CROPfm Forum

In what's described as a "farewell tour," President Bush is on a six-country European visit. Included in his agenda is asking his hosts to make greater contributions to Afghanistan -- both in money and troops, as well as the ongoing issue of Iran's nuclear program.

When asked about Iran at a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Bush repeated his standard refrain of, "all options are on the table."

The past week's spate of signals that Israel might be preparing a strike against Iranian nuclear targets - an attack which would almost certainly provoke a wave of retaliation engulfing Hizbullah and Lebanon in regional conflict - amounts to nothing more than posturing to prod the West in negotiations with the Islamic Republic, a number of analysts told The Daily Star.

Is Israel really preparing to attack Iran? The New York Times today describes a June Israeli military exercise U.S. officials say "appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities." A "senior Pentagon official" said a goal of the exercise "was to send a clear message to the United States" and Europe that Israel was prepared to act militarily if U.S. pressure to stop Iran from enriching uranium continued to fail.

The commander of the Revolutionary Guards said Iran would impose controls on shipping in the vital Gulf oil transit route if the Islamic Republic came under attack, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

Speculation about a possible attack on Iran because of its disputed nuclear ambitions has risen since a report this month said Israel had practiced such a strike.

Athens has denied a report suggesting that its joint military maneuver with Israel was in 'preparation' for an aerial strike on Iran.

"The exercise has no connection with Israeli 'preparations' for an attack on Iran, as has been inaccurately reported," said Greek government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos.

hi,

warum machst du denn einen neuen thread über iran auf ? in meinem hätte es doch auch getan.

Wenn der Iran trumpft, hat der Dollar ausgespielt

Die Sanktionen gegen den Iran bewirken, dass die Islamische Republik ihren Öl- und Erdgashandel vermehrt auf asiatische Staaten und Russland verlagert. Eine neu eingerichtete Ölbörse rechnet nicht mehr länger in Dollarpreisen. Der Iran stösst damit auf grosses Interesse der Schwellenländer.

Noted document debunker Charles Johnson has noticed something peculiar about one of Iran's bits of official propaganda following Wednesday's missile launch.

Unless Iranian missile exhaust tends to form remarkably regular patterns, someone's been busying himself with the clone tool.

Nine highly advanced missiles with improved accuracy were simultaneously tested including the Shahab-3, Zelzal and Fateh missiles with ranges of 2000km, 400km and 170km respectively

Defence sources have claimed that Iran has moved ballistic missiles into launch positions, with Israel's Dimona nuclear plant among the possible targets. This comes as speculation intensifies over a possible Israeli attack on Iran. Inside Story asks what this increased tension means for the handling of the Iranian nuclear issue and the stability of the Gulf.

Latest update at 3 p.m. Eastern Agence France-Presse has retracted the image as “apparently digitally altered.” More developments at the bottom of the post.

Amerikas Geschäfte im Iran blühen


Die amerikanischen Iran-Exporte haben sich in der Regierungszeit von Präsident George W. Bush verzehnfacht. Die Daten des US-Handelsministeriums sind besonders peinlich, da Wahington seine westlichen Partner mit Vehemenz zu einer Einstellung der Iran-Lieferungen drängt. In den USA ist ein Streit um die Sanktionen gegen Iran entbrannt.

:lol: @ anselm, tolles Bild.

Spekulationen über Geheimpläne zu US-Militärbasis nahe Grenze zum Iran

Atomgipfel: Tauwetter zwischen USA und dem Iran

William Burns, Staatssekretär im US-Außenamt, trifft am Samstag in Genf den iranischen Nuklear-Unterhändler. Es ist der höchste Kontakt zwischen den Erzfeinden seit der Islamischen Revolution 1979.