of sabre rattling. Food is everyone’s problem. Food availability and affordability is proportional to the fuel for transport. Rethinking and reconfiguring has been allocated to the last minute … so, we suffer. The world has wasted the opportunity to prepare for this storm. As individuals, we must do what we can to play catch up. Unfortunately, the infrastructure we operate in has restricted our ability to survive. Governments are slow on the uptake and hinder individual survival by placing restrictions on how we operate our transportation. Pulling the plug on alternative energy suppression is too late to saturate the market with viable transportation. The rich can gobble up electric vehicles, wind and solar energy. But, you and I must try to survive with what we have until these trickle down to us and become affordable. The crime wave has already begun. This is the consequence of too many people left to their own devices to survive.

©2010 BlueBloggin. All Rights Reserved.

Strike on Iran could turn Mideast into fireball, official says

• U.N. nuclear watchdog chief warns of dangers of military strike on Iran
• Attack may lead Iran to a more-aggressive nuclear stance, he says
• Iran official reportedly criticized the Israeli exercises
• Comments follow Israeli military maneuvers in early June
• U.S.: Israeli air exercise likely message to Iran
• Israeli politician threatens Iran with attack over nukes
• Report: Iran protests threats from Israeli official

Israelis ‘rehearse Iran attack’

Israel has carried out an exercise that appears to have been a rehearsal for an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, US officials have told the New York Times.

More than 100 Israeli fighter jets took part in manoeuvres over the eastern Mediterranean and over Greece in the first week of June, US officials said.

Iran insists its programme is peaceful, but Israel sees Iran’s development of the technology as a serious threat.

Tehran is defying a demand from the UN that it stop the enrichment of uranium.

The UN Security Council approved a third round of sanctions against Iran over the issue in March 2008.

The Israeli exercise, it seems, was designed to send a message to Tehran that Israel has the power and will to attack if it thought Iran was close to getting a nuclear weapon, the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen reports.

None of what has been said and done so far means an attack on Iran is coming and talk of one faded out after US intelligence reported at the end of 2007 that Iran had given up its nuclear weapons programme, he notes.

Mofaz criticised over Iran threat

A key defence official has accused one of Israel’s deputy prime ministers of threatening to attack Iran in order to boost his own political standing.

Iran alleges assassination plot

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said there was a plot to kill him during a trip he took to Iraq in March, Iranian state radio reports.

Mr Ahmadinejad inferred that the United States and its allies were behind the alleged plot to kidnap and kill him.
In a recent interview, Ehud Olmert said the current international sanctions against Iran would probably not yield a positive result for Israel.

On June 6, Israeli deputy prime minister Shaul Mofaz threatened to wage war on Iran should the country continue its nuclear activities.

The Israeli regime accuses Tehran of pursuing a military nuclear program. Iran, however, insists that its enrichment activities are in line with the Non-Proliferation Treaty and that nuclear weapons have no place in its defense doctrine.

This is not a positive move. Israel and Bush are playing these War Games with NO regard for the rest of the world. Whatever motive they originally had to protect the fragile but vicious attitude that has engulfed Israel, threatens the whole world. Right now the world is too fragile to engage in risky behavior.

Oil prices jump after report of Israeli drill for Iran attack

Oil prices rose more than $3 on Friday after the New York Times reported that Israel held a military drill in apparent preparation for a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

A hardline Iranian cleric said on Friday that Israel and its U.S. ally would receive a “slap in the face” if they speak of using force against the Islamic Republic, a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

A Pentagon official who the Times said was briefed on the exercise, said one goal was to practice flight tactics, aerial refueling and other details of a possible strike against Iran’s nuclear installations and long-range conventional missiles.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a second goal was to send a clear message that Israel was prepared to act militarily if other efforts to stop Iran from producing bomb-grade uranium fail.

“They wanted us to know, they wanted the Europeans to know, and they wanted the Iranians to know,” the Pentagon official said, according to the Times. “There’s a lot of signaling going on at different levels.”

Several U.S. officials told the newspaper they did not believe Israel had decided to attack Iran or think such a strike was imminent.

The clink and clank you hear is NOT the loose change in your pocket … it is the clank of sabers. As Bush has demonstrated, pre-emptive strikes are a costly mistake. If the goal is to topple a tyrant, that is the job of covert “black ops” and not thousands of young soldiers and contractors. The middle East knows that the Bush motive is a sick interpretation of Judeo-Christian Empire associated with Armageddon. America’s economic security will disappear for good, if Bush succeeds in lighting this fuse before he leaves.

©2010 BlueBloggin. All Rights Reserved.

Iraq will not allow its territory to be used to attack Iran, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has said during a visit to Tehran.

He was speaking after meeting Iran’s foreign minister and is later due to meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The role of the US in Iraq is high on the agenda, with Tehran concerned about a treaty under discussion on the terms of the US military’s future in Iraq.

Iran’s alleged backing for militants in Iraq is also likely to be discussed.

©2010 BlueBloggin. All Rights Reserved.