Saturday, 1 August 2009

US to Israel: Leave the military option against Iran to us

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report

July 31, 2009, 3:58 PM (GMT+02:00)

US F-22 strike craft

US F-22 strike craft

The weeklong US-Israel marathon in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv ending Thursday, July 30 was the platform for the Obama administration's first unveiling of a new US diplomatic-military program for Iran and its nuclear threat, DEBKAfile's military and intelligence sources disclose. The US visitors said: Iran is a big power issue. So leave it to us and act like an American ally and friendly government. 
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Saudi rejection of ties with Israel is message to Obama: First deal with Iranian nuclear threat

August 1, 2009, 4:30 PM (GMT+02:00)

Saudi FM Saud al-Faisal in Washington

Saudi FM Saud al-Faisal in Washington

Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal knocked over US president Barack Obama's "incremental" plans for the Middle East one by one and demanded "a comprehensive approach that "defines the final outcome at the outset and launches into negotiations over final-status issues, including the future Palestinian state, control of Jerusalem the return of Palestinian refugees, water and security."

DEBKAfile's Washington sources read the Saudi foreign minister's subscript to the Obama administration as: Get off our backs on the Israelis and Palestinians and deal with our top priority: the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. Read our Exclusive Analysis below. 
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Former Iranian vice president and ex-officials on trial with poll protesters

DEBKAfile Special Report

August 1, 2009, 3:55 PM (GMT+02:00)

Iran puts post-election protesters on collective trial

Iran puts post-election protesters on collective trial

A large group of defendants were brought to court in Tehran Saturday, Aug. 1, for the first trial of protesters who turned out in their hundreds of thousands to protest alleged fraud after the June 12 presidential election. Among the men in court were supporters of the opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi as well as former vice president Mohammad Ali Abtahi, leader of the main reformist party Mohsen Mirdamadi, former industry minister Behzad Nabavi and former dep. foreign minister Mohsen Aminzadeh.

The trial began four days before the Aug. 5 swearing in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president. 
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