Archive for October, 2007
The next U.S. President will inherit a predicament with catastrophic prospects, if the Iran nuclear crisis is not solved amicably - or even, god refrain, violently - before the U.S. voters find the next occupant of the White House. If it is not solved before the elections, the voters will have to cast their vote based on this issue as well.
But there seems to be no consensus among the Presidential hopefuls over this issue and the ways they plan to deal with the country, which is home to the most deluded, impolitic man in the world - no prizes for guessing - Ahmadinejad.
The Republicans are ready to go to any extent in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, on the other hand, the Democrats find military action too drastic and want to stick with diplomacy and sanctions.
Former New York Mayor Giuliani, former Tennessee Sen. Thompson and former Massachusetts Gov. Romney have spoken of a willingness to take pre-emptive military action against Iran if necessary. Giuliani has been especially vocal, promising a strike if Iran develops a weapon during his presidency. [source]
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A fresh round of U.S. sanctions against Iran were announced by Secretary of State Condi Rice and Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson. These sanctions are targeted against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Quds Force, which have been accused by the U.S. of aiding terrorism. These sanctions will mean that assets of any U.S business entity will be frozen, if they conduct any business with the tainted Iranian organizations. Likewise, foreign firms that have dealings with these Iranian military organizations they, too, will be stripped of their right of carrying out any business within the U.S, or with any U.S entity.
Mr. Paulson said that, in dealing with Iran, “it is nearly impossible to know one’s customer and be assured that one is not unwittingly facilitating the regime’s reckless behavior and conduct.” [source]
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The Israeli President, Ehud Olmert feels that it is too late in the day for diplomacy in the on going Iran nuclear crisis (read catastrophe) and decisive military action–not diplomatic finesse–can save the day. He is trying hard to drive this point of his to Paris and London at the earliest.
Israeli intelligence agencies reported a major breakthrough in Iran’s nuclear program–taking it a step closer to nuclear weapons–which Olmert shared in stark detail with Vladmir Putin and George Bush in detail last week.
Olmert will be telling Sarkozy and Brown that the moment for diplomacy or even tough sanctions has passed. Iran can only be stopped now from going all the way to its goal by direct, military action. [source]
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US Vice President Dick Cheney fired a verbal salvo against Iran and stated that Iran will not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons by the U.S. and its allies. He highlighted the fact that Iran is a terror-supporting country lusting after nuclear might to cement its place as the most powerful country in its neighbourhood.
Cheney blamed Iran for the worsening situation in Iraq as it doesn’t want a stronger Iraq, which might challenge its hegemony in the Gulf.
There are indications that the U.S. political topbrass is either contemplating a military offensive against Iran or sounding the last round of mock warnings to build pressure on the Mullah regime and Ahmadinejad. The rhetoric has begun, feel many political watchers but if Iran stays put on its belligerent stand then this offensive might go beyond words.
If Iran continues on its current course, Cheney said the U.S. and other nations are “prepared to impose serious consequences.” The vice president made no specific reference to military action. [source]
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Vladmir Putin’s Iran visit has been largely projected by the pro-Ahmadinejad media to be a presage to srong Iran-Russia ties. They even made it apparent from their propaganda that Russian President supports Iran unconditionally and is ready to stand behind Iran–and against the entire world–on the nuclear issue. But one man in Iran’s political corridors dared to see things differently. Ali Larijani was the Secretary of the Supreme Council of National Security just a day ago but has resigned from his prominent post.
His resignation might have been involuntary as he had dared to project Putin’s Iran visit in a different light, being the realist he is. He had told the media that Putin, during his meeting with Aytollah Khamenehi, had given Iran a “special message” regarding the nuclear issue. He further said that the Ayatollah had promised Putin that his messages and suggestions will definitely be considered. Mr. Larijani’s elightening bit of news was contrary to the Mullah regime’s version that Putin never even alluded to the nuclear issue during this meeting. The whole Larijani-plays-earnest-and-honest-news-source episode didn’t go down well with Ahmadinejad.
Ahmadinejad most probably haled Larijani into resigning from this key post but the voices of dissent are making the transition from being mere rumblings to something forcefully clamant.
The surprise resignation came 24 hours after a verbal duel between him and the fanatic President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the context of the message and proposals Russian President Vladimir Putin gave to the Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenehi during a meeting on 16 October 2007 in Tehran. [source]
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President Bush issued a warning that a nuclear Iran could lead to WWIII. His admonishment came after Russia’s President Vladmir Putin–on a state visit to Tehran– said that any international military action against Iran will not be acceptable to Russia. Bush went on to say that he was interested in, whether Putin shared his concerns over the Iran nuclear issue.
Some of you might see Bush’s comment as a propagandist amplification of the Iran nuclear issue-a sort of “fear marketing” strategy-but the fact is that a nuclear Iran might bring face to face two old nuclear foes, the U.S and Russia. It might evoke the nuclear insecurities that were present during the cold war making the situation highly volatile. Maybe, in such a situation one of the countries might succumb to her fears and pre-empt. These are the kind of prospects you want to steer clear from as, if they occur by any chance, they might threaten the existence of this planet-lets leave apocalyptic visions to books and movies alone.
U.S. President George W. Bush warned on Wednesday a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to World War III as he tried to shore up international opposition to Tehran amid Russian skepticism over its nuclear ambitions. [source]
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If the official spokesperson of Ahmadinejad is to be believed then his President was a victim of misinterpretation, when his comments over homosexuals in the U.S. were misunderstood. His official mouthpiece clarified that Ahmadinejad did not mean that there were no homosexuals in Iran, but that there were very few of them.
The victim-of-misinterpretation excuse does not seem all that plausible because Ahmadinejad’s sarcastic, saturnine laughter, when he made these comments, was too flagrant to be misinterpreted.
“What Ahmadinejad said was not a political answer. He said that, compared to American society, we don’t have many homosexuals,” presidential media adviser Mohammad Kalhor said. [source]
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Some brave voices in the political corridors of Tehran are mustering enough courage to speak out and call the action as they see it. Hassan Rohani, a member of the Supreme National Security Council, spoke out against the inane foreign policy of the Ahmadinejad regime, which has drained Iran of international support.
He echoed the opinion of many other Iranians that Ahmadinejad had failed on the diplomatic front as, under him, the country has lost many of its allies-for instance, France has now openly decried Iran’s nuclear program, lined itself with the U.S and hinted at an international miliatary offensive against the unheeding renegade state.
Is Ahmadinejad imploding? Well, let’s hope that he implodes and the people of Iran rise up against this foolish dictator. An intellectual and moral awakening can bring a quick end to this belligerent regime, which would be a lot better than a change brought about by external intervention.
“Today in the international arena, we are now, more than ever, under threat. A country’s diplomacy is successful when it doesn’t allow the enemy to find more allies against it,” [source]
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