Israel and friends....foes

[SubGod22]

Israeli Official: Obama Betrays Previous Deals

[SubGod22]

Israel Agitated by Hillary's Comments on Iran

[SubGod22]

Russia: Iran Reactor to Be Activated This Year

[SubGod22]

Israel's Barak: 'No Option' Off the Table on Iran

Tensions between Israel and the United States over Iran bubbled up in high-level talks Monday in which Defense Minister Ehud Barak bluntly told U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates that "no option" should be ruled out.

Iran Threatens Strike on Israel's Nuclear Facilities if Attacked

"If the Zionist Regime (Israel) attacks Iran, we will surely strike its nuclear facilities with our missile capabilities," Mohammad Ali Jafari, Guards commander-in-chief, said.

Jafari said Israel was entirely within the reach of Iran.

"Our missile capability puts all of the Zionist regime (Israel) within Iran's reach to attack," Jafari said.

Iranian leaders have said Iran would respond to any attack from Israel by targeting U.S. interests and Israel.

[SubGod22]

Hillary Says Israel Should Be Patient on Iran

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is implicitly urging Israel to give U.S. policy on Iran's nuclear ambitions a chance to work.

Clinton also says that Iran must understand by now that the United States will never let Iran develop nuclear weapons. At the same time, she says Washington remains ready for dialogue with Iran on its nuclear program.

There are increasing concerns that Israel, seen as a primary target of an Iranian weapons program, might launch a first strike to destroy Tehran's nuclear sites before the Islamic regime is able to build a bomb.

Clinton says that Washington hopes the Jewish state understands American attempts to talk to Iran is a better approach.

Netanyahu: I Need 'Understanding' With Obama

Netanyahu is under heavy pressure to freeze construction in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem — a demand he has so far resisted. Washington also is concerned that Israel may be planning an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. It wants time for President Barack Obama's offer of engagement to Iran to bear fruit.

"Naturally, in the context of friendly relations between allies, there isn't agreement on all points, and on several issues we are trying to reach an understanding, in order to make progress together toward our shared goals — peace, security and prosperity for the whole Middle East," Netanyahu said ahead of his Cabinet's weekly meeting.

[SubGod22]

Gates to Israelis: Obama Isn't Naive

Israel insisted Monday it will do whatever it must to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, even as the visiting U.S. defense chief promised tougher international sanctions if Tehran spurns an offer of talks.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates tried to reassure Israeli leaders that President Barack Obama is not naive, and he said the offer to bargain with Iran isn't good indefinitely. After meeting with Gates, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak suggested his country's patience is limited, saying — three times — that Israel would not rule out any response.

[SubGod22]

Bolton: Israeli Attack Best Option on Iran

[SubGod22]

Iran Awaits Ayatollah's Nod to Build Atomic Bomb

Iran has perfected the technology to create and detonate a nuclear warhead and is merely awaiting the word from its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to produce its first bomb, Western intelligence sources have told The Times of London.

The sources said that Iran completed a research programme to create weaponised uranium in the summer of 2003 and that it could feasibly make a bomb within a year of an order from its Supreme Leader.

[RoyalShock]

Are these "Western intelligience sources" the same ones who were certain that Iraq had WMDs? (I'm not saying they certainly did not, but the intelligence has proven false so far.)

[SubGod22]

There was also an Iraqi General who said the weapons were moved to Syria I believe before we went in.

Regardless, I don't doubt that Iran is capable or close to it.

[SubGod22]

Iran Begins Large-Scale War Games

I'm still wondering who makes a move when.

[Maggie]

Iran President Says Nuclear Enrichment Will Grow

The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said Wednesday that his nation would produce a higher grade of nuclear fuel on its own, escalating its war of words with the international community over its disputed nuclear program.

* * *

Iran claims it needs a relatively high grade of nuclear fuel for civilian uses. But many in the West suspect its program is aimed ultimately at producing atom bombs.

Uranium enriched to 20 percent can fuel a reactor and also marks the dividing line between what nuclear specialists call low-enriched uranium and high-enriched uranium.

At the 20 percent level, Iran could, in theory, make an extremely crude and heavy nuclear weapon. The bigger threat would be that its enrichment could quickly accelerate from there to the much higher grade of fuel — enriched to 90 percent — typically used in modern nuclear warheads.

* * *

In the past two months, the United States and its Western allies have offered to supply uranium enriched to 20 percent for the Tehran medical reactor, but only if Iran shipped some of its current reported stockpile of low-enriched uranium out of the country.

The deal, brokered by the United Nations with support from the United States, sought to defuse tensions surrounding Iran’s program. Iran, with uranium enriched to 20 percent in the form of fuel rods for a reactor, would then presumably have no cause for enriching more uranium on its own.

But Iran effectively rejected the offer, calling it a ploy by the West to confiscate its existing stockpile.

* * *

In Vienna, a diplomat who works with the energy agency and closely monitors the Iranian program said the threat of the higher level of enrichment boded ill for a diplomatic solution to the impasse, despite the intrinsic difficulty of using such uranium to fuel a weapon.

“They’re almost asking to be attacked,” said the diplomat, who requested anonymity because of the delicacy of the matter. “By definition, 20 percent is weapons-usable.”

[ISASO]

His Majesty should start dithering on Iran right now and get the painfully-delivered, uninspiring, say-nothing speeches out of the way right now so that when it comes time to act he won't have to waste time trying explain national security to the anti-American liberal loons who raised him.

[Maggie]

His Majesty should start dithering on Iran right now and get the painfully-delivered, uninspiring, say-nothing speeches out of the way right now so that when it comes time to act he won't have to waste time trying explain national security to the anti-American liberal loons who raised him.

My sarcasm detector just exploded. :sarcasm:

[ISASO]

:good:

:yes: