Iran Thread

[Elvis]

Bump, added sources to original post (not the one above) + new material. Completely different post now.

[Elvis]

Bump, where's your response ronin something.

http://mondoweiss.net/images/2012/03...Washington.jpg

[Elvis]

More people to add to the growing list of American policy makers, public figures and intellectuals, that are lobbying for the removal of MEK from the US terrorist list:

Pro-Israel voices joining bid to get Iranian dissident group off U.S. terror list - The Jewish Telegraph Agency

Famed attorney Alan Dershowitz, former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel -- three prominent Jewish activists who have joined with other prominent people in a bid to remove a group with a blood-soaked history from the State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations.

The names on the growing list of influential American advocates to de-list the Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MEK -- known in English as the National Council of Resistance of Iran -- suggest an effort to give the bid a pro-Israel imprimatur.

[...]“I don’t see any Israel issue at all,” Dershowitz told JTA in an interview, instead casting it in terms of Hillel’s dictum, “If I am only for myself, who am I?”

Off the record, however, figures close to the campaign use another ancient Middle Eastern dictum to describe the involvement of supporters of Israel: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

[...]Last year, Elizabeth Rubin, a New York Times Magazine contributor who reported from Camp Ashraf, wrote an opinion article criticizing the MEK’s American advocates and calling the group “a totalitarian cult that will come back to haunt us.” She cited a RAND Corp. study’s suggestion that many of those at Camp Ashraf were being held there by the MEK against their will.

Opponents of de-listing MEK also say that the group’s alliance with the hated Saddam in the 1980s, during the Iran-Iraq War, means its support is virtually nil among Iranians.

“Iranians by and large have no love for this regime,” said Jamal Abdi, policy director for the National Iranian American Council, a group that favors diplomatic outreach as a means of defusing tensions with Iran. “The one group they despise more is the MEK, and the one group that can unite people in the regime's favor is the MEK, so what the government of Iran has done is label all opponents as affiliated with MEK.”

De-listing MEK would play into that narrative, he said, and "undermines support" for democracy groups in Iran.

[Ragnus]

Obama, Netanyahu Differ On Timeline Of Iran Strike

http://www.wbur.org/npr/148012958/ob...of-iran-strike

In several hours of talks, President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed to have different timelines and red lines on the issue of Iran's nuclear program: Obama said he prefers diplomacy and pressure; the Israeli leader made clear his country reserves the right to attack pre-emptively, saying Israel must remain master of its fate.

Obama tried to do a couple of things in Monday's meeting with Netanyahu at the White House. One was to reassure Israel that the U.S. is determined to keep nuclear weapons out of Iranian hands. The other was to persuade Israel to give diplomacy and sanctions some time and not rush to military action.

"When I say all options are at the table, I mean it," he said. "Having said that, I know that both the prime minister and I prefer to resolve this diplomatically. We understand the costs of any military action."

Cost Of War

Obama also said there is a "window" that allows for a diplomatic resolution. But Netanyahu didn't sound very patient Monday night when he addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby. He said he has been warning the world about the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran for the past 15 years.

"My friends, Israel has waited, patiently waited, for the international community to resolve this issue. We've waited for diplomacy to work. We've waited for sanctions to work. None of us can afford to wait much longer," he said to applause. "As prime minister of Israel, I will never let my people live in the shadow of annihilation."

Netanyahu dismissed those who worry about the costs of striking Iran. He says it is time to talk about the costs of not stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability.

"I want you to think about what it would mean to have nuclear weapons in the hands of these radicals — in chants of death to America and death to Israel," he said.

Netanyahu won loud cheers at AIPAC, as did Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who called for "overwhelming force" against Iran if it begins to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels.

Obama's Position

Obama told that same audience Sunday that it would be wise for the U.S. to speak softly and carry a big stick. The loose talk of war, he warned, is only benefiting Iran by driving up oil prices.

Daniel Levy of the New America Foundation says Obama played it well, reassuring Israelis that the U.S. has Israel's back, while not giving into his Republican critics or Netanyahu's calls for clear red lines.

"President Obama domestically has come out of this very well," he said. "I think vis-a-vis the Israeli mainstream, he has scored a lot of points. He may have boxed himself in a little more on Iran, but I don't think to a degree that doesn't allow still significant wiggle room down the line."

Levy says Netanyahu will likely play up the commitments he got on Iran and the fact that another key issue — stalled peace talks with the Palestinians — was hardly mentioned.

"The president inserted it in his talking points, but Benjamin Netanyahu was able to largely ignore the issue," he said. "And he'll turn to his right-wing coalition and say, 'Look what I've achieved. I made sure Iran is the only issue on the agenda.' The Palestinian issue has been absolutely de-prioritized, and he will get a lot of credit with that with his home base."

A brief White House statement lists Middle East peace as one of a range of regional issues the two men discussed during several hours of talks. The statement says they spoke at length about the threat from Iran.

I think the phrase "preemptive strike" is probably one of my least favorite military terms. Just say it how it is. Military aggression against a nation that hasn't struck or done anything against you yet.

A speech from Netanyahu to Obama where he mentions that Israel is the "Little Devil" and the US is the "Great Devil" was just reeking of him saying that they're going to fall back on us immediately if Israel gets in over their heads after striking Iran.

[ronin sparthos]

Bump, where's your response ronin something.

http://mondoweiss.net/images/2012/03...Washington.jpg

Dunno why you think that because I don't support an Iranian nuclear energy program that I'm automatically in the tank for Israel or support propaganda that furthers the Israeli agenda.

[Elvis]

Dunno why you think that because I don't support an Iranian nuclear energy program that I'm automatically in the tank for Israel or support propaganda that furthers the Israeli agenda.

I apologize, I meant my earlier comment above which went without a response for several days. I found that picture on MW, and thought it was funny.

[Elvis]

I think the phrase "preemptive strike" is probably one of my least favorite military terms. Just say it how it is. Military aggression against a nation that hasn't struck or done anything against you yet.

A speech from Netanyahu to Obama where he mentions that Israel is the "Little Devil" and the US is the "Great Devil" was just reeking of him saying that they're going to fall back on us immediately if Israel gets in over their heads after striking Iran.

Israel wants their conflicts to be our conflicts.

[Ragnus]

Dot dot fucking dot.

[Mazmaz]

I thought this was a fairly good interview.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/th...erview---pt--1

[Elvis]

Great round-table discussion on Chris Hayes show.

Nuclear tensions between Israel and Iran
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/up-with-c...96821#46696821

This is the first time I've seen a balanced debate (two Palestinian commentators, Leila Hilal of the New America Foundation and Rula Jebreal of Newsweek [and author of Miral] and 2 American Jews and 1 Israeli):

Rula Jebreal (@rulajebreal), contributing writer at Newsweek.

Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, founder & president of The Israel Project.

Leila Hilal, Middle East analyst at the New America Foundation.

Jeremy Ben-Ami (@jeremybenami), founder & president of J Street.

Zev Chafets, founding managing editor at The Jerusalem Report and contributor at New York Times Magazine.

Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Schlomo Gazit, former Israel Defense Forces intelligence head, from Tel Aviv.

Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, president of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees and co-founder of Grassroots International Protection for the Palestinian People and Palestinian National Initiative, joining us from Ramallah, Palestine.

They cover Iran/Israel/United States mainly but then move on to other issues like the Israel-Palestine conflict as a whole and the American role in diplomacy.

[Churchill]

I remember the Netanyahu comment from when he made it, wasn't there a big stink sensationalized as "Israel is glad the US was attacked" or something to that extent?

RE: Daily show

Following 2003, the Iranians became heavily invested in fighting their proxy war in Iraq and many more US Soldiers died as a result than would have due to AQ/ISI/Saudi funded activities.

[Ragnus]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_16...-irans-threat/

Interview with former Mossad chief Meir Dagan on Israel's plans to strike Iran sooner than later.

Interesting quote:

Dagan says the best solution is to push the mullahs out by supporting Iranian students and minorities. According to a leaked State Department cable, he told his American counterparts as early as 2007, more should be done to foment regime change.

Dagan: It's our duty to help anyone who likes to present an open opposition against their regime in Iran.

Stahl: Has Israel done anything to encourage, help, support the youth opposition groups that have been marching against the regime?

Dagan: Let's ignore the question.

Dagan argues that a preemptive Israeli strike this year would be reckless and irresponsible. The Obama administration agrees that there's time to wait.

[Obama: Already there's too much loose talk of war.]

Dagan: I heard very carefully what President Obama said. And he said openly that the military option is on the table, and he is not going to let Iran become a nuclear state.

Stahl: So let me try to sum up what I think you're now saying. And you're saying, "Why should we do it? If we wait and they get the bomb, the Americans will do it."

Dagan: The issue of Iran armed with a nuclear capability is not an Israeli problem; it's an international problem.

Stahl: So wait and let us do it.

Dagan: If I prefer that somebody will do it, I always prefer that Americans will do it.

[Churchill]

I like how they started out with the

who has called for Israel to be annihilated

quote. Great journalism.

[Ragnus]

Yeah, well, not everything is perfect. I noticed there were a few loaded questions through the interview also. I just thought it was interesting that pretty much confirmed my belief that Israel loves to just let America do some to most of it's dirty work.

[Elvis]

The round-table discussion on Chris Hayes show is good too. Another retired Israeli general ways in. I believe he calls Iran a rational actor. He also says the 2SS is dead.

[Elvis]

EDIT: Here is the link to the Israeli general interview:

http://upwithchrishayes.msnbc.msn.co...ed-try-israels

And Meir Dagan has been saying that since he left the intelligence service.

Former Mossad chief: Israel air strike on Iran 'stupidest thing I have ever heard'