Two milestones last weekend marked Iran's emergence as a regional hegemon. On Saturday, Russian technicians began loading fuel rods into the nuclear reactor at Bushehr, and on Sunday, Iran unveiled an unmanned long-range drone aircraft dubbed the "Ambassador of Death." The events highlighted Iran's progress in both nuclear-weapons development and the means to deliver warheads across the Middle East. Israel's Foreign Ministry called the developments at Bushehr "totally unacceptable," though despite intense rumors last week of an imminent military strike, Israel has yet to take concerted action. The United Statesalso has declared as "unacceptable" a number of things it has accepted, such as North Korea's growing nuclear-weapons stockpile. It remains to be seen if the word carries more weight in Israel. The cliche of the day from the Obama administration is that "Iran's nuclear clock has slowed," but this would be news to the mullahs. Iran is producing enough weapons-grade material to make a bomb every nine months, and this rate is accelerating. In February, the Islamic republic began enriching uranium to higher and more dangerous levels than it had previously. There is no evidence that Iran's technical capacity to make nuclear weapons has diminished, the strategic logic of nuclear weapons has not changed, and Tehran's desire to pursue regional hegemony is undiminished. Absent solid evidence to the contrary, the notion that Iran is moving less rapidly toward its nuclear goals is simply the O Force's hope masquerading as change. The United States claims sanctions are starting to have an impact on Tehran's decision-making, but on Aug. 18, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the regime would not negotiate its nuclear program while sanctions were in place. "If superpowers want to threaten and put pressure and impose sanctions and show an iron hand," he said, "and, on the other hand, seek to sit at the negotiating table, this is not a negotiation, and we will not have this kind of negotiation with anyone." The ayatollah is telling President Obama, in essence, unclench your fist, and we will extend an open hand. Maybe. Otherwise, Iran will pay any price, bear any burden to get nuclear weapons. The new Iranian drone bomber, which looks strikingly like a modified version of a Nazi V-1 rocket, was hailed by Tehran in Orwellian terms as "an ambassador of death for the enemies of humanity, [which] has a main message of peace and friendship." Iranian drones are an increasing threat. In March, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in congressional testimony that Iranian drones are "a concern because it is one of these areas where, if they chose to - in Iraq, in Afghanistan - they could create difficulties for us." The Tehran Times gloated that Mr. Gates was just "envious" of Iran's drone program. Some action seems to be occurring under the public radar screen, suggesting other countries are paying attention. There are unconfirmed reports that Reza Baruni, the mastermind of Iran's drone program, was assassinated earlier this month when his heavily guarded villa in southern Iran was bombed. On the same day, three unarmed drone aircraft reportedly crashed into the containment dome of the Bushehr reactor, causing minor panic among townspeople. Perhaps "unacceptable" means something after all. © Copyright 2010 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.Wednesday, August 25, 2010
North Korea's Lunatic Leader May be in China
Hitlerian Hezbollah Head Wants Nuclear Power
Hassan Nasrallah, head of Hitlerian Hezbollah, has called on the Lebanese government to consider building a nuclear reactor for civilian power purposes.
Citing recent protests against electricity rationing, Nasrallah said Tuesday that a nuclear reactor would assure Lebanon long-term production of electricity.Iran Steps Up Uranium Exploration
Nuclear-arming, Islamist Iran is making domestic uranium exploration a top priority, as reported here.
Iran is the world's fourth largest oil producer and OPEC's second-largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia. Oil reserves in Iran rank third largest in the world at approximately 136 billion barrels as of 2007--and second if Canadian reserves of unconventional oil (heavy crude and tar sands) are excluded. Put differently, Iran is home to roughly 10% of the world's total proven petroleum reserves.Henan Air Cancels All Flights; Deadly China Crash Refocuses Attention on Regional Airport Safety
Iran Ready to Aid Lebanese Army
Lebanon is Hezbollahizing at an alarming pace.
Bloomberg reports:Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said his country is willing to provide military help to Lebanon, a day after Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah called on the Lebanese army to seek Iran’s support.
“Lebanon is our friend and its army is also our friend,” Vahidi was cited by Iranian state television as saying after a cabinet meeting in Tehran today. “If this country makes a request we are ready to help them and have a military exchange.”
Continue here.
China Confidential analysts--who for nearly four years have predicted that Iran will eventually take control of Lebanon through its Islamist proxy, Hezbollah--believe the nuclear-arming mullahocracy is planning a coordinated sneak attack on Israel.Gold Prices Rally as Investors Flee Equities
China Confidential analysts continue to believe gold will hit $1,400 an ounce before the end of the year.
Robust Demand for Gold in IndiaIran Test-Fires New Missile, Upgraded Fateh-110
Click here for the story and above for the Iran state TV video clip.
Iran has developed mobile, rapid-fire launch systems for the Fateh-110, and, China Confidential analysts say, a system also for firing the missile from seemingly civilian cargo vessels.
Iran has also smuggled Fateh-110 missiles to its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, via Syria.
The distance from the Lebanese border to Tel Aviv is only 125 kilometers (77 miles).
Fateh means conqueror in both Farsi and Arabic.Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Tony Blair Defends Israel
A voice of sanity.
Attempts to delegitimize Israel are an affront to humanity, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair told an audience in Israel on Tuesday.Click here for the story.
In 2010, incredibly, Israel's legitimacy ... its right to exist ... is more than ever being called into question ... by left- and right-wing anti-Semites ... and increasingly influential Islamists.Iran Emerges as Regional Hegemon
The Washington Times editorial on nuclear-arming Iran is must-reading. The piece begins as follows:Two milestones last weekend marked Iran's emergence as a regional hegemon. On Saturday, Russian technicians began loading fuel rods into the nuclear reactor at Bushehr, and on Sunday, Iran unveiled an unmanned long-range drone aircraft dubbed the "Ambassador of Death." The events highlighted Iran's progress in both nuclear-weapons development and the means to deliver warheads across the Middle East.
Continue reading here, or simply scroll down.EDITORIAL: Iran's Ambassadors of Death
Tehran's drone chief gets his 72 virgins
This photo, released on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2010, by the Iranian Defense Ministry, reportedly shows the launch at an undisclosed location of the Karrar drone aircraft, which Iran says is the country's first domestically built, long-range, unmanned bomber aircraft. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called it an "ambassador of death" to Iran's enemies. (AP Photo/Iranian Defense Ministry, Vahid Reza Alaei)
S. Korea Vows Immediate Response to NK Artillery
Another Korean war is possible.
So is another Yom Kippur War. China Confidential analysts believe that both North Korea and its partner in proliferation--Islamist Iran--may be planning sneak attacks on their respective enemies.
Weakness--real or perceived--invites aggression. The Axis of Evil seems to have lost all fear of the United States under the Obama administration. And Israel is seen by the Axis as more isolated--and vulnerable--than ever.North Korea Massing Troops and Arms Near Capital
South Korean defense officials say North Korea is deploying massive numbers of troops and arms near the capital of Pyongyang.
South Korea's defense ministry said in a report to Parliament Tuesday that the large numbers of soldiers, armored vehicles and artillery have been stationed near the Stalinist state's capital since mid-July.
The report said the deployment appears to be related to a meeting of key communist party delegates next month and the party's 65th anniversary on October 10.
North Korea-watchers say the massing of military assets could be for a parade or to provide security for the events.
Some analysts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Il will probably designate his youngest son Kim Jong Un as his successor at the September meeting, only the third such gathering since the communist state was founded in 1948.
-VOA
Thursday, 26 August 2010
Dear Leader ... and son ... may be visiting China, as reported here.
Click here for the news.
Iran said Wednesday that it has successfully test-fired a more accurate, longer-range version of its domestically produced, surface-to-surface, solid-fuel missile, the Fateh-110. The previous version of the missile is believed to have a range of between 150 and 200 kilometres (90 to 125 miles).
Click here for the news.
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