Upcoming war against Iran and the consequences for Armenia

[Mher]

Re: Upcoming war against Iran and the consequences for Armenia

Iran demands official U.S. apology

October 31, 2011 - 16:02 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran is pushing back against U.S. efforts to strengthen sanctions against Tehran in response to an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington, demanding a public apology and unspecified monetary damages.

The Iranian demands were contained in a recent letter to the U.S., according to an Iranian diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. It calls on the U.S. to apologize publicly to both the Islamic republic and officials of the Al Quds Force for “material and moral damages” caused by “this baseless accusation,” which it argues violated "international rules and regulations."

The letter states that such deception has become "a permanent part of statecraft in the U.S.," according to the source, citing as an example the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which it says was “based on such false information.”

"After killing hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis and U.S. soldiers and wasting billions of dollars from the U.S. citizens' pocket, the U.S. has no other way out except leaving Iraq," the diplomatic source said, recounting the argument made in the letter, NBC News reported.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/82372/

[Mher]

Re: Upcoming war against Iran and the consequences for Armenia

U.S. plans to bolster military presence in Persian Gulf
October 30, 2011 - 18:10 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Obama administration plans to bolster the American military presence in the Persian Gulf after it withdraws the remaining troops from Iraq this year, according to officials and diplomats. That repositioning could include new combat forces in Kuwait able to respond to a collapse of security in Iraq or a military confrontation with Iran.

The plans, under discussion for months, gained new urgency after President Obama's announcement this month that the last American soldiers would be brought home from Iraq by the end of December. Ending the eight-year war was a central pledge of his presidential campaign, but American military officers and diplomats, as well as officials of several countries in the region, worry that the withdrawal could leave instability or worse in its wake.

After unsuccessfully pressing both the Obama administration and the Iraqi government to permit as many as 20,000 American troops to remain in Iraq beyond 2011, the Pentagon is now drawing up an alternative.

In addition to negotiations over maintaining a ground combat presence in Kuwait, the United States is considering sending more naval warships through international waters in the region.

With an eye on the threat of a belligerent Iran, the administration is also seeking to expand military ties with the six nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, The New York Times reported.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/82300/

[Mos]

Re: Upcoming war against Iran and the consequences for Armenia

this american bullxxxx is becoming so obvouse. starting from the 9/11 to this absurd assassination plot. iran should do something similar. for example blow up a building full of zionists and blame it on america.

The assassination plot is so ridiculous and absurd. Iran should do nothing, so the whole world watches the true nature of the violent and imperialistic US foreign policy.

[haysip]

Re: Upcoming war against Iran and the consequences for Armenia

this american bullxxxx is becoming so obvouse. starting from the 9/11 to this absurd assassination plot. iran should do something similar. for example blow up a building full of zionists and blame it on america.

[Mos]

Re: Upcoming war against Iran and the consequences for Armenia

Iraq becoming an Iranian ally, and Assad regaining control in Syria and remaining part of the Iranian alliance is of great interest to Armenia. We need a strong Iran in the middle east (as opposed to a strong Saudi Arabia & friends).

[Tigranakert]

Re: Upcoming war against Iran and the consequences for Armenia

EU leaders threaten Iran and Syria with more sanctions

BRUSSELS | Sun Oct 23, 2011 1:38pm EDT
(Reuters) - European leaders warned Iran on Sunday it would face tougher sanctions if it failed to address concerns about its nuclear programme and said they would tighten restrictions on Syria if it continued to repress its population.

At a Brussels summit, the 27 EU states called on Iran to engage in "constructive and substantial talks" with Western powers to bring about a negotiated solution to the nuclear question "to avoid possible future restrictive measures."

EU leaders called in a statement for the preparation of new sanctions "to be implemented at the appropriate moment in the case that Iran continues not to cooperate seriously nor to meet its obligations."

They also warned Syria the European Union "will impose further and more comprehensive measures against the regime as long as the repression of the civilian population continues."

Washington and the European Union have already pushed four rounds of sanctions through the United Nations over Iran's nuclear programme as well as unilateral measures that have deterred Western investment in Iran's oil sector and made it harder to move money in and out of the country.

On Saturday, Iran dismissed a threat by Washington to impose sanctions on its central bank in response to an alleged assassination plot, saying the United Nations would block the plan and other central banks would not accept it.

Imposing sanctions on the central bank would make it more difficult for Iran to receive payment for exports -- particularly oil, a vital source of hard currency for the world's fifth biggest crude exporter.

However, any new U.N. action would require need the assent of permanent Security Council members Russia and China, which backed previous rounds of sanctions but may be hard to persuade to go further on the basis of the allegations made so far.

NUCLEAR TALKS OFFER

The European warning to Iran came after EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton responded last week to an Iranian offer to resume talks by saying there must be no repeat of the last round in January, which ended with no progress.

Ashton has been leading efforts on behalf of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, as well as China and Russia, to negotiate with Tehran over its nuclear activities, which the West believes is aimed at building atomic bombs.

Iran has said it is willing to resume discussions, but insists that other countries recognize its right to enrich uranium, which the West sees as an unacceptable precondition.

Ashton said the six would be willing to resume talks in weeks if Iran was ready to discuss concrete confidence-building measures without pre-conditions. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful production of energy.

The European Union already tightened sanctions against Syria this month, adding the Commercial Bank of Syria to a list of entities sanctioned in protest against repression of dissent.

The United Nations says 3,000 people have died in the unrest in Syria, including at least 187 children. The U.N. human rights chief has demanded that the world act to stop the carnage and warned of full-blown civil war in the country.

The EU imposed an embargo on crude oil imports from Syria in September and banned EU firms from new investment in its oil industry. It also imposed sanctions on the main mobile phone firm, Syriatel, and the largest private company, Cham Holding.

However, the effect of the EU sanctions has been blunted by the blocking by Russia and China of a U.N. resolution that could have led to broader imposition of such steps.

The EU leaders urged "all members of the U.N. Security Council to assume their responsibilities in relation to the situation in Syria."

[Tigranakert]

Re: Upcoming war against Iran and the consequences for Armenia

Sen. McCain Says U.S. May Consider Military Action in Syria

AP
Oct. 23, 2011: U.S. Sen. John McCain speaks during the World Economic Forum meeting in the King Hussein Bin Talal convention center at the Dead Sea, 34 miles southeast of Amman, Jordan.
SOUTHERN SHUNEH, Jordan – U.S. Senator John McCain said Sunday that military action to protect civilians in Syria might be considered now that NATO's air campaign in Libya is ending.
However, President Barack Obama's administration has made clear it has no appetite for military intervention in Syria -- a close ally of Iran that sits on Israel's border -- and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton noted Sunday that the Syrian opposition has not called for such action as President Bashar Assad's regime.
"Now that military operations in Libya are ending, there will be renewed focus on what practical military operations might be considered to protect civilian lives in Syria," McCain said at the World Economic Forum in Jordan. "The Assad regime should not consider that it can get away with mass murder. Qaddafi made that mistake and it cost him everything," he added, referring to ousted Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi who was captured and killed last week by fighters loyal to the new government.

"Iran's rulers would be wise to heed similar counsel," McCain said.
It was not clear whether the Republican senator from Arizona was referring to American or NATO military action against the Syrian regime, which has waged a 7-month crackdown on opposition protesters and killed about 3,000 people, according to the U.N.
However, international intervention, such as the NATO action in Libya that helped topple Qaddafi, is all but out of the question in Syria. Washington and its allies have shown little inclination for getting involved militarily in another Arab nation in turmoil. There also is real concern that Assad's ouster would spread chaos around the region.
Syria is a geographical and political keystone in the heart of the Middle East, bordering five countries with which it shares religious and ethnic minorities and, in Israel's case, a fragile truce. Its web of alliances extends to Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement and Iran's Shiite theocracy. There are worries that a destabilized Syria could send unsettling ripples through the region.
Most Syrian opposition groups, inside and outside Syria, also have said they oppose military intervention.
Mohammad Habash, a member of Syria's outgoing parliament, said such military action "will only bring catastrophes, wars and blood and this is what we don't wish at all."
"We believe that the best way to protect civilians is diplomatic pressure and pushing the regime to sit and talk with the opposition and pushing the opposition to sit with the regime," said Habash, who has been linked to the regime but has recently tried to position himself between the government and the opposition.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said on "Fox News Sunday" that Washington is "strongly supporting a change from Assad and also an opposition that only engages in peaceful demonstration." But she stressed that Syria's opposition has not called for the kind of outside intervention that Libya's opposition did.

McCain also warned Iran after it was accused in the United States of backing a plot never carried out to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S.
"Their plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington has only reminded Americans of the threat posed by this regime, how it is killing Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan, supporting violent groups across the region, destabilizing Arab countries, propping up the Assad regime, seeking nuclear weapons, xxxxxling on the dignity of Iran's people."
Iran has maintained its backing for Assad's regime, but has increasingly urged him to halt attacks on protesters and open dialogue seeking to end the unrest. Tehran has dismissed the U.S. allegations of the plot as "baseless" and has said it was willing to examine hard evidence that the U.S. claims links Tehran and the foiled assassination conspiracy.
Iranian officials have rejected tough talk from Washington as "rhetoric," saying the U.S. is not in a position to attack the Islamic Republic. The country regularly holds war games to showcase its capabilities in defending its nuclear facilities from possible attack.

The elite Revolutionary Guard, Iran's most powerful military force, has warned that there would be a strong Iranian response should the U.S. take military action against the country. Iran repeatedly has threatened to target Israel should the U.S. or Israel take military action against it.
McCain also accused Iran of trying to "hijack" the Arab Spring.
"No issue unifies the American people more than the need to protect our friends, our allies, our interests from the comprehensive threat posed by the Iranian regime. No one should test our resolve in this matter," McCain said.
"Not to say that American leadership is neither welcomed nor wanted in the Middle East today. To the contrary, as I travel across this region, I have met with heads of state, young democratic activists business leaders and nearly every single one wants more American leadership and not less."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011...#ixzz1bgvtUJOo

[arakeretzig]

Re: Upcoming war against Iran and the consequences for Armenia

Iran's time will come gradually. Zionest's plans of surrounding Iran is going according to plan. Syria is next

[Mher]

Re: Upcoming war against Iran and the consequences for Armenia

Clinton to Iran: Don't misread departure from Iraq

WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran should not misread the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq as affecting the U.S. commitment to the fledgling democracy, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday.

President Barack Obama's announcement Friday that all American troops would return from Iraq by the end of the year will close a chapter on U.S.-Iraq relations that began in 2003 with the U.S.-led invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

Washington has long worried that meddling by Iran, a Shiite Muslim theocracy, could inflame tensions between Iraq's Shiite-led government and its minority Sunnis, setting off a chain reaction of violence and disputes across the Mideast.

Clinton said in a series of news show interviews that the U.S. would continue its training mission with Iraq and that it would resemble operations in Colombia and elsewhere. While the U.S. will not have combat troops in Iraq, she said the American presence would remain strong because of its bases in the region.

"Iran would be badly miscalculating if they did not look at the entire region and all of our presence in many countries in the region, both in bases, in training, with NATO allies, like Turkey," she told CNN's "State of the Union."

Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" about fears of civil war in Iraq after U.S. troops leave, Clinton said, "Well, let's find out. ... We know that the violence is not going to automatically end."

She added: "No one should miscalculate America's resolve and commitment to helping support the Iraqi democracy. We have paid too high a price to give the Iraqis this chance. And I hope that Iran and no one else miscalculates that."

In an interview released Saturday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tehran has "a very good relationship" with Iraq's government, and said the relationship will continue to grow.

"We have deepened our ties day by day," Ahmadinejad said in the interview, broadcast Saturday on CNN.

The timeline for U.S. troop withdrawals had been agreed to by President George W. Bush and Iraqi leaders. Obama had campaigned for the presidency with the promise to end America's war in Iraq.

For months the Obama administration negotiated with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials to extend the stay of troops and to build permanent bases. Both sides saw advantages to keeping several thousand U.S. troops in Iraq as part of a training mission, but there was also strong opposition in the U.S. and Iraq for the American troops to stay.

A sticking point was the U.S. demand that American troops be granted legal immunity to shield them from Iraqi prosecution, a flashpoint for Iraqi anger over the Americans' special status in their homeland.

In Iraq, cheers and fears greeted Obama's announcement as the country pondered another period of uncertain transition. While many celebrated what they viewed as the end of a foreign occupation, there was also apprehension over what would happen without U.S. troops on hand to help control political and social divisions that still spark shootings and bombings.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the withdrawal decision "a serious mistake" that is viewed in the region as a victory for Iran. He also said the presence of U.S. bases elsewhere in the region will have little impact on Iraq.

"There was never really serious negotiations between the administration and the Iraqis," McCain told "This Week" on ABC. "I believe we could have negotiated an agreement. And I'm very, very concerned about increased Iranian influence in Iraq."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who also serves on the committee, criticized Obama for "not being able to close the deal" with Iraq, and he said the Iranians remain emboldened with "a shot in Iraq they would never had otherwise." He also expressed concern over Iran's nuclear program.

"The Iranians don't fear us at all," Graham said on "Fox News Sunday." He added: "At a time when we need troops in Iraq to secure the place against intervention by Iran and the bad actors in the region, we are going into 2012 with none. It was his job, the Obama administration's job, to end this well. They failed."

http://news.yahoo.com/clinton-iran-dont-misread-departure-iraq-131547831.html

[Eddo211]

Re: Upcoming war against Iran and the consequences for Armenia

The mission has been accomplished in Iraq, troops will be coming home.......however the US largest state of the art facility and fully self sufficent Military base with its own runways will continue to function under a no fly zone. The place is huge generating its own power and protected by automated defense system, a fortress.