Page 5 of 24 FirstFirst ... 3456715 ... LastLast
Results 121 to 150 of 712

Thread: Target: Iran

  1. #121
    Quote Originally Posted by goldenequity View Post
    Lee Saks @lee_Saks

    FORMER #IRAN PRES AHMADINEJAD ARRESTED IN SHIRAZ ON INCITEMENT TO VIOLENCE: AL QUDS AL ARABI. #OOTT

    Iran's Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Arrested For Inciting Unrest
    https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...-unrest-report
    Caleb T. Maupin @Calebmaupin
    Reports of the #Ahmadinejad arrest in #Iran are #fakenews. I have confirmation of this. He has not been arrested. #IranProtests #IranProtesters



  2. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  3. #122
    https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...-iran-protests

    And then there was Bibi Netanyahu's surprising televised address to "the Iranian people" on behalf of the state of Israel, wishing them "success in their noble quest for freedom" - something which we predicted would only have an adverse effect on the demonstrators' momentum
    , considering that authorities in Tehran accused protest leaders of serving the interests of and being in league with foreign "enemies" like Saudi Arabia and Israel nearly from day one.
    The address was surprising precisely because it was the surest way to kill the protests as quickly as possible. From the moment Netanyahu publicly declared, "When this regime [the Iranian government] finally falls, and one day it will, Iranians and Israelis will be great friends once again" - all the air was sucked out of whatever momentum the protesters had.
    For many average Iranians who had not yet joined anti-government demonstrations at that point, Bibi's speech gave them every incentive to stay home. All that the regime had to say at that point was, "see, you are in league with enemies of the nation!" And that is exactly what Tehran did. It was on the very Monday of Netanyahu's speech that Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it would be taking charge of the security situation in Tehran, though likely they were mobilized earlier.

    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s energy minister, confirmed there had been contact between Israel and Saudi Arabia but said that Riyadh was eager to keep the cooperation a secret.
    "We have ties that are indeed partly covert with many Muslim and Arab countries, and usually (we are) the party that is not ashamed,” Mr Steinitz said.
    "It's the other side that is interested in keeping the ties quiet. With us, usually, there is no problem, but we respect the other side's wish, when ties are developing, whether it's with Saudi Arabia or with other Arab countries or other Muslim countries.”

    More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/israeli-m...150807982.html

    Why?
    Is Israel trying to bring down the house of Saud?
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz wants Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to visit Israel and would like King Salman to officially invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Riyadh, The Daily Star reported Dec. 13.

    More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...i-crown-prince

    This open exposure of the relationship has to be intended to cause the fall of the Saudi regime.

    Related: Saudi, Israel May Set Up ‘Joint Military Headquarters’



    New theory:

    Israel has been playing a VERY long game in the middle east, they want Iran to win either because they are secret allies or because they want them built up enough to be considered a legitimate threat by the US or EU or Russia etc. and a war to destroy them can be started.

    That is why we took out Saddam and why they are undermining the Saudis.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  4. #123
    Iran Fears "Cultural Invasion" - Bans English Lessons In Primary Schools

    After a week of unrest in Iran, which the government has blamed on foreign agents, senior education officials have forbidden English lessons from being taught in all primary schools.


    Speaking to national broadcaster IRIB, Deutsche Welle reports that High Education Council leader Mehdi Navid-Adham called the English language a gateway to the "cultural invasion" of the West.
    "Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations," Navid-Adham was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.
    "This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid."



    More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...rimary-schools
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  5. #124
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Iran Fears "Cultural Invasion" - Bans English Lessons In Primary Schools

    After a week of unrest in Iran, which the government has blamed on foreign agents, senior education officials have forbidden English lessons from being taught in all primary schools.


    Speaking to national broadcaster IRIB, Deutsche Welle reports that High Education Council leader Mehdi Navid-Adham called the English language a gateway to the "cultural invasion" of the West.
    "Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations," Navid-Adham was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.
    "This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid."



    How Mainstream Media Lose Their Reputation - #Fakenews On Iran And Egypt
    http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/01...and-egypt.html

  6. #125
    Quote Originally Posted by goldenequity View Post



    How Mainstream Media Lose Their Reputation - #Fakenews On Iran And Egypt
    http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/01...and-egypt.html
    Interesting, but they might have banned private schools from teaching English that early.

    I don't really care one way or the other, they are being targeted and not teaching their children English until they are older is not some kind of crime anyway.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  7. #126
    I had thoroughly investigated 9/11 (or at least thought I did): https://www.lawfulpath.com/forum/vie...start=20#p4559

    I was looking for information on Iran and was shocked to find that Iran has been sentenced to pay more than $10.5 billion because they were found guilty for the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001...
    They used for “evidence” the wonderful (undisputed) work of the 9/11 Commission that was ordered to explain how the official story could have been true.
    The 9/11 Commission claimed that some of the reported hijackers had not only travelled through Iran, but Iranian border authorities didn’t stamp the passports of the “terrorists”. Otherwise this group of 19 Muslim extremists would have drawn attention from the US authorities.

    The most important “evidence” appears to be what former Iranian intelligence agent Abolghasem Meshabi had to say.
    They also used for “evidence” the confessions of the “terrorist” that were tortured into confessing at Guantanamo Bay (and similar locations).
    US expert witnesses explained that in their “expert” opinion, Iran was behind it all, including Daniel L. Byman, Janice L. Kephart, Patrick Clawson, Claire M. Lopez, Bruce D. Tefft, and Ronen Bergman.
    “Investigative journalist” Kenneth Timmerman confirmed that Meshabi is very credible. Timmerman was even used as expert witness.

    On 9 March 2016, a US civil court ruled that Iran must pay the victims of 9/11 more than $10.5 billion in fines (this is just a short document without explanation):
    The Ashton plaintiffs are awarded a default judgment against Iran in the amount of $7,494,720,000. The Federal Insurance plaintiffs are awarded a default judgment against Iran in the amount of $3,040,998,426.03.
    https://law.justia.com/cases/federal...977/39284/785/


    The same judge that pronounced Iran guilty, George B. Daniels, had on 29 September 2015 ruled that Saudi Arabia can’t be sued because it has sovereign immunity.
    On 14 March 2016, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Iran won’t pay, because:
    The ruling is ludicrous and absurd to the point that it makes a mockery of the principle of justice while [it] further tarnishes the US judiciary’s reputation.
    http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2016/...fuses-pay.html


    On 23 May 2013, FBI Agent Daniel A. Mehochko was honored for his report in which he explained that the events of 9/11: "provided an unprecedented opportunity for a strategic rapprochement between the United States and Iran”.
    Iran didn’t even claim that 9/11 was nothing but a false flag…
    At the January 2002 Afghanistan Donors Conference in Tokyo, Iran even pledged $540 million in assistance for the new Afghan puppet government, compared to the $290 million committed by the United States: https://www.strategic-culture.org/ne...-for-9-11.html


    The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) of Trump backer Sheldon Adelson also pushes for the war against Iran.
    For more information on Sheldon Adelson, who on 3 October met Donald Trump and Jared Kushner at the White House to discuss strategies to make the most out of the 1 October Las Vegas “mass shooting”: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...etal-detectors

    The FDD explained that it’s unreasonable that Iran didn’t pay after it was sentenced to pay more than $56 billion to American terror victims. This includes over $1 billion that were awarded against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself.

    This sort of means that Iran can be found liable for every terrorist attack for which Hezbollah, Hamas and even USAma Bin Laden had already been “proven” guilty. To me that this looks like changing history in the best Orwellian tradition…
    On 20 April 2016, the US Supreme Court ruled that nearly $2 billion in frozen Iranian government funds must be turned over to injured survivors and families of Americans killed in several terrorist attacks for which Iran was found liable by US courts. Even after this $2 billion has been paid (how much of this went to the lawyers?) Iran still owes $53 billion in outstanding federal court judgments to American victims of “Iranian terrorism”: http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media...npaid-us-cour/
    (archived here: http://archive.is/Rjqck)

    Havlish obtained a $6.1 billion judgment against Iran, but Iran refused to pay.
    On 25 May 2016, the US court ruled that victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, wouldn´t get (part of) the $2.1 billion that Royal Dutch Shell rightfully owed Iran, but couldn´t pay because of the sanctions.
    Maybe Shell would rather keep the $2.1 billion…

    The US District Court in New York decided that Royal Dutch Shell doesn´t conduct a “continuous and systematic” business in the state of New York, so has no jurisdiction: http://royaldutchshellplc.com/2017/0...tch-shell-plc/


    I think that sanctions against Iran could be just another ploy to grant a monopoly to the big oil corporations that are effectively above the law.
    The result of this embargo is that the Erdogan family got a monopoly on gas from Iran.
    And... Royal Dutch Shell makes billions of Euros from Iranian oil.

    In March 2010, Royal Dutch Shell was caught loading Iranian crude on theoil tanker Front Page (evading sanctions). The Front Page left a port in the UAE on March 17 and reported it was going to another UAE port, then on to Saudi Arabia. Ship-tracking data reveal that Front Page also made an unreported stop, to the coast of Iran where it loaded Iranian oil.

    Total SA chartered another oil tanker that stopped in Iran in March 2010. This oil tanker turned off its tracking transponder throughout the visit, according to ship-tracking data (this link is obviously not to a site affiliated with Royal Dutch Shell…): http://royaldutchshellplc.com/2010/0...es-discreetly/
    (archived here: http://archive.is/rk0Jf)

    According to Reuters, in March 2012 an Iranian tanker delivered 1.5 million barrels of oil to Shell’s refinery in Singapore despite sanctions.
    Royal Dutch Shell claimed that it “complies with all all applicable sanctions”.
    Some industry sources claim that Shell is one of the biggest consumers of Iranian crude worldwide: https://www.reuters.com/article/iran...8E245620120302
    (archived here: http://archive.is/Xzogu)
    Do NOT ever read my posts. Google and Yahoo wouldn’t block them without a very good reason: Google-censors-the-world/page3

    The Order of the Garter rules the world: Order of the Garter and the Carolingian dynasty

  8. #127
    New sanctions imposed by Washington targeting Iranian businesses and officials are in violation of international law, and any “fixes” to the nuclear deal will be rejected, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
    In a statement published by the state-run IRNA news agency, the ministry said that Tehran would not accept any changes to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), “neither at present nor in the future,” emphasizing that it will “not take any measures beyond the commitments it has made” under the agreement.
    The targeting of one of the officials, judiciary chief Sadegh Amoli Larijani, “crossed the red line of international diplomacy and is against the basic principles of international law and a violation of bilateral and international commitments of the US” and would provoke a “fitting reaction” from Iran, the foreign ministry said in its statement.
    Trump's policy & today’s announcement amount to desperate attempts to undermine a solid multilateral agreement, maliciously violating its paras 26, 28 & 29. JCPOA is not renegotiable: rather than repeating tired rhetoric, US must bring itself into full compliance -just like Iran.
    — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 12, 2018
    President Donald Trump on Friday announced that he would for the last time waive economic sanctions that were lifted under the nuclear deal, while warning Washington’s European allies that the US would pull out of the accord if they did not fix its “terrible flaws.” Specifically, Trump called for the removal of the so-called “sunset clauses,” which allow Iran to gradually resume nuclear activities in the next decade. Trump’s ultimatum was also paired with fresh sanctions against Iran for alleged human rights abuses and ballistic missile development. Under the new sanctions regime, the Treasury Department will target 14 officials, businessmen and companies from Iran, China and Malaysia, freezing any assets they have in the US.

    More at: https://www.infowars.com/iran-reject...new-sanctions/
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  9. #128
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    New sanctions imposed by Washington targeting Iranian businesses and officials are in violation of international law, and any “fixes” to the nuclear deal will be rejected, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
    gulp.
    The ultimatum puts pressure on Europeans, key backers of the 2015 nuclear deal,
    to satisfy
    Trump,
    who wants the pact strengthened with a separate agreement within 120 days
    .

    CONDITIONS

    Trump laid out conditions to keep Washington in the deal. Iran must allow “immediate inspections at all sites requested by international inspectors,” he said, and “sunset” provisions imposing limits on Iran’s nuclear program must not expire.

    While approving the waiver on U.S. sanctions related to the nuclear deal,

    Washington announced other sanctions against 14 Iranian entities and people,
    including judiciary head Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, a close ally of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
    .



  10. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  11. #129
    Tehran

    IRNA – Minister of Defense Brigadier General Amir Hatami met with Pakistani Minister for Defense Production Rana Tanveer Hussain in Tehran on Tuesday.

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTueaxMWAAE-LUO.jpg:large
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTuebwWXcAA4WMY.jpg:large
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTuecqnXkAAAxon.jpg:large
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTuedQKWkAAX4Vg.jpg:large

    Armenian News-NEWSam
    @NEWSam_English
    Iran intends to register Armenian cathedral in Isfahan as World Heritage.
    https://news.am/eng/news/431614.html




    (ha. Can you see this happening in Riyadh?)

  12. #130
    "Let it not be said that we did nothing." - Dr. Ron Paul. "Stand up for what you believe in, even if you are standing alone." - Sophie Magdalena Scholl
    "War is the health of the State." - Randolph Bourne "Freedom is the answer. ... Now, what's the question?" - Ernie Hancock.

  13. #131
    Quote Originally Posted by AZJoe View Post
    Exactly-

    But that evil Iran is baaaaaad for wanting to have it's oil profits go to the Iranian people and for taking back it's country from the US/Brit coupe, in 1979.
    There is no spoon.

  14. #132
    "Let it not be said that we did nothing." - Dr. Ron Paul. "Stand up for what you believe in, even if you are standing alone." - Sophie Magdalena Scholl
    "War is the health of the State." - Randolph Bourne "Freedom is the answer. ... Now, what's the question?" - Ernie Hancock.

  15. #133
    Why Europe Must Reject U.S. Blackmail Over Iran's Nuclear Agreement - An Update
    http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/01...an-update.html



  16. #134
    IRAN

    02/19 10:36 IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: ACTS OF ISRAELI AGGRESSION IN SYRIA SHOULD STOP

    02/19 10:36 U.S. DECISION ON JERUSALEM DERIVES FROM ANTI-IRANIAN LOGIC - LAVROV

    Iran has no military bases in Syria - foreign minister

    NO ONE CAN PUT IRANIAN MISSILE PROGRAM UNDER CONTROL - ZARIF TO INTERFAX

    02/19 10:36 LAVROV: RUSSIA SEES IRAN'S STATEMENTS THAT ISRAEL MUST BE DESTROYED AS UNACCEPTABLE

    Lavrov: Russia won’t accept statements on destroying Israel or on fighting Iran
    http://tass.com/politics/990684

    02/19 10:38 INCIDENTS AT SYRIAN-ISRAELI BORDER SHOULD BE SETTLED THROUGH UN MECHANISMS, WHICH SHOULD CONDUCT INVESTIGATION - LAVROV


    02/19 10:41 IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: CONFRONTATION BETWEEN TEHRAN, RIYADH UNNECESSARY OR EVEN DANGEROUS, THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE RESOLVED

    02/19 10:42 Tehran sees U.S. attack on Syrian forces on Feb 7 as dangerous precedent with long-term consequences.

    OCCUPATION OF NORTHEASTERN SYRIA BY U.S. IS ATTEMPT TO ROB SYRIA, PREVENT RUSSIA, IRAN FROM PARTICIPATING IN DEVELOPMENT OF ITS ECONOMIC WEALTH - ADVISER TO SYRIAN PRESIDENT

    LAVROV, IN REPLY TO FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER'S REMARK THAT IRAN SHOULD WITHDRAW ITS FORCES FROM SYRIA: UNLIKE FRANCE, IRAN INVITED BY LEGITIMATE GOVT

  17. #135
    Basij militia
    With a nominal strength of over 13 million, The Basij militia is an Iranian volunteer force of Islamic government loyalists
    often called out onto the streets at times of crisis...

    The Basij Special Unit against a bus...




    Where in Iran? Why? I have no other information other than it was posted today.


    UPDATE: (msm: set filters to 'HIGH')

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/5-officer...091449982.html
    https://m.investing.com/news/world-n...7360?ampMode=1
    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/20/w...es-tehran.html
    Last edited by goldenequity; 02-20-2018 at 09:08 AM.

  18. #136
    US Army Major Speaks Out: US Military Should Stay Out of Iran

    Last week, after Israel reportedly shot down an Iranian drone and Prime Minister Netanyahu proudly displayed a hunk of twisted metal … Americans were treated to fresh calls for regime change from some prominent neoconservatives. …

    The last thing the overstretched U.S. military needs is another hot war. … President Obama bombed seven countries in 2016, and President Trump has continued apace. …

    In December, when protestors hit the streets of Tehran based on mostly economic motives, Trump immediately rallied in support and not-so-subtlety tweeted “Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever.” Except, that is, for Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other illiberal authoritarian regimes we support. …

    if the recently released National Defense Strategy is any indicator — it lists Iran as one of four core threats —U.S.-imposed regime change is certainly on the table. It shouldn’t be. At present, Iran does not present a clear and present vital threat to American national security. …

    The secretary [Mattis] is the boss, my boss, but his focus on the Iranian regime qualifies as his blind spot, a veritable Iran obsession. … “Iran, Iran, Iran.” … Iran spends about as much on defense annually as the U.S. does on a single aircraft carrier. … Iran’s GDP was about $427 billion, and it spent some $11.5 billion on defense in 2016. U.S. allies, like Saudi Arabia (GDP: $678 billion; defense spending: $66.7 billion) and Israel (GDP: $348 billion; defense spending: $19.6 billion) can more than hold their own. And … standing behind them is the real behemoth, the U.S., which plans to spend $716 billion on defense in 2019—that’s $300 billion more than Iran’s entire GDP. …

    While Iran definitely is engaged in the Mid-East, its own neighborhood, it’s rarely behind much of anything and doesn’t have nearly the power or influence to pull all the various regional strings. Yemeni and Bahraini unrest were homegrown. Conflict in Syria and Lebanon preceded Iranian deployments there. And Iraq, well, the U.S. handed Baghdad to Iran on a silver platter …

    try and view the last decade of U.S. military actions from Tehran. Washington toppled and seemingly permanently occupied Iran’s neighbors on its western (Iraq) and eastern (Afghanistan) flanks, encircled the country with its military bases, and intervened in just about every country in its neighborhood. ... Who could rationally blame Iran’s leaders for fearing they were next? And who would be surprised to see them turn to Shia militias to trap the U.S. military in a Baghdad quagmire? That’s basic survival instincts. …

    Iranians also have a long memory. The CIA helped overthrow a democratically elected government in Tehran in 1953. Then, throughout the 1980s, the U.S. backed Saddam Hussein in Iraq’s brutal invasion of Iran. …

    this must serve as a reality check for Washington’s triumphalism and an unfathomable commitment to strategic overreach. Walking the proverbial mile in an adversary’s shoes isn’t “soft,” it’s smart. …

    Iran’s military is far from the imposing behemoth threat of hawkish imagination. … Saudi Arabia is much better armed … it spends more than five times much on its military than Iran. …

    Iran is spatially large and mountainous with an enormous, fiercely nationalist population. … U.S. military occupation of the Islamic Republic would make the Iraq War, for once, actually look like the “cakewalk” it was billed to be.

    America’s armed forces are currently spread thin in a dozen simultaneous operations and deployed in nearly 70 percent of the world’s countries. ... Eastern Europe; manning the DMZ in South Korea; training and advising across Africa; conducting raids in Somalia, Yemen, and Niger; and actively fighting in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

    So where are the troops available to topple Tehran? They don’t exist. The U.S. military is already running at full throttle … The polling data is clear: Americans don’t want another war. …

    And these days, with Turkish tanks just miles from U.S. forces in Syria and openly threatening Washington …

    Indeed, it might be time for Washington to swallow its pride and admit to some common interests with Iran in the region—the defeat of ISIS, suppression on Sunni Islamists, and a stable, non-threatening Afghanistan—rather than harping on the exaggerated negatives. …

    Forget a new war. Iran isn’t worth it. Not now, probably not ever. … Washington should ditch the alarmism and get real in the complex Middle East. ...
    "Let it not be said that we did nothing." - Dr. Ron Paul. "Stand up for what you believe in, even if you are standing alone." - Sophie Magdalena Scholl
    "War is the health of the State." - Randolph Bourne "Freedom is the answer. ... Now, what's the question?" - Ernie Hancock.



  19. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  20. #137
    Quote Originally Posted by AZJoe View Post
    US Army Major Speaks Out: US Military Should Stay Out of Iran

    Last week, after Israel reportedly shot down an Iranian drone and Prime Minister Netanyahu proudly displayed a hunk of twisted metal … Americans were treated to fresh calls for regime change from some prominent neoconservatives. …

    The last thing the overstretched U.S. military needs is another hot war. … President Obama bombed seven countries in 2016, and President Trump has continued apace. …

    In December, when protestors hit the streets of Tehran based on mostly economic motives, Trump immediately rallied in support and not-so-subtlety tweeted “Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever.” Except, that is, for Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other illiberal authoritarian regimes we support. …

    if the recently released National Defense Strategy is any indicator — it lists Iran as one of four core threats —U.S.-imposed regime change is certainly on the table. It shouldn’t be. At present, Iran does not present a clear and present vital threat to American national security. …

    The secretary [Mattis] is the boss, my boss, but his focus on the Iranian regime qualifies as his blind spot, a veritable Iran obsession. … “Iran, Iran, Iran.” … Iran spends about as much on defense annually as the U.S. does on a single aircraft carrier. … Iran’s GDP was about $427 billion, and it spent some $11.5 billion on defense in 2016. U.S. allies, like Saudi Arabia (GDP: $678 billion; defense spending: $66.7 billion) and Israel (GDP: $348 billion; defense spending: $19.6 billion) can more than hold their own. And … standing behind them is the real behemoth, the U.S., which plans to spend $716 billion on defense in 2019—that’s $300 billion more than Iran’s entire GDP. …

    While Iran definitely is engaged in the Mid-East, its own neighborhood, it’s rarely behind much of anything and doesn’t have nearly the power or influence to pull all the various regional strings. Yemeni and Bahraini unrest were homegrown. Conflict in Syria and Lebanon preceded Iranian deployments there. And Iraq, well, the U.S. handed Baghdad to Iran on a silver platter …

    try and view the last decade of U.S. military actions from Tehran. Washington toppled and seemingly permanently occupied Iran’s neighbors on its western (Iraq) and eastern (Afghanistan) flanks, encircled the country with its military bases, and intervened in just about every country in its neighborhood. ... Who could rationally blame Iran’s leaders for fearing they were next? And who would be surprised to see them turn to Shia militias to trap the U.S. military in a Baghdad quagmire? That’s basic survival instincts. …

    Iranians also have a long memory. The CIA helped overthrow a democratically elected government in Tehran in 1953. Then, throughout the 1980s, the U.S. backed Saddam Hussein in Iraq’s brutal invasion of Iran. …

    this must serve as a reality check for Washington’s triumphalism and an unfathomable commitment to strategic overreach. Walking the proverbial mile in an adversary’s shoes isn’t “soft,” it’s smart. …

    Iran’s military is far from the imposing behemoth threat of hawkish imagination. … Saudi Arabia is much better armed … it spends more than five times much on its military than Iran. …

    Iran is spatially large and mountainous with an enormous, fiercely nationalist population. … U.S. military occupation of the Islamic Republic would make the Iraq War, for once, actually look like the “cakewalk” it was billed to be.

    America’s armed forces are currently spread thin in a dozen simultaneous operations and deployed in nearly 70 percent of the world’s countries. ... Eastern Europe; manning the DMZ in South Korea; training and advising across Africa; conducting raids in Somalia, Yemen, and Niger; and actively fighting in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

    So where are the troops available to topple Tehran? They don’t exist. The U.S. military is already running at full throttle … The polling data is clear: Americans don’t want another war. …

    And these days, with Turkish tanks just miles from U.S. forces in Syria and openly threatening Washington …

    Indeed, it might be time for Washington to swallow its pride and admit to some common interests with Iran in the region—the defeat of ISIS, suppression on Sunni Islamists, and a stable, non-threatening Afghanistan—rather than harping on the exaggerated negatives. …

    Forget a new war. Iran isn’t worth it. Not now, probably not ever. … Washington should ditch the alarmism and get real in the complex Middle East. ...
    ^^^THIS^^^

    And I'd +rep you, if I could.
    There is no spoon.

  21. #138
    Quote Originally Posted by Ender View Post
    ^^^THIS^^^

    And I'd +rep you, if I could.
    covered.

  22. #139
    Top US General Expresses Support for Iran Nuclear Deal

    Speaking Tuesday at the Senate Armed Service Committee, the US Centcom Commander, General Joseph Votel, came out openly in favor of the P5+1 nuclear deal with Iran. Votel even warned over possible consequences if President Trump withdraws from the pact. …

    President Trump has opposed the deal from the start … Votel very directly contradicted Trump with his comments, saying he believes it is in America’s best interest to stay in the deal.
    "Let it not be said that we did nothing." - Dr. Ron Paul. "Stand up for what you believe in, even if you are standing alone." - Sophie Magdalena Scholl
    "War is the health of the State." - Randolph Bourne "Freedom is the answer. ... Now, what's the question?" - Ernie Hancock.

  23. #140
    Quote Originally Posted by Firestarter View Post
    I had thoroughly investigated 9/11 (or at least thought I did): https://www.lawfulpath.com/forum/vie...start=20#p4559

    I was looking for information on Iran and was shocked to find that Iran has been sentenced to pay more than $10.5 billion because they were found guilty for the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001...
    They used for “evidence” the wonderful (undisputed) work of the 9/11 Commission that was ordered to explain how the official story could have been true.
    The 9/11 Commission claimed that some of the reported hijackers had not only travelled through Iran, but Iranian border authorities didn’t stamp the passports of the “terrorists”. Otherwise this group of 19 Muslim extremists would have drawn attention from the US authorities.

    The most important “evidence” appears to be what former Iranian intelligence agent Abolghasem Meshabi had to say.
    They also used for “evidence” the confessions of the “terrorist” that were tortured into confessing at Guantanamo Bay (and similar locations).
    US expert witnesses explained that in their “expert” opinion, Iran was behind it all, including Daniel L. Byman, Janice L. Kephart, Patrick Clawson, Claire M. Lopez, Bruce D. Tefft, and Ronen Bergman.
    “Investigative journalist” Kenneth Timmerman confirmed that Meshabi is very credible. Timmerman was even used as expert witness.

    On 9 March 2016, a US civil court ruled that Iran must pay the victims of 9/11 more than $10.5 billion in fines (this is just a short document without explanation): https://law.justia.com/cases/federal...977/39284/785/


    The same judge that pronounced Iran guilty, George B. Daniels, had on 29 September 2015 ruled that Saudi Arabia can’t be sued because it has sovereign immunity.
    On 14 March 2016, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Iran won’t pay, because: http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2016/...fuses-pay.html


    On 23 May 2013, FBI Agent Daniel A. Mehochko was honored for his report in which he explained that the events of 9/11: "provided an unprecedented opportunity for a strategic rapprochement between the United States and Iran”.
    Iran didn’t even claim that 9/11 was nothing but a false flag…
    At the January 2002 Afghanistan Donors Conference in Tokyo, Iran even pledged $540 million in assistance for the new Afghan puppet government, compared to the $290 million committed by the United States: https://www.strategic-culture.org/ne...-for-9-11.html


    The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) of Trump backer Sheldon Adelson also pushes for the war against Iran.
    For more information on Sheldon Adelson, who on 3 October met Donald Trump and Jared Kushner at the White House to discuss strategies to make the most out of the 1 October Las Vegas “mass shooting”: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...etal-detectors

    The FDD explained that it’s unreasonable that Iran didn’t pay after it was sentenced to pay more than $56 billion to American terror victims. This includes over $1 billion that were awarded against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself.

    This sort of means that Iran can be found liable for every terrorist attack for which Hezbollah, Hamas and even USAma Bin Laden had already been “proven” guilty. To me that this looks like changing history in the best Orwellian tradition…
    On 20 April 2016, the US Supreme Court ruled that nearly $2 billion in frozen Iranian government funds must be turned over to injured survivors and families of Americans killed in several terrorist attacks for which Iran was found liable by US courts. Even after this $2 billion has been paid (how much of this went to the lawyers?) Iran still owes $53 billion in outstanding federal court judgments to American victims of “Iranian terrorism”: http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media...npaid-us-cour/
    (archived here: http://archive.is/Rjqck)

    Havlish obtained a $6.1 billion judgment against Iran, but Iran refused to pay.
    On 25 May 2016, the US court ruled that victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, wouldn´t get (part of) the $2.1 billion that Royal Dutch Shell rightfully owed Iran, but couldn´t pay because of the sanctions.
    Maybe Shell would rather keep the $2.1 billion…

    The US District Court in New York decided that Royal Dutch Shell doesn´t conduct a “continuous and systematic” business in the state of New York, so has no jurisdiction: http://royaldutchshellplc.com/2017/0...tch-shell-plc/


    I think that sanctions against Iran could be just another ploy to grant a monopoly to the big oil corporations that are effectively above the law.
    The result of this embargo is that the Erdogan family got a monopoly on gas from Iran.
    And... Royal Dutch Shell makes billions of Euros from Iranian oil.

    In March 2010, Royal Dutch Shell was caught loading Iranian crude on theoil tanker Front Page (evading sanctions). The Front Page left a port in the UAE on March 17 and reported it was going to another UAE port, then on to Saudi Arabia. Ship-tracking data reveal that Front Page also made an unreported stop, to the coast of Iran where it loaded Iranian oil.

    Total SA chartered another oil tanker that stopped in Iran in March 2010. This oil tanker turned off its tracking transponder throughout the visit, according to ship-tracking data (this link is obviously not to a site affiliated with Royal Dutch Shell…): http://royaldutchshellplc.com/2010/0...es-discreetly/
    (archived here: http://archive.is/rk0Jf)

    According to Reuters, in March 2012 an Iranian tanker delivered 1.5 million barrels of oil to Shell’s refinery in Singapore despite sanctions.
    Royal Dutch Shell claimed that it “complies with all all applicable sanctions”.
    Some industry sources claim that Shell is one of the biggest consumers of Iranian crude worldwide: https://www.reuters.com/article/iran...8E245620120302
    (archived here: http://archive.is/Xzogu)
    Funny that Iran would be fingered when it were Mossad agents that were caught in NYC witnessing the event and celebrating as the plane hit the tower.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8FlSWitOpg&t=6s

  24. #141
    Quote Originally Posted by Vieux Canard View Post
    Funny that Iran would be fingered when it were Mossad agents that were caught in NYC witnessing the event and celebrating as the plane hit the tower.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8FlSWitOpg&t=6s
    Plus, supposedly all the hijackers were Saudis.

    Iran has been in the US crosshairs for years.
    There is no spoon.

  25. #142
    Quote Originally Posted by Ender View Post
    Plus, supposedly all the hijackers were Saudis.

    Iran has been in the US crosshairs for years.
    My opinion is that Iran is to the middle east what Germany is to Europe. Two major wars were fought to keep Germany from being the dominant power in Europe and while Germany has been largely neutered militarily it remains the principal economy that drives the continent. I can count at least three Persian Empires each of which spanned far beyond the middle east. Modern Iran is what is left of the last one. Arabia was never a part of any of them, presumably because it wasn't worth conquering. Iran was bypassed by the industrial revolution so it entered the modern era relatively weak, but that is changing. Today it is a modern, technologically advanced country with an educated workforce, some of the world's' best universities and virtually limitless resources. While it shows no signs of craving it's' former lands, it is feared by its neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia and Israel, each for separate reasons. Beyond that it is vilified by the US because it demands independence from the US empire to follow its own path. Sanctions have hurt it, but not defeated it. Really given the corruption in certain parts of the government, especially the revolutionary guard, it is its own worst enemy as well. Left to its own devices and with a lot of reforms within the government, Iran should be one of the wealthiest countries on earth.

  26. #143
    Quote Originally Posted by Vieux Canard View Post
    My opinion is that Iran is to the middle east what Germany is to Europe. Two major wars were fought to keep Germany from being the dominant power in Europe and while Germany has been largely neutered militarily it remains the principal economy that drives the continent. I can count at least three Persian Empires each of which spanned far beyond the middle east. Modern Iran is what is left of the last one. Arabia was never a part of any of them, presumably because it wasn't worth conquering. Iran was bypassed by the industrial revolution so it entered the modern era relatively weak, but that is changing. Today it is a modern, technologically advanced country with an educated workforce, some of the world's' best universities and virtually limitless resources. While it shows no signs of craving it's' former lands, it is feared by its neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia and Israel, each for separate reasons. Beyond that it is vilified by the US because it demands independence from the US empire to follow its own path. Sanctions have hurt it, but not defeated it. Really given the corruption in certain parts of the government, especially the revolutionary guard, it is its own worst enemy as well. Left to its own devices and with a lot of reforms within the government, Iran should be one of the wealthiest countries on earth.
    Interesting that the Germans & Iranians are considered some of the most intelligent people on the planet.
    There is no spoon.

  27. #144
    Quote Originally Posted by Ender View Post
    Interesting that the Germans & Iranians are considered some of the most intelligent people on the planet.
    Be careful, you might be accused of racism.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment



  28. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  29. #145
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Be careful, you might be accused of racism.
    Well, lessee, white & "kinda" brown?
    There is no spoon.

  30. #146
    Quote Originally Posted by Ender View Post
    Well, lessee, white & "kinda" brown?

    Aryan.

    I know you aren't racist, neither am I so stop jumping on anything I say that can be twisted to claim I am, you say things that could be taken that way too.
    Truth has no agenda and neither do I.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  31. #147
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Aryan.

    I know you aren't racist, neither am I so stop jumping on anything I say that can be twisted to claim I am, you say things that could be taken that way too.
    Truth has no agenda and neither do I.
    I was playing.

    Thought you were being sarcastic.
    There is no spoon.

  32. #148
    Quote Originally Posted by Ender View Post
    I was playing.

    Thought you were being sarcastic.
    I was making a joke with a point.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  33. #149
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    I was making a joke with a point.
    Das cool- I appreciate humor- especially of late on the forum.
    There is no spoon.

  34. #150
    Quote Originally Posted by Ender View Post
    Das cool- I appreciate humor- especially of late on the forum.
    It was Shah Reza, father of the late Shah who changed the name of the country from Persia to Iran in the 1930's. Reza was a modernist who sought to de-islamify the country. Persia (Fars) is merely a province anyway in terms of ethnicity. While today the Basij sometimes beat women who refuse to cover their hair, Reza Shah's secret police beat women who did. What would replace Islam is the old religion, Zoroastrianism, which he also supported. Iran is a short form of the Persian phrase used by Cyrus the Great, the Zoroastrian founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire 2500 years ago and means "Land of the Aryans." This had absolutely nothing to do with the German Nazi Party and their ideology and when war lurked on the horizon, Reza Shah did everything he could to distance himself from the Nazis and declared Iran neutral. It didn't work, mainly because Iran had oil that the USSR needed to defeat Hitler so they invaded and occupied Iran anyway and Reza Shah was deposed. One of the major WW2 conferences that featured Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill occurred in Soviet occupied Tehran...I think in 1943.
    Last edited by Vieux Canard; 03-15-2018 at 07:50 PM.

Page 5 of 24 FirstFirst ... 3456715 ... LastLast


Similar Threads

  1. US Admits Real Target Is Iran Central Bank
    By DamianTV in forum World News & Affairs
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 05-03-2019, 11:41 PM
  2. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 09-10-2013, 08:56 PM
  3. Replies: 3
    Last Post: 01-10-2012, 09:46 AM
  4. Replies: 30
    Last Post: 01-24-2008, 06:26 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •