Hi hermes! I won't be shocked....if Bush does decide to attack Iran...like CB said....I hope better intelligence is used beforehand than was with Iraq! Let's just continue alienating the entire Middle East against us....eventually they will seek revenge....which can only lead to WW3!hermes said:
Is Iran Next After Iraq!
I guess some troops will be pulled out of Iraq if this comes to fruition! 
I can't help but see how Bush is further alienating us from the world...making America the country to hate! Following right along the book of Revelations....I hope and pray along the same lines that Bush realizes sometime before it's too late..that China and Russia are not our "friends"!
Journalist: U.S. planning for possible attack on Iran
White House says report is 'riddled with inaccuracies'
Sunday, January 16, 2005 Posted: 9:23 PM EST (0223 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration has been carrying out secret reconnaissance missions to learn about nuclear, chemical and missile sites in Iran in preparation for possible airstrikes there, journalist Seymour Hersh said Sunday.
The effort has been under way at least since last summer, Hersh said on CNN's "Late Edition."
In an interview on the same program, White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett said the story was "riddled with inaccuracies."
"I don't believe that some of the conclusions he's drawing are based on fact," Bartlett said.
Iran has refused to dismantle its nuclear program, which it insists is legal and is intended solely for civilian purposes.
Hersh said U.S. officials were involved in "extensive planning" for a possible attack -- "much more than we know."
"The goal is to identify and isolate three dozen, and perhaps more, such targets that could be destroyed by precision strikes and short-term commando raids," he wrote in "The New Yorker" magazine, which published his article in editions that will be on newsstands Monday.
Hersh is a veteran journalist who was the first to write about many details of the abuses of prisoners Abu Ghraib in Baghdad.
He said his information on Iran came from "inside" sources who divulged it in the hope that publicity would force the administration to reconsider.
"I think that's one of the reasons some of the people on the inside talk to me," he said.
Hersh said the government did not answer his request for a response before the story's publication, and that his sources include people in government whose information has been reliable in the past.
Hersh said Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld view Bush's re-election as "a mandate to continue the war on terrorism," despite problems with the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Last week, the effort to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq -- the Bush administration's stated primary rationale for the war -- was halted after having come up empty.
The secret missions in Iran, Hersh said, have been authorized in order to prevent similar embarrassment in the event of military action there.
"The planning for Iran is going ahead even though Iraq is a mess," Hersh said. "I think they really think there's a chance to do something in Iran, perhaps by summer, to get the intelligence on the sites."
He added, "The guys on the inside really want to do this."
Hersh identified those inside people as the "neoconservative" civilian leadership in the Pentagon. That includes Rumsfeld, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of Defense Doug Feith -- "the sort of war hawks that we talk about in connection with the war in Iraq."
And he said the preparation goes beyond contingency planning and includes detailed plans for air attacks:
"The next step is Iran. It's definitely there. They're definitely planning ... But they need the intelligence first."
Emphasizing 'diplomatic initiatives'
Bartlett said the United States is working with its European allies to help persuade Iran not to pursue nuclear weapons.
Asked if military action is an option should diplomacy fail, Bartlett said, "No president at any juncture in history has ever taken military options off the table."
But Bush "has shown that he believes we can emphasize the diplomatic initiatives that are under way right now," he said.
Hersh said U.S. officials believe that a U.S. attack on Iran might provoke an uprising by Iranians against the hard-line religious leaders who run the government. Similar arguments were made ahead of the invasion of Iraq, when administration officials predicted U.S. troops would be welcomed as liberators.
And Hersh said administration officials have chosen not to include conflicting points of view in their deliberations -- such as predictions that any U.S. attack would provoke a wave of nationalism that would unite Iranians against the United States.
"As people say to me, when it comes to meetings about this issue, if you don't drink the Kool-Aid, you can't go to meetings," he said. "That isn't a message anybody wants to hear."
The plans are not limited to Iran, he said.
"The president assigned a series of findings and executive orders authorizing secret commando groups and other special forces units to conduct covert operations against suspected terrorist targets in as many as 10 nations in the Middle East and South Asia," he wrote.
Under the secret plans, the war on terrorism would be led by the Pentagon, and the power of the CIA would be reduced, Hersh wrote in his article.
"It's sort of a great victory for Donald Rumsfeld, a bureaucratic victory," Hersh told CNN.
He said: "Since the summer of 2002, he's been advocating, 'Let me run this war, not the CIA. We can do it better. We'll send our boys in. We don't have to tell their local military commanders. We don't have to tell the ambassadors. We don't have to tell the CIA station chiefs in various countries. Let's go in and work with the bad guys and see what we can find out.'"
Hersh added that the administration has chipped away at the CIA's power and that newly appointed CIA Director Porter Goss has overseen a purge of the old order.
"He's been committing sort-of ordered executions'" Hersh said. "He's been -- you know, people have been fired, they've been resigning."
The target of the housecleaning at the CIA, he said, has been intelligence analysts, some of whom are seen as "apostates -- as opposed to being true believers."
I can't help but see how Bush is further alienating us from the world...making America the country to hate! Following right along the book of Revelations....I hope and pray along the same lines that Bush realizes sometime before it's too late..that China and Russia are not our "friends"!Journalist: U.S. planning for possible attack on Iran
White House says report is 'riddled with inaccuracies'
Sunday, January 16, 2005 Posted: 9:23 PM EST (0223 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration has been carrying out secret reconnaissance missions to learn about nuclear, chemical and missile sites in Iran in preparation for possible airstrikes there, journalist Seymour Hersh said Sunday.
The effort has been under way at least since last summer, Hersh said on CNN's "Late Edition."
In an interview on the same program, White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett said the story was "riddled with inaccuracies."
"I don't believe that some of the conclusions he's drawing are based on fact," Bartlett said.
Iran has refused to dismantle its nuclear program, which it insists is legal and is intended solely for civilian purposes.
Hersh said U.S. officials were involved in "extensive planning" for a possible attack -- "much more than we know."
"The goal is to identify and isolate three dozen, and perhaps more, such targets that could be destroyed by precision strikes and short-term commando raids," he wrote in "The New Yorker" magazine, which published his article in editions that will be on newsstands Monday.
Hersh is a veteran journalist who was the first to write about many details of the abuses of prisoners Abu Ghraib in Baghdad.
He said his information on Iran came from "inside" sources who divulged it in the hope that publicity would force the administration to reconsider.
"I think that's one of the reasons some of the people on the inside talk to me," he said.
Hersh said the government did not answer his request for a response before the story's publication, and that his sources include people in government whose information has been reliable in the past.
Hersh said Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld view Bush's re-election as "a mandate to continue the war on terrorism," despite problems with the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Last week, the effort to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq -- the Bush administration's stated primary rationale for the war -- was halted after having come up empty.
The secret missions in Iran, Hersh said, have been authorized in order to prevent similar embarrassment in the event of military action there.
"The planning for Iran is going ahead even though Iraq is a mess," Hersh said. "I think they really think there's a chance to do something in Iran, perhaps by summer, to get the intelligence on the sites."
He added, "The guys on the inside really want to do this."
Hersh identified those inside people as the "neoconservative" civilian leadership in the Pentagon. That includes Rumsfeld, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of Defense Doug Feith -- "the sort of war hawks that we talk about in connection with the war in Iraq."
And he said the preparation goes beyond contingency planning and includes detailed plans for air attacks:
"The next step is Iran. It's definitely there. They're definitely planning ... But they need the intelligence first."
Emphasizing 'diplomatic initiatives'
Bartlett said the United States is working with its European allies to help persuade Iran not to pursue nuclear weapons.
Asked if military action is an option should diplomacy fail, Bartlett said, "No president at any juncture in history has ever taken military options off the table."
But Bush "has shown that he believes we can emphasize the diplomatic initiatives that are under way right now," he said.
Hersh said U.S. officials believe that a U.S. attack on Iran might provoke an uprising by Iranians against the hard-line religious leaders who run the government. Similar arguments were made ahead of the invasion of Iraq, when administration officials predicted U.S. troops would be welcomed as liberators.
And Hersh said administration officials have chosen not to include conflicting points of view in their deliberations -- such as predictions that any U.S. attack would provoke a wave of nationalism that would unite Iranians against the United States.
"As people say to me, when it comes to meetings about this issue, if you don't drink the Kool-Aid, you can't go to meetings," he said. "That isn't a message anybody wants to hear."
The plans are not limited to Iran, he said.
"The president assigned a series of findings and executive orders authorizing secret commando groups and other special forces units to conduct covert operations against suspected terrorist targets in as many as 10 nations in the Middle East and South Asia," he wrote.
Under the secret plans, the war on terrorism would be led by the Pentagon, and the power of the CIA would be reduced, Hersh wrote in his article.
"It's sort of a great victory for Donald Rumsfeld, a bureaucratic victory," Hersh told CNN.
He said: "Since the summer of 2002, he's been advocating, 'Let me run this war, not the CIA. We can do it better. We'll send our boys in. We don't have to tell their local military commanders. We don't have to tell the ambassadors. We don't have to tell the CIA station chiefs in various countries. Let's go in and work with the bad guys and see what we can find out.'"
Hersh added that the administration has chipped away at the CIA's power and that newly appointed CIA Director Porter Goss has overseen a purge of the old order.
"He's been committing sort-of ordered executions'" Hersh said. "He's been -- you know, people have been fired, they've been resigning."
The target of the housecleaning at the CIA, he said, has been intelligence analysts, some of whom are seen as "apostates -- as opposed to being true believers."
- Status
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Well it must be true if the Pentagon is denying it!
Pentagon blasts article alleging reconnaissance missions in Iran
Pentagon, White House say report 'riddled' with errors
Tuesday, January 18, 2005 Posted: 1:07 AM EST (0607 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon Monday criticized an article by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh that says the United States has been carrying out reconnaissance missions in Iran to identify nuclear, chemical and missile sites for possible airstrikes as soon as this summer.
But the Pentagon's response did not specifically address Hersh's contention that the United States has been "conducting secret reconnaissance missions inside Iran since at least last summer" to identify and isolate at least three dozen targets in Iran "that could be destroyed by precision strikes and short-term commando raids." )
In a written statement, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita said Iran's "apparent nuclear ambitions and its demonstrated support for terrorist organizations is a global challenge that deserves much more serious treatment than Seymour Hersh provides in The New Yorker article titled 'The Coming Wars.' "
"Mr. Hersh's article is so riddled with errors of fundamental fact that the credibility of his entire piece is destroyed."
The statement cited Hersh's description of a post-election meeting between Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the Joint Chiefs of Staff and said it "did not happen."
In the article, Hersh said the meeting was described to him by "a former high-level intelligence official."
The statement also disputed Hersh's assertion that "Rumsfeld and two of his key deputies, Stephen Cambone, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, and Army Lt. Gen. William G. [Jerry] Boykin, will be part of the chain of command for the new commando operations."
"The only civilians in the chain of command are the president and the secretary of defense, despite Mr. Hersh's confident assertion that the chain of command now includes two department policy officials. His assertion is outrageous, and constitutionally specious."
Hersh also said Doug Feith, the undersecretary of defense for policy, oversaw Defense Department civilians who "have been working with Israeli planners and consultants to develop and refine potential nuclear, chemical-weapons and missile targets inside Iran."
But DiRita said ties between Feith and Israel "do not exist."
The Defense spokesman added, "Mr. Hersh is building on links created by the soft bigotry of some conspiracy theorists. This reflects poorly on Mr. Hersh and the 'New Yorker.' "
Hersh described DiRita's criticisms as "quibbling."
Hersh said his information came from "very, very senior" sources.
"There are serious people on the inside who don't like what's going on and don't have a way to communicate that," he said. "The real issue is: What are we doing? Who's in control here? The Pentagon? The White House? That's the real issue."
Senior officials told CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr that there is currently no immediate planning for a strike against Iran.
Iran has refused to dismantle its nuclear program, which it insists is legal and intended solely for peaceful purposes. (Yep...having nukes sitting around as a constant reminder of such a threat is very peaceful! )Hersh said U.S. officials were involved in "extensive planning" for a possible attack -- "much more than we know."
He said his information came from "inside" sources who divulged it in hopes that publicity about the alleged plans would force the administration to reconsider them.
"I think that's one of the reasons some of the people on the inside talk to me," he said Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition."
In an interview on the same program, White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett said the story was "riddled with inaccuracies."
"I don't believe that some of the conclusions he's drawing are based on fact," Bartlett said.
The United States is working with its European allies to help persuade Iran not to pursue nuclear weapons, Bartlett said.
Asked if military action is an option should diplomacy fail, Bartlett said, "No president at any juncture in history has ever taken military options off the table."
That the Pentagon would have contingency plans for an attack on Iran is "not unusual," former Secretary of Defense William Cohen told CNN Monday.
"The issue really is whether or not this information being gathered is to help put pressure on the Europeans to bring more pressure on Iran to cease and desist from its nuclear ambitions," Cohen said. "Or whether or not that decision's already been made and they're actually planning a military operation."
Cohen noted that Hersh's article has not been "categorically denied" by the Bush administration.
"So there seems to be some confirmation that there is a fairly serious effort under way to gather this kind of information for potential military operations," he said.
Pentagon blasts article alleging reconnaissance missions in Iran
Pentagon, White House say report 'riddled' with errors
Tuesday, January 18, 2005 Posted: 1:07 AM EST (0607 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon Monday criticized an article by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh that says the United States has been carrying out reconnaissance missions in Iran to identify nuclear, chemical and missile sites for possible airstrikes as soon as this summer.
But the Pentagon's response did not specifically address Hersh's contention that the United States has been "conducting secret reconnaissance missions inside Iran since at least last summer" to identify and isolate at least three dozen targets in Iran "that could be destroyed by precision strikes and short-term commando raids." )
In a written statement, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita said Iran's "apparent nuclear ambitions and its demonstrated support for terrorist organizations is a global challenge that deserves much more serious treatment than Seymour Hersh provides in The New Yorker article titled 'The Coming Wars.' "
"Mr. Hersh's article is so riddled with errors of fundamental fact that the credibility of his entire piece is destroyed."
The statement cited Hersh's description of a post-election meeting between Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the Joint Chiefs of Staff and said it "did not happen."
In the article, Hersh said the meeting was described to him by "a former high-level intelligence official."
The statement also disputed Hersh's assertion that "Rumsfeld and two of his key deputies, Stephen Cambone, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, and Army Lt. Gen. William G. [Jerry] Boykin, will be part of the chain of command for the new commando operations."
"The only civilians in the chain of command are the president and the secretary of defense, despite Mr. Hersh's confident assertion that the chain of command now includes two department policy officials. His assertion is outrageous, and constitutionally specious."
Hersh also said Doug Feith, the undersecretary of defense for policy, oversaw Defense Department civilians who "have been working with Israeli planners and consultants to develop and refine potential nuclear, chemical-weapons and missile targets inside Iran."
But DiRita said ties between Feith and Israel "do not exist."
The Defense spokesman added, "Mr. Hersh is building on links created by the soft bigotry of some conspiracy theorists. This reflects poorly on Mr. Hersh and the 'New Yorker.' "
Hersh described DiRita's criticisms as "quibbling."
Hersh said his information came from "very, very senior" sources.
"There are serious people on the inside who don't like what's going on and don't have a way to communicate that," he said. "The real issue is: What are we doing? Who's in control here? The Pentagon? The White House? That's the real issue."
Senior officials told CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr that there is currently no immediate planning for a strike against Iran.
Iran has refused to dismantle its nuclear program, which it insists is legal and intended solely for peaceful purposes.
(Yep...having nukes sitting around as a constant reminder of such a threat is very peaceful! )Hersh said U.S. officials were involved in "extensive planning" for a possible attack -- "much more than we know."He said his information came from "inside" sources who divulged it in hopes that publicity about the alleged plans would force the administration to reconsider them.
"I think that's one of the reasons some of the people on the inside talk to me," he said Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition."
In an interview on the same program, White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett said the story was "riddled with inaccuracies."
"I don't believe that some of the conclusions he's drawing are based on fact," Bartlett said.
The United States is working with its European allies to help persuade Iran not to pursue nuclear weapons, Bartlett said.
Asked if military action is an option should diplomacy fail, Bartlett said, "No president at any juncture in history has ever taken military options off the table."
That the Pentagon would have contingency plans for an attack on Iran is "not unusual," former Secretary of Defense William Cohen told CNN Monday.
"The issue really is whether or not this information being gathered is to help put pressure on the Europeans to bring more pressure on Iran to cease and desist from its nuclear ambitions," Cohen said. "Or whether or not that decision's already been made and they're actually planning a military operation."
Cohen noted that Hersh's article has not been "categorically denied" by the Bush administration.
"So there seems to be some confirmation that there is a fairly serious effort under way to gather this kind of information for potential military operations," he said.
Yep...follow Revelations...get China madder at us too! Not that there's a choice!
U.S. Warns Iran Over Missiles, Punishes Chinese Firms
Tuesday, January 18, 2005 2:15 p.m. ET
By Adam Entous
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration expressed concern on Tuesday about Iran's pursuit of longer-range ballistic missiles and imposed sanctions on Chinese companies it accused of helping Tehran in those efforts.
The economic sanctions -- which the Chinese government denounced as unjustified -- were part of a broader campaign by the Bush administration to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. Iran denies its nuclear facilities are to be used to make weapons.
"I hope we can solve it diplomatically. But I will never take any option off the table," President Bush told NBC television in an interview when asked about the potential for military action against Iran.
The Bush administration made no public announcement of the sanctions, first reported by The New York Times on Tuesday. The penalties and the Chinese companies affected were disclosed in government documents published earlier this month.
U.S. officials say the exports to Iran included high-performance metals, the Times said.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush will work with European allies "to find a diplomatic resolution to Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons."
"They made some very clear commitments and we will see by their actions whether or not they are finally serious and willing to follow through on those commitments," McClellan said.
"We have a number of concerns about Iran, including their pursuit of nuclear weapons and their interest in longer-range ballistic missiles, and we've expressed those concerns," McClellan added.
CHINA OPPOSES WEAPONS SPREAD
China on Tuesday said it stands opposed to any spread of weapons of mass destruction.
"The U.S. government has wantonly launched sanctions against Chinese companies without any evidence," Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told a news briefing in Beijing.
The penalties bar the companies from doing business with the U.S. government and prevent them from obtaining export licenses allowing them to buy controlled technologies from American companies.
The Chinese companies on the penalties list include China Aero-Technology Import Export Corp.; China Great Wall Industry Corp.; and China North Industry Corp., also known as NORINCO.
Also targeted are: Beijing Alite Technologies Company Limited; China's Q.C. Chen; Wha Cheong Tai Co.; and Zibo Chemet Equipment Corp., known as well as Chemet Global Ltd.; Ecoma Enterprise Co. Ltd. of Taiwan; and Paeksan Associated Corp. of North Korea.
Bush has praised China for its help in seeking a diplomatic end to the North Korean nuclear standoff.
Two of the largest companies cited by the administration, China Great Wall Industry and China North Industry, previously have been penalized by the United States. Each is closely linked to the Chinese military.
In December, the State Department imposed similar sanctions on four Chinese companies for selling weapons or arms-related technology, including Liaoning Jiayi Metals and Minerals Co., Wha Cheong Tai Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Triple International Ltd.
Not that there's a choice! U.S. Warns Iran Over Missiles, Punishes Chinese Firms
Tuesday, January 18, 2005 2:15 p.m. ET
By Adam Entous
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration expressed concern on Tuesday about Iran's pursuit of longer-range ballistic missiles and imposed sanctions on Chinese companies it accused of helping Tehran in those efforts.
The economic sanctions -- which the Chinese government denounced as unjustified -- were part of a broader campaign by the Bush administration to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. Iran denies its nuclear facilities are to be used to make weapons.
"I hope we can solve it diplomatically. But I will never take any option off the table," President Bush told NBC television in an interview when asked about the potential for military action against Iran.
The Bush administration made no public announcement of the sanctions, first reported by The New York Times on Tuesday. The penalties and the Chinese companies affected were disclosed in government documents published earlier this month.
U.S. officials say the exports to Iran included high-performance metals, the Times said.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush will work with European allies "to find a diplomatic resolution to Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons."
"They made some very clear commitments and we will see by their actions whether or not they are finally serious and willing to follow through on those commitments," McClellan said.
"We have a number of concerns about Iran, including their pursuit of nuclear weapons and their interest in longer-range ballistic missiles, and we've expressed those concerns," McClellan added.
CHINA OPPOSES WEAPONS SPREAD
China on Tuesday said it stands opposed to any spread of weapons of mass destruction.
"The U.S. government has wantonly launched sanctions against Chinese companies without any evidence," Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told a news briefing in Beijing.
The penalties bar the companies from doing business with the U.S. government and prevent them from obtaining export licenses allowing them to buy controlled technologies from American companies.
The Chinese companies on the penalties list include China Aero-Technology Import Export Corp.; China Great Wall Industry Corp.; and China North Industry Corp., also known as NORINCO.
Also targeted are: Beijing Alite Technologies Company Limited; China's Q.C. Chen; Wha Cheong Tai Co.; and Zibo Chemet Equipment Corp., known as well as Chemet Global Ltd.; Ecoma Enterprise Co. Ltd. of Taiwan; and Paeksan Associated Corp. of North Korea.
Bush has praised China for its help in seeking a diplomatic end to the North Korean nuclear standoff.
Two of the largest companies cited by the administration, China Great Wall Industry and China North Industry, previously have been penalized by the United States. Each is closely linked to the Chinese military.
In December, the State Department imposed similar sanctions on four Chinese companies for selling weapons or arms-related technology, including Liaoning Jiayi Metals and Minerals Co., Wha Cheong Tai Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Triple International Ltd.
Iran Speaks Up! Guess they heard the news too!
Iran Says It Has Military Might to Deter Attack
Tuesday, January 18, 2005 1:28 p.m. ET
By Paul Hughes
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has the military might to deter attacks against it, Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said, after President Bush said he would not rule out military force against Iran over its nuclear program.
"We are able to say that we have strength such that no country can attack us because they do not have precise information about our military capabilities due to our ability to implement flexible strategies," the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Shamkhani as saying Tuesday.
"We can claim that we have rapidly produced equipment that has resulted in the greatest deterrent," he said, without elaborating.
In October, Iran announced successful trials of its Shahab-3 ballistic missile with a range of 1,250 miles, putting parts of Europe, as well as Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf, within reach.
Bush said Monday Washington would not rule out military action against Iran -- which he has labeled as part of an "axis of evil" alongside Iraq and North Korea -- if it was not more forthcoming about its suspected nuclear weapons program.
Washington accuses Tehran of trying to acquire nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is aimed solely at producing electricity.
The United States has toppled regimes in Iran's neighbors Afghanistan and Iraq since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.
"Iran has no fear of foreign enemies' threats ... as they are very well aware that the Islamic Republic is not a place for adventurism," the ISNA student news agency quoted influential former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani as saying.
Bush's comments followed an article in the New Yorker magazine Sunday which said U.S. commando units were conducting secret reconnaissance missions inside Iran to identify hidden nuclear and chemical sites for possible strikes.
Pentagon officials have said the New Yorker report was "riddled with errors."
EU ADVOCATES DIPLOMACY
The European Union insisted Tuesday diplomacy was the right approach with Iran.
"We are seeking a diplomatic solution. I think that is the right way to go," German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer told reporters in the northern German city of Kiel.
Britain, Germany and France have sought to persuade Tehran to give up technology that could be used to make nuclear warheads in return for incentives such as trade deals and help with a civilian nuclear program.
European Commission external affairs spokeswoman Emma Udwin said: "We are working with our Iranian partners in good faith as I trust they are working with us in good faith. We will pursue that path as long as it's possible and fruitful to do so."
Russia defended Iran, its key nuclear energy market in the Middle East, where it has been building a nuclear reactor since the early 1990s in a $1-billion project.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying: "I have no grounds to believe that the situation will get out of control and that the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program will be changed.
"Russia and Iran have a specific dialogue going on to make sure Iran's nuclear program stays entirely peaceful." (Yeah...they're probably helping each other in a not so nice way for us!)
Iran's Mehr news agency, which analysts say has close ties to the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ridiculed U.S. attempts to destabilize Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
"The United States is well aware that Iran has strongly withstood U.S. pressure for over 25 years ... Today, the Islamic Republic has acquired massive military might, the dimensions of which still remain unknown, and is prepared to attack any intruder with a fearsome rain of fire and death," it said. (Hmmm...is that a threat I hear there!)
Iran Says It Has Military Might to Deter Attack
Tuesday, January 18, 2005 1:28 p.m. ET
By Paul Hughes
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has the military might to deter attacks against it, Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said, after President Bush said he would not rule out military force against Iran over its nuclear program.
"We are able to say that we have strength such that no country can attack us because they do not have precise information about our military capabilities due to our ability to implement flexible strategies," the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Shamkhani as saying Tuesday.
"We can claim that we have rapidly produced equipment that has resulted in the greatest deterrent," he said, without elaborating.
In October, Iran announced successful trials of its Shahab-3 ballistic missile with a range of 1,250 miles, putting parts of Europe, as well as Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf, within reach.
Bush said Monday Washington would not rule out military action against Iran -- which he has labeled as part of an "axis of evil" alongside Iraq and North Korea -- if it was not more forthcoming about its suspected nuclear weapons program.
Washington accuses Tehran of trying to acquire nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is aimed solely at producing electricity.
The United States has toppled regimes in Iran's neighbors Afghanistan and Iraq since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.
"Iran has no fear of foreign enemies' threats ... as they are very well aware that the Islamic Republic is not a place for adventurism," the ISNA student news agency quoted influential former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani as saying.
Bush's comments followed an article in the New Yorker magazine Sunday which said U.S. commando units were conducting secret reconnaissance missions inside Iran to identify hidden nuclear and chemical sites for possible strikes.
Pentagon officials have said the New Yorker report was "riddled with errors."
EU ADVOCATES DIPLOMACY
The European Union insisted Tuesday diplomacy was the right approach with Iran.
"We are seeking a diplomatic solution. I think that is the right way to go," German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer told reporters in the northern German city of Kiel.
Britain, Germany and France have sought to persuade Tehran to give up technology that could be used to make nuclear warheads in return for incentives such as trade deals and help with a civilian nuclear program.
European Commission external affairs spokeswoman Emma Udwin said: "We are working with our Iranian partners in good faith as I trust they are working with us in good faith. We will pursue that path as long as it's possible and fruitful to do so."
Russia defended Iran, its key nuclear energy market in the Middle East, where it has been building a nuclear reactor since the early 1990s in a $1-billion project.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying: "I have no grounds to believe that the situation will get out of control and that the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program will be changed.
"Russia and Iran have a specific dialogue going on to make sure Iran's nuclear program stays entirely peaceful." (Yeah...they're probably helping each other in a not so nice way for us!)
Iran's Mehr news agency, which analysts say has close ties to the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ridiculed U.S. attempts to destabilize Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
"The United States is well aware that Iran has strongly withstood U.S. pressure for over 25 years ... Today, the Islamic Republic has acquired massive military might, the dimensions of which still remain unknown, and is prepared to attack any intruder with a fearsome rain of fire and death," it said. (Hmmm...is that a threat I hear there!)
^^ iltos: Hmmm.....are you comparing me with LAN...or just making a political statement with that avatar?
But Hersh got his info somewhere...from some higher up...right!
But this is an article in the "New Yorker"....surely they'd check out his article thoroughly before allowing it to be posted!LANMaster said:
There would be no survivors of WW3 to have a WW4....it's all foretold LAN!LANMaster said:And if that happens then WW4 will truly be fought with sticks and stones.
I believe as foretold we are in the midst of that 7 year tribulation before all you know what breaks loose!
INSURGENT CITES AID FROM IRAN AND SYRIA
BAGHDAD [MENL] -- A Sunni insurgency commander has asserted that his group obtained money and equipment from Iran and Syria.
The commander of Mohammed's Army was videotaped by the Iraqi Defense Ministry as saying that his group obtained cash and vehicles from Iran and Syria for car bombings and other attacks against the U.S.-led coalition and Iraq's military and security forces. The commander, identified as Moayad Yassin Aziz Al Nasiri, was captured in late 2004 in Iraq after a tip from a Syrian undercover agent who defected and helped the Iraqi Defense Ministry.
On Jan. 7, Defense Minister Hazim Shaalan played the tape of Al Nasiri during a news conference in Baghdad. The tape, said to have been recorded on Dec. 24, came after months of accusations by Shaalan that Iran and Syria were aiding the insurgency movement in Iraq -- including Saddam Hussein loyalists -- with cash, operatives and equipment.
In the recording, Al Nasiri detailed Iranian assistance to Mohammed's Army and other insurgency groups. He said Mohammed's Army, which he claimed contained 800 fighters, has acquired financial and other aid from Iran and Syria. Mohammed's Army was said to have been sponsored by Saddam.
INSURGENT CITES AID FROM IRAN AND SYRIA
BAGHDAD [MENL] -- A Sunni insurgency commander has asserted that his group obtained money and equipment from Iran and Syria.
The commander of Mohammed's Army was videotaped by the Iraqi Defense Ministry as saying that his group obtained cash and vehicles from Iran and Syria for car bombings and other attacks against the U.S.-led coalition and Iraq's military and security forces. The commander, identified as Moayad Yassin Aziz Al Nasiri, was captured in late 2004 in Iraq after a tip from a Syrian undercover agent who defected and helped the Iraqi Defense Ministry.
On Jan. 7, Defense Minister Hazim Shaalan played the tape of Al Nasiri during a news conference in Baghdad. The tape, said to have been recorded on Dec. 24, came after months of accusations by Shaalan that Iran and Syria were aiding the insurgency movement in Iraq -- including Saddam Hussein loyalists -- with cash, operatives and equipment.
In the recording, Al Nasiri detailed Iranian assistance to Mohammed's Army and other insurgency groups. He said Mohammed's Army, which he claimed contained 800 fighters, has acquired financial and other aid from Iran and Syria. Mohammed's Army was said to have been sponsored by Saddam.
But see...God isn't pulling the plug on our world Lan....the world is pulling the plug on God by all the evil...all the wrong doing....all the war...all the hatred...if PEOPLE don't change the direction our world is taking....then God help us all...Some of the radical Christians are actually HOPING that this is the end times.
To be honest, that worries me as much as the Islamo-fascists. I pray that we are not.
Humanity has to much farther to go and grow before God pulls the plug.
There is simply still way too much good in the world left to chitcan it all.
There is good left...but nothing a few nukes can't take away from all of us...LANMaster said:There is simply still way too much good in the world left to chitcan it all.
Probably! So that's where Al went off to!
So that's where Al went off to!
I keep on telling you...Russia and China are not our friends...never will be...let's just hope our government opens it eyes wide and knows this too!
Maybe North Korea will have to be next! Sounds ominous!!
MSNBC Breaking News
North Korea's government publicly acknowledged for the first time Thursday that
it has nuclear arms, and said it is suspending participation in six-country
talks aimed at getting it to abandon its nuclear ambitions. :down:
Sounds ominous!!MSNBC Breaking News
North Korea's government publicly acknowledged for the first time Thursday that
it has nuclear arms, and said it is suspending participation in six-country
talks aimed at getting it to abandon its nuclear ambitions. :down:
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