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POPSIran test-fires missiles in Persian Gulf Notice how Iranian war games raise alarms and calls for a missile defense shield in Europe (mull that one over for a bit) but Israeli war games explicitly targeted at Iran don't get the same coverage.
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POPSRisk to U.S. troops seen if Israel strikes Iran And I found this tidbit interesting: "American military analysts familiar with Israel's thinking said the government there remained uncertain whether an attack on Iran made strategic sense and whether such a strike would prove a decisive blow against Tehran's nuclear program. The subject is controversial in Israel, and many Israelis strongly oppose a strike."
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POPSDid Iranian agents dupe Pentagon officials? But wait there is more: "The Senate report said that Pentagon officials never followed up on the investigators' recommendation for a comprehensive analysis of whether Ghorbanifar or his associates tried "to directly or indirectly influence or access U.S. government officials." The counterintelligence investigators recommended that U.S. officials attempt "to map Ghorbanifar's relationship within Iranian elite social networks and, if possible, his contacts with other governments and/or intelligence organizations," but that effort was never undertaken."
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POPSPentagon Propagandist General Calls for US to Sponsor Terrorism Against Iran "The tactic that McInerney advocates of using Iranian opposition terrorist groups to carry out acts of terrorism inside Iran is not new, nor far-fetched. A little digging turned up numerous articles alleging that the pentagon had already been using the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) and other groups in cross-border operations into Iran, at least until shortly after Sec Gates took over (Some news reports of attacks in Iran here, here, here, here, here. Iranian news video here)." Of course is not wrong if "we" do it, now is it?
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POPSNeocons and the truth: Bitter enemies to the end From the article: In late 2006, I wrote about virtually identical deceit from this same group, that time with regard to Iraq. On National Review in December of 2006, Ledeen -- just as the Beltway establishment was finally turning against the war in Iraq and in the wake of a lengthy Vanity Fair article identifying the neocons who were to blame -- claimed: "I opposed the military invasion of Iraq before it took place."
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POPSWaving Goodbye to (U.S.) Hegemony: About Damn Time! From the article: "It is 2016, and the Hillary Clinton or John McCain or Barack Obama administration is nearing the end of its second term. America has pulled out of Iraq but has about 20,000 troops in the independent state of Kurdistan, as well as warships anchored at Bahrain and an Air Force presence in Qatar. Afghanistan is stable; Iran is nuclear. China has absorbed Taiwan and is steadily increasing its naval presence around the Pacific Rim and, from the Pakistani port of Gwadar, on the Arabian Sea. The European Union has expanded to well over 30 members and has secure oil and gas flows from North Africa, Russia and the Caspian Sea, as well as substantial nuclear energy. America’s standing in the world remains in steady decline."
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POPSQuestions surround U.S. Navy-Iranian Confrontation From the article: "All ships at sea use a common UHF frequency, Channel 16, also known as “bridge-to bridge” radio. Over here, near the U.S., and throughout the Mediterranean, Ch. 16 is used pretty professionally, i.e., chatter is limited to shiphandling issues, identifying yourself, telling other ships what your intentions are to avoid mishaps, etc. But over in the Gulf, Ch. 16 is like a bad CB radio. Everybody and their brother is on it; chattering away; hurling racial slurs, usually involving Filipinos (lots of Filipinos work in the area); curses involving your mother; 1970’s music broadcast in the wee hours (nothing odder than hearing The Carpenters 50 miles off the coast of Iran at 4 a.m.)"
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POPSPodhoretz mad ramblings about Iran From the article: "Here is the reality. Iran has an economy the size of Finland's and an annual defense budget of around $4.8 billion. It has not invaded a country since the late 18th century. The United States has a GDP that is 68 times larger and defense expenditures that are 110 times greater. Israel and every Arab country (except Syria and Iraq) are quietly or actively allied against Iran. And yet we are to believe that Tehran is about to overturn the international system and replace it with an Islamo-fascist order? What planet are we on?"
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POPSIraqi Contracts With Iran and China Concern U.S. From the article: "The expansion of ties between Iraq and Iran comes as the United States and Iran clash on nuclear issues and about what American officials have repeatedly said is Iranian support for armed groups in Iraq. American officials have charged that Iranians, through the international military wing known as the Quds Force, are particularly active in support of elite elements of the Mahdi Army, a militia largely controlled by Mr. Sadr. An American military official in Baghdad said that while he had no specific knowledge of the power plant contracts, any expansion of Iranian interests was a concern for the military here. “We are of course carefully watching Iran’s overall presence here in Iraq,” the military official said. “As you know, it’s not always as it appears. Their Quds Force routinely uses the cover of a business to mask their real purpose as an intelligence operative.” Much like the CIA....
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POPSThis is Iran: Tell Me What do You See? This is from a post from a blogmigo. Very interesting pics and very interesting post. NOTE: Considering how some people in clipmarks feel about Muslim in general (and Mexicans and Iranians in particular) if you follow the link just so you can throw hate at him, don't bother, please go somewhere else.
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POPSGiuliani Plans for Eternal War in the Name of Israel And how do the majority of Americans feel about this, well to quote from the article on last year "Summer War" this is the American reaction: "In the current conflict, do you think the United States should take Israel's side, take the side of Hezbollah, or not take either side? Israel's - 31% Hezbollah's - 0% Neither - 65%"
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POPSWar with Iran: Choke Point/Basra In military strategy, a choke point is a geographical feature (such as a valley or defile) which forces an army to go into a narrower formation (greatly decreasing combat power) in order to pass through it. A choke point would allow a numerically inferior army to successfully fend off a larger army since the attacker would not be able to bring his superior numbers to bear.
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POPSWar with Iran: Choke Point/The Strait of Hormuz A choke point is a narrowing of an international waterway to a distance of less than 24 miles (38 km), necessitating the drawing of a median line (maritime) boundary. These are almost always strategic locations where, presumably, a blockading naval force could "choke" off the waterway. Examples are the Hormuz Strait between Oman and Iran at the entrance to the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia, the Bab-el-Mandeb passage from the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea, the Panama Canal and the Panama Pipeline connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the Suez Canal and the Sumed Pipeline connecting the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea, and the Turkish Straits/Bosporus linking the Black Sea (and oil coming from the Caspian Sea region) to the Mediterranean Sea.
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POPSPeaceful Kusdistan? Tell that to the Iranians and Turks He said that a statement issued by the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan, a branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party, which is also known as the PKK, claimed credit for the recent assassination of an Iranian intelligence official. Yawr said the Iranian raid was in retaliation.... Earlier this year, Turkey, a NATO ally, threatened to invade northern Iraq if the United States and Iraq didn't stop PKK guerrillas from taking shelter there. Turkey said the PKK's battle for an ethnic homeland has claimed the lives of 30,000 people.