continues from US and European Powers Threaten Iran - here:
http://rabble.ca/babble/international-news-and-politics/us-and-european-...
Israel, US and European Powers Threaten Iran 2
Tue, 2012-01-17 07:17
#1
Israel, US and European Powers Threaten Iran 2
Tue, 2012-01-17 07:23
#2
Opinio Juris: Is Killing Iranian Nuclear Scientists Terrorism? - by Kevin Jon Heller
http://opiniojuris.org/2012/01/16/is-killing-iranian-nuclear-scientists-...
"Let's assume for sake of argument - and only for the sake of argument - that the killings were carried out solely by the Mossad. Do these killings qualify as terrorism?"
Tue, 2012-01-17 14:43
#3
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/01/17/pol-harper-iran.html
On the CBC mainpage there is a picture of him that is way more emo.
Oh poor stevie! He's frightened! We'd better bomb them off the map.
Tue, 2012-01-17 23:49
#4
![http://antifascist-calling.blogspot.com/][img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-...](https://antifascist-calling.blogspot.com/][img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QZYvncygAsQ/TwuCeFMn2NI/AAAAAAAAAIk/da0NkKkZAXo/s1600/Iran-Iraq.jpg[/img][/url]){kind=link}
Wed, 2012-01-18 02:37
#5
Wed, 2012-01-18 02:55
#6
Wed, 2012-01-18 07:28
#7
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/01/17/pol-harper-iran.html
On the CBC mainpage there is a picture of him that is way more emo. Oh poor stevie! He's frightened! We'd better bomb them off the map.
We have no political opposition in this country to his continuous warmongering. Asking the opposition to speak out against such excesses is like chickens asking the fox to speak to the coyote on their behalf.
Wed, 2012-01-18 16:12
#8
'Oil Plot': US Embargo on Iran Targets Europe? (and vid)
http://rt.com/news/us-iran-oil-embargo-083/
"Tehran believes that Washington is trying to deal a blow to debt-ridden Europe by forcing it to join its embargo on Iranian oil imports. Doing so would be 'suicidal for Europe', Iran says.
Chavez, Putin Censure Meddling in Iran
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221657.html
"During a telephone conversation on Tuesday, Putin and Chavez agreed on the need for 'the defense of the indiependence and sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran, against the harassment and interference by the colonial powers..."
'US Waging War on Iran with Oil Ban' (and vid)
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221767.html
"What the United States is acutally doing, is waging a war on Iran.."
Wed, 2012-01-18 16:41
#9
Video of Charlottesville City Council Passing Resolution Against War on Iran (and vid)
http://warisacrime.org/content/video-charlottesville-city-council-passin...
Wed, 2012-01-18 17:09
#10
laine lowe
[url=http://antifascist-calling.blogspot.com/][img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-...
Powerful graphic.
Have any opposition members commented on any of what Harper had to say about his bogus "fear"?
Wed, 2012-01-18 23:38
#11
Barak: Israeli Attack on Iran 'Far Away'
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221740.html
"Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barack says any decision by the Tel Aviv regime to launch a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities remains 'very far away'. Barack said Israel did not believe that Iran had yet made a decision to move to actual production of a nuclear warhead.."
Fri, 2012-01-20 06:15
#12
World Can Do Without Iran Oil: US
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221755.html
"A senior US official says Washington has been working with oil producers to ensure global supplies flow smoothly in case of a possible cut off of crude from Iran. The US official emphasized that there is sufficient additional capacity available in the oil market to make up for cuts in Iranian supply.."
China Begins To Turn Against Iran
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9025789/China-...
"After a visit to the Gulf in which he met the leaders of the states most threatened by Iran's aggressive foreign policy, Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, issued Beijing's clearest condemnation yet: 'China adamantly opposes Iran developing and possessing nuclear weapons.'..."
Fri, 2012-01-20 19:45
#13
War on Iran Will Unleash Chaos: Sarkozy
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222152.html
"French President Nicolas Sarkozy warns against any military strike on Iran over its nuclear program, saying a strike on the country would 'trigger war and chaos in the middle east."
Fri, 2012-01-20 19:56
#14
Pentagon 'Prepared': US Set for Operation Iranian Freedom (and vid)
http://rt.com/news/iran-conflict-us-ready-179/
"Washington is prepared to engage in war over the Strait of Hormuz at any moment, the Pentagon says. The US says it will attack Iran if it tries to block the Strait of Hormuz..."
Fri, 2012-01-20 23:00
#15
Bec.De.Corbin
Pentagon 'Prepared': US Set for Operation Iranian Freedom (and vid)
http://rt.com/news/iran-conflict-us-ready-179/
"Washington is prepared to engage in war over the Strait of Hormuz at any moment, the Pentagon says. The US says it will attack Iran if it tries to block the Strait of Hormuz..."
So all Iran has to do is not block the Strait of Hormuz, which by the way they share with Oman, and war will be avoided.
Too easy.
Fri, 2012-01-20 23:28
#16
Pentagon 'Prepared': US Set for Operation Iranian Freedom (and vid)
http://rt.com/news/iran-conflict-us-ready-179/
"Washington is prepared to engage in war over the Strait of Hormuz at any moment, the Pentagon says. The US says it will attack Iran if it tries to block the Strait of Hormuz..."
So all Iran has to do is not block the Strait of Hormuz, which by the way they share with Oman, and war will be avoided.
Too easy.
Oh, I think the warmongers will keep shifting the goalposts till they get their war. Gulf of Tonkin, anyone?
Sat, 2012-01-21 00:11
#17
Bec.De.Corbin
Pentagon 'Prepared': US Set for Operation Iranian Freedom (and vid)
http://rt.com/news/iran-conflict-us-ready-179/
"Washington is prepared to engage in war over the Strait of Hormuz at any moment, the Pentagon says. The US says it will attack Iran if it tries to block the Strait of Hormuz..."
So all Iran has to do is not block the Strait of Hormuz, which by the way they share with Oman, and war will be avoided.
Too easy.
Oh, I think the warmongers will keep shifting the goalposts till they get their war. Gulf of Tonkin, anyone?
You mean this?
Iran target of 'false flag' strategy?
Former Israeli intelligence officer, Avi Perry, startlingly wrote in a January 9th Jerusalem Post article of a forthcoming " 'Pearl Harbor' scenario, in which Iran [will] launch...a "surprise" attack on the US navy," giving the US "the perfect rationalization to finish them [Iran] off." Tellingly, Perry chose to put the word "surprise" in quotation marks. Is Perry telling us something?
Perry asserts: "[an] Iranian attack on an American military vessel will serve as a justification and a pretext for a retaliatory move by the US military against the Iranian regime." However, Perry identifies "a US aircraft carrier" as the likely target of this imagined Iranian attack.
We beg to differ. There are major indications that the vessel of choice is to be the USS Vincennes. The fourth USS Vincennes (CG-49) is a US Navy Ticonderoga class Aegis guided missile cruiser. On July 3, 1988, the ship shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 civilian passengers on board, including 38 non-Iranians and 66 children.
This would be an ideal vessel for the staged provocation as it could be easily sold to the world as having been Iranian retribution for the 1988 downing of Flight 655. That way the evident lack of motive for Iran to provoke the US and Israeli military will be replaced by a perceived "motive." No one will stop to ask themselves why Iran would thereby engage itself in a major war.
It's got to be true PressTV reported it...
Sat, 2012-01-21 00:40
#18
No War with Iran
by the United National Antiwar Coalition
Below is a statement by the UNAC CC on the assassination of Iranian scientists and the growing threat of war against Iran.
Also, UNAC members participated in a national conference call on Tuesday with many other antiwar and Iranian groups. The meeting called for demonstrations on February 4 to protest the threat of war against Iran. Please join us on February 4 and plan a protest in your local area. There is a Facebook event for February 4 here: www.facebook.com/events/214341975322807/
Statement by the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)
on the Assassination of Iranian Scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan
and the Growing Threat of War Against the Islamic Republic of Iran
Another Iranian scientist has been assassinated in Iran by a car bombing. This is the fifth Iranian scientist targeted in Iran during the past two years. This is a dangerous escalation of the covert activities conducted by the CIA and Israeli intelligence and their domestic spies in Iran against the government and people of Iran....
Sat, 2012-01-21 02:54
#19
'Attack on Iran Won't Be An Easy Walk': Lavrov
http://rt.com/politics/lavrov-russia-conference-us-iran-israel-syria-071/
"Addressing what is certainly the most worrisome development on the global stage, Lavrov spoke at length on the standoff involving Iran, which faces deepening sanctions, as well as the threat of military attack over its nuclear energy program. The Russian Foreign Minister did not mince his words when he spoke about the 'grave' consequences of a military strike against Iran..
'As for the chances that this disaster could occur, this question would be better addressed to those who keep mentioning this as an option that remains on the table,' Lavrov said in a comment apparently intended for Israel and the United States. 'The consequences will be really grave, and we are seriously concerned about this..."
Sat, 2012-01-21 05:09
#20
NDPPIt's got to be true PressTV reported it...
Britain Bans Press TV
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/01/20/britain-bans-press-tv/
"For the first time, British government censors have banned a 24-hour news channel from British viewers...
And so the war on Iran by Britain, Israel and the US continues.."
Iran Envoy Warns West About Info War (and vid)
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222222.html
"...The political pressure on Iran has turned into a full-scale information war.
They openly talk about a military attack on an independent state, which runs
contrary to all international agreements and norms.."
Sat, 2012-01-21 10:20
#21
Of course some people are going to make a censorship argument regarding PressTV (though it is not censorship, but a loss of license, and the station is still available online).
And it IS a shame that any media is lost, especially an alternative source during a time when war is a possibility, and even when that source is flawed.
But from what I can see PressTV did this to themselves.
They lost their license because they broadcast a forced prison confession of Newsweek journalist Mahier Bahari as if it were a legitimate news interview.
Sorry, but that is not news; it is propaganda, and complicity in the actions against him. They were told to pay a fine and demonstrate that they were legitimate news media. They did not comply with either order.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/world/europe/britain-revokes-license-o...
And their spin on the issue? Boneheaded, and it does not even touch on the grounds for the loss of license.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222298.html
And after their initial fine PressTV used the fictional and racist "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" as a news source:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/181711.html
Sorry, I don't like to see media restricted, even dodgy media. But even if there is a political angle to this the breach of standards is clear enough.
Sat, 2012-01-21 10:35
#22
there's not many places in the world where media is more restricted or 'dodgy' than Canada. Look how long it took the PTB to allow us access to even an imperialist cheerleading mouthpiece like Al Jazeera, which, as bad as it is, is still head and shoulders above the awful others here..As for Press, it's Iranian. OF COURSE there's a 'political angle...
Sat, 2012-01-21 11:38
#23
I don't have a problem with PressTV broadcasting whatever political opinion they want, and as I said, I think it is a shame that an alternative voice is lost.
But if they took their position at all seriously you'd think they would pay that fine and take steps to actually back up and defend their actions rather than grandstanding about Ofcom being the "media arm of the royal family".
Broadcasting a forced confession as news? That's not journalism, and neither is perpetuating the myth of the Protocols.
Sorry, but they don't get a pass on that just because of the country where they are based, especially if they can't be bothered to deal with the charges. They think it is okay to do what they did? Let them talk about that on the air and explain how they were complying with journalistic standards.
(edit)
Here's a bit more background on why Ofcom withdrew PressTV's license, and what PressTV offer as defense:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maziar_Bahari
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/220314.html
Sat, 2012-01-21 12:54
#24
Miscalculation, Provocation or a Staged False Flag Op.? Resist U.S. War Threats on Iran
World won't bow to U.S. dictatesWashington's plans to easily conquer Afghanistan and Iraq and set up stable puppet regimes were frustrated. The U.S. plan for economic war on Iran has also exposed U.S. weaknesses.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner launched a tour of East Asian nations in early January to convince south Korea, China, India and Japan to cut their massive Iranian oil imports and abide by the sanctions.
China and India - both major economies - refused directly. China buys a third of Iran's oil exports.
The Obama administration said that the U.S. would offer countries that applied for a temporary waiver to continue oil purchases from Iran while they made other arrangements. An Indian cabinet minister said India will continue to do business with Iran. South Korea said it would apply for a U.S. waiver because it planned to increase oil purchases from Iran.
The Gladio Gang realize that Tehran will never be a subserviant colonial outpost for the Anglo-American oiligarchy. Their only option is to bomb the daylights out of Iran followed by long-term military occupation, or starting with a "clean slate" as Naomi Klein would say. Such a maneuver should thoroughly bankrupt the U.S. economy while making lots of enemies in Asia. It could even unite Russia and China against the West - something cold war hawks have always worked diligently to ensure never happens. They know then the gig would be up for the Gladio Gang's long-term Halford Mackinderan-Zbiggy Brzezinskian goals for conquering Asia some day.
Sat, 2012-01-21 18:24
#25
Left Turn
Stephen Harper is also employing very disturbing and frightening rhetoric against Iran. Have any of the NDP leadership candidates come out with a statement against Harper's drive to war with Iran?
[url=http://www.straight.com/article-588881/vancouver/derrick-okeefe-stephen-... O'Keefe: Stephen Harper's rhetoric on Iran should frighten us all.[/url]
Later in that same interview with Mansbridge, Harper made perhaps his most dangerous comments yet with respect to Iran. The prime minister has been fear mongering about Iran for some time, repeatedly calling Iran the greatest threat to world peace. Harper one-upped himself in this latest conversation with Mansbridge, asserting that he knew "beyond any doubt" that Iran was working to develop nuclear weapons. Not only that, but Harper stated that he is "absolutely convinced" that Iran "would have no hesitation about using nuclear weapons".This last comment is extraordinary; Harper is in effect claiming to know for a fact that the regime in Tehran is suicidal. Israel already has an arsenal of nuclear weapons-a fact everyone knows but which the government in Tel Aviv has never formally admitted. (Israel, unlike Iran, is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.) Any attack by Iran, let alone its use of hypothetical nuclear weapons, would result in its total obliteration.
There is simply no evidence whatsoever to support Harper's claim, and so it's shocking that there hasn't yet been a loud, outraged reaction by opposition voices in Canadian politics. Harper claims that Iran "frightens" him. In fact, it is Harper's foreign policy that should frighten us all.
...
Harper's fighting words on Iran should be a call to action for the vast majority in Canada who opposed the war on Iraq. The situation is very different today than in 2003, but no less dangerous. In fact it's almost guaranteed that war on Iran would destabilize the whole region, not to mention the fragile global economy. That's why it's almost impossible to overstate the irresponsible nature of Harper's comments.Everyone in Canada working to stop Harper needs to speak up against this insane drive to war with Iran.
Sat, 2012-01-21 18:30
#26
There are already too many countries with nuclear weapons and we definitely don't need additional ones.
Sun, 2012-01-22 05:20
#27
NDPPStephen Harper is also employing very disturbing and frightening rhetoric against Iran. Have any of the NDP leadership candidates come out with a statement against Harper's drive to war with Iran?
Don't know but here's NDP Leader Jack Layton in Canadian Jewish News, April 27, 2011
"...we're certainly willing to work with the Obama administration...and we're very pleased President Obama is taking such strong action around nuclear disarmament because we have deep concerns about Iran's ability to build nuclear weapons..." Jack Layton NDP
Sun, 2012-01-22 09:02
#28
Seems it pretty much amounted to a similar "all aboard" position vis-a-vis Libya in both letter and spirit. There should be little doubt that things will continue to haunt us in this regard through the post-Layton NDP.
Sun, 2012-01-22 10:12
#29
Stephen Harper is also employing very disturbing and frightening rhetoric against Iran. Have any of the NDP leadership candidates come out with a statement against Harper's drive to war with Iran?
Buddy Holly answered that question [url=http://youtu.be/sO_wJEGmfQE]long ago[/url].
Sun, 2012-01-22 11:56
#30
World Peace Hanging By a Threat - by Fidel Castro Ruz
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30317.htm
"...I am convinced that Iran will not commit any rash action that might contribute to setting off a war. If a war were to be unleashed, it would inevitably be completely as a result of the recklessness and congenital irresponsibility of the Yankee Empire.."
Sun, 2012-01-22 16:52
#31
The Case For Regime Change in Iran
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/137038/jamie-m-fly-and-gary-schmi...
"...Bombing Iran's nuclear program would only be a temporary fix. Instead, the United States should plan a larger military operation that also aims to destabilize the regime, and, in turn, resolves the Iranian nuclear crisis once and for all.."
Dr Strangelove is alive and well in the Hannibal Lector US ruling class..
Sun, 2012-01-22 18:00
#32
'Press TV Was Menace to Imperialist UK' (and vid)
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222494.html
"To have a station like Press TV, which provides a different perspective and which isn't about broadcasting war propaganda to justify aggression against independent countries, really is dangerous for imperialist countries like Britain,' Lizzie Phelan said in an interview with Press TV.."
'Press TV Ban Blow to UK Government' (and vid)
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222513.html
George Galloway, a former British MP says Press TV ban is a blow to the UK government and that OFCOM revoked the channel's license because it offers transparent news coverage..
'Well now the whole world can see that flag that you are showing on the screen now is a flag of hypocrisy not democracy,' Galloway concluded."
Sun, 2012-01-22 19:10
#33
Bec.De.Corbin
Just wondering if the BBC was allowed to broadcast in Iran like PressTV was in Great Britian, anybody know?
also...
U.S. aircraft carrier enters Gulf without incident
A U.S. aircraft carrier sailed through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Gulf without incident on Sunday, a day after Iran backed away from an earlier threat to take action if an American carrier returned to the strategic waterway.The carrier USS Abraham Lincoln completed a "regular and routine" passage through the strait, a critical gateway for the region's oil exports, "as previously scheduled and without incident," said Lieutenant Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet.
Sun, 2012-01-22 19:15
#34
Just wondering if the BBC was allowed to broadcast in Iran like PressTV was in Great Britian, anybody know?
Oh I doubt it. We have freedom here in our Anglo-American world, and personally, I'm prepared to invade and slaughter anyone in order to preserve it!!
Sun, 2012-01-22 20:13
#35
I'll bet they are hopping mad that Iran didn't launch a missile at them. The US Military Government will have to find some other excuse now to launch an unprovoked attack.
Sun, 2012-01-22 21:01
#36
Oh bullshit.
Anyone in Britain who wants to find the information provided by PressTV can go find it online just like we are doing here.
For that matter, I have exactly the same access to them as I do to the BBC.
But I fail to see how a broadcast license is that much different than a doctor's license, a driver's license, a business license or a distribution license in that you have to meet certain requirements to get and maintain one. It is a privilege, not a right. And losing one is not the same as censorship.
I might have a bit of sympathy for them if the actually did anything to defend their action. If you are interested, go to their website, search "Bahari" and see what you find.
Is that the "transparent news coverage" Galloway is talking about? For that matter, can you think of any defense of what they did that caused this in the first place?
If we were shown a forced prison confession as news here in Canada I think most people here would rightly scream bloody murder.
They and their supporters are crying about freedom of the press? Let them demonstrate that they ARE legitimate members of the press like they were asked to. I haven't read one word of defense that what they did was legitimate; as far as I am concerned they don't give a shit.
(edit)
After all, it's not like they don't have an audience.
Sun, 2012-01-22 21:53
#37
If we were shown a forced prison confession as news here in Canada I think most people here would rightly scream bloody murder.
[/quote] NDPP
Omar Khadr
Sun, 2012-01-22 22:00
#38
US Posts Elite Commandos Near Iran'
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222504.html
"The US-based Wired magazine says Washington has stationed a specialized team of highly trained commandos near Iran's border for possible sabotage operations...According to Ackerman, the team called Joint Special Operations Task Force Gulf Coordinating Council (JSOTF-GCC) is now on the ground to instruct local troops in special operations.
This is the first time the US has acknowledged the existence of the team, which apparently did not exist before the middle of 2009. The primary day-to-day mission of the team is to mentor military units belonging to the US oil-rich Arab allies...which consider Iran to be their primary foreign threat,' he added.."
Sun, 2012-01-22 22:26
#39
If we were shown a forced prison confession as news here in Canada I think most people here would rightly scream bloody murder.
NDPP
Omar Khadr
Khadr's confession was not edited and presented as presumed fact in the Canadian media. The fact that he was a minor, under duress, blinded and shot in the back, and the lack of evidence and extrajudicial nature of the trial was the overarching part of that story. For that matter, the complicity of Canadian officials in his interrogation was also covered.
But that wasn't my point
Do I think it has happened here in Canada in some form or another? Sure.
My point was that most people here on this site would scream bloody murder about it, and I fail to see the difference in this case.
Sun, 2012-01-22 23:38
#40
NDPPIf you are interested, go to their website, search "Bahari" and see what you find.
Baheri: Press TV Interview Voluntary (and vid)
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/181520.html
"Iranian-born Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari, has acknowledged for the first time that his interview with Iran's English-language Press TV was conducted through his own free will. Bahari had previously claimed that his interview with Press TV was conducted without his consent.
'I said, OK, come and interview me,' Bahari said in an interview with the state-run BBC..."
Mon, 2012-01-23 01:43
#41
@ NDPP
No date on that alleged interview, no link to any story, and no context to indicate what he was actually talking about. Too bad.
Plus, it doesn't jive at all with the complaint he made after his release. Bahari does explain what happened during that interrogation in this episode of BBC Report, which concerns Press TV.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018gsd9
I recommend listening to it, since it provides a lot of background. If the player doesn't work the podcast does. Although I am sure some of it might grate on your ears, there are some things that support your position, even though it has been produced by the BBC. It does talk about PressTV in the context of other foreign outreach networks like Voice of America and BBC World Service, as well as those who saw in it the possibility of a true alternative voice.
Part of the reason why their license was withdrawn is because they have no business claiming to be a UK-based broadcaster when their editorial decisions are made in Iran. While certainly there has been a call to remove them from the airwaves, one wonders why the broadcasting arm of the royal family decided to rule in their favour on this other issue:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/mar/23/ofcom-iranian-tv-murder-reco...
Look, I have no interest in derailing this thread on this, because I am as alarmed about the push for war as everyone else here. But there is absolutely no defense for torturing people and forcing them to make statements under duress on television.
Mon, 2012-01-23 03:46
#42
Fair enough. On...
Mon, 2012-01-23 09:44
#43
Mon, 2012-01-23 10:31
#44
'Israel to Give Obama 12 Hours Notice on Attacking Iran'
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30323.htm
"Israel told visiting US General Dempsey that Obama would get no more than 12 hours notice before an attack on Iran, the London Times reports Sunday...
US Aircraft Carriers to Deliver 'Direct Message to Iran'
http://rt.com/news/aircraft-carrier-hormuz-iran-391/
"In an apparent show of strength, Washington is deploying a second carrier strike group in the Gulf. US officials also confirmed their commitment to maintain a global fleet of 11 aircraft carriers despite budget promises to cut the fleet's size.."
Mon, 2012-01-23 11:53
#45
M. Spector
Derrick O'Keefe: [url=http://www.straight.com/article-588881/vancouver/derrick-okeefe-stephen-... Harper's rhetoric on Iran should frighten us all[/url]
The toxic brew of Big Oil and militarism at the core of Stephen Harper’s politics has been on full display this week.
In an interview with Peter Mansbridge on CBC’s The National, Harper connected the threat of a new conflagration in the Middle East with his ongoing push for new pipelines to export tar sands crude from Alberta....
The prime minister has been fear mongering about Iran for some time, repeatedly calling Iran the greatest threat to world peace. Harper one-upped himself in this latest conversation with Mansbridge, asserting that he knew "beyond any doubt" that Iran was working to develop nuclear weapons. Not only that, but Harper stated that he is "absolutely convinced" that Iran "would have no hesitation about using nuclear weapons".
This last comment is extraordinary; Harper is in effect claiming to know for a fact that the regime in Tehran is suicidal. Israel already has an arsenal of nuclear weapons-a fact everyone knows but which the government in Tel Aviv has never formally admitted. (Israel, unlike Iran, is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.) Any attack by Iran, let alone its use of hypothetical nuclear weapons, would result in its total obliteration.
There is simply no evidence whatsoever to support Harper's claim, and so [b]it's shocking that there hasn't yet been a loud, outraged reaction by opposition voices in Canadian politics.[/b] Harper claims that Iran "frightens" him. In fact, it is Harper's foreign policy that should frighten us all....
Harper’s fighting words on Iran should be a call to action for the vast majority in Canada who opposed the war on Iraq. The situation is very different today than in 2003, but no less dangerous. In fact it’s almost guaranteed that war on Iran would destabilize the whole region, not to mention the fragile global economy. That’s why it’s almost impossible to overstate the irresponsible nature of Harper’s comments.
Mon, 2012-01-23 12:01
#46
Bravo, Derrick - and thanks Spector for this article. It's shameful that no one in official political circles has a word to say. Harper has free rein on foreign policy, as he did when he was in a minority situation.
Mon, 2012-01-23 12:28
#47
THAT IS 'what official political circles have to say...
Mon, 2012-01-23 13:25
#48
It's shameful that no one in official political circles has a word to say.
Well they do actually have words to say...in the same sense as words we might hear from certain types of playback technology, such as that normally associated with stenographers and dictaphone machines.
Mon, 2012-01-23 16:07
#49
Assassinate Obama If He Won't Attack Iran for Israel, Jewish Monthly Suggests - by Paul Koring
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/worldview/assassinate-obama-if...
"Adler's crazy and criminal suggestions are not the ranting of some loony-tune individual,' opined Chemi Shalev, a political analyst at the leading Israeli newspaper Haaretz, 'They were not taken out of the air. Rather, they are the inevitable result of the inordinate volume of repugnant venom that some of Obama's political rivals, Jews and non-Jews alike, have been spewing for the last three years.."
and how perfectly timed all this to mask the reality of Obama's abject subservience to Israel's hit parade of 'vital interests', including Iran.
Tue, 2012-01-24 00:29
#50
M. Spector
Bravo, Derrick - and thanks Spector for this article. It's shameful that no one in official political circles has a word to say. Harper has free rein on foreign policy, as he did when he was in a minority situation.
I heard from a friend who attended Brian Topp's campaign event in Burnaby a day or two ago that Topp dodged a direct question from the floor about whether he would condemn Harper's drive towards war with Iran.
Tue, 2012-01-24 00:35
#51
I'm not hearing any suggestions here how Iran is going to be prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons. We already have too many countries with nuclear weapons and we don't need to add to the list.