Iran: Putting on the Heat
By Grady Hawkins
As we go to press, prime minister Ariel Sharon of Israel is meeting with President George Bush at the latter’s ranch in Crawford, Texas. Reportedly, Mr. Sharon shared with the president a series of secret satellite photos that revealed exactly how advanced Iranian nuclear technology has become, and how the Iranians are rapidly becoming a threat to the State of Israel. Sharon told President Bush that the Iranian nuclear enrichment program has reached a “point of no return.”
Tehran has not backed off. It has reinforced its determination to maintain its nuclear program regardless of what the United States, Israel, or the European Union demand. The United States continues to be “The Great Satan’ as far as the Iranians are concerned, and the destruction of the State of Israel still appears to be one of the goals of Iranian hard liners. Washington has described Iran as part of the ‘Axis of evil”. Clearly, another regime change is on the table.
The pressure is on. Who will blink first? The Bush administration and the Israelis are going to make sure that the Iranians attack first.
The Iranian noose is getting tighter and tighter. Tehran is being backed into a corner. Washington and Tel Aviv are upping the ante.
A look at the map shows that Iran is surrounded on four sides. The Americans are building permanent bases in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and can now launch air strikes from both east and west. To the south lies the Persian Gulf, occupied and controlled by the U.S. 5th fleet. The so-called “Petrostans” lie to the north. Bought off by Washington, they will allow temporary bases and fly over rights as the need arises and the cash comes in. Reports have surfaced that the United States Air Force has been routinely violating Iranian air space. Unmanned Aerial vehicles have been reported on recon missions inside Iran. American fighter aircraft have been reported flying in from both Iraq and Afghanistan. Their mission is to try to get the Iranians to turn on their radar so the sites can be mapped. The Iranian air defenses forces have been ordered to shoot down any aircraft entering their airspace. Wishful thinking on the part of the Iranians perhaps, but it shows they are willing to pull the trigger if they get the chance
Sources claim that both American and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commandos have actually crossed the border and have engaged in recon missions, spying on military installations and the like. Kurdish special- forces have been reported to be helping the Americans and IDF. No contact with the Iranians has not been reported, but then there are probably no reporters embedded with these units.
More indirect threats against Tehran are also in the news. The Israeli Air Force has admitted to the Israeli press that it has modified a squadron of American F-15 eagle fighters with special long- range fuel tanks. It has also admitted to the purchase of a number of GBU-27 or GBU-28 bunker busting bombs. These are laser or satellite guided once launched from newly renamed F-15I (I for Israel) jet fighters and can penetrate at least 10 meters of earth and concrete. These aircraft have been formed into a special unit called squadron 69. A spokesman for the Israeli Air Force in an interview with Ha’aretz magazine also admitted the squadron was practicing long range bombing missions. The Times of London reported in March that the cabinet of Israeli Prime Minister Sharon has given ‘initial authorization” for an attack during a private meeting at his ranch.
The Sunday Times of London last month broke the story that a battalion of very secret and very elite Israeli commandos are rehearsing an attack on the Iranian nuclear facility at Natanz. Most of the men were from the Shaldag (kingfisher) battalion and working with Mossad agents. The full size mock up is located in the Negev desert. These special ops troops practice attacking from helicopters, marking targets for air strikes, and planting high-explosives on underground targets.
The Israeli Navy has not been idle, or able to keep secrets. The Israeli Navy has three Dolphin class submarines in its inventory. Built in Germany, these boats are small, fast, crewed by only 45 sailors, carry the latest electronics and are armed with torpedoes and cruise missiles. They are diesel-electric boats with a range of over 4,500 nautical miles and an endurance of more than 30 days. Operating in the relatively shallow Persian Gulf under the noses of the Iranian navy would be no problem. And there is no target inside Iran they cannot strike. The Israeli navy has been operating out of a forward operating base in the Dalak archipelago just past the Gulf of Aden in the Red Sea off the coast of Eritrea.
Just a few months ago Tel Aviv announced that it wanted to acquire two more Dolphin class submarines to add to the fleet, adding to the threat against Iran.
Former U.N. arms inspector Scott Ritter and New Yorker investigative reporter Seymour Hersch have both reported that there may be an air strike on Iran as soon as this June.
The United States and Israel can certainly attack Iran when they feel ready. The Iranian s have a handful of F-14 Tom Cats and some front line M-29’s. After the fall of the Shah, the Mullahs purged all western influence from Iran’s military. All western trained pilots were retired, as well as some western technology. American and Israeli losses during a series of air strikes would be minimal.
Clearly, Washington and Tel Aviv want to stampede Tehran into attacking first. This Iranian preemptive attack would be just the excuse the Bush administration needs to launch an all out counter attack, designed to topple the Mullahs and encourage the formation of a pro-western government with no interest in changing to the euro dollar for oil transactions. Stopping Moscow from expanding its sphere of influence is another added bonus.
And the fact that Iran holds the second largest oil reserves on the planet doesn’t hurt.
As we go to press, prime minister Ariel Sharon of Israel is meeting with President George Bush at the latter’s ranch in Crawford, Texas. Reportedly, Mr. Sharon shared with the president a series of secret satellite photos that revealed exactly how advanced Iranian nuclear technology has become, and how the Iranians are rapidly becoming a threat to the State of Israel. Sharon told President Bush that the Iranian nuclear enrichment program has reached a “point of no return.”
Tehran has not backed off. It has reinforced its determination to maintain its nuclear program regardless of what the United States, Israel, or the European Union demand. The United States continues to be “The Great Satan’ as far as the Iranians are concerned, and the destruction of the State of Israel still appears to be one of the goals of Iranian hard liners. Washington has described Iran as part of the ‘Axis of evil”. Clearly, another regime change is on the table.
The pressure is on. Who will blink first? The Bush administration and the Israelis are going to make sure that the Iranians attack first.
The Iranian noose is getting tighter and tighter. Tehran is being backed into a corner. Washington and Tel Aviv are upping the ante.
A look at the map shows that Iran is surrounded on four sides. The Americans are building permanent bases in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and can now launch air strikes from both east and west. To the south lies the Persian Gulf, occupied and controlled by the U.S. 5th fleet. The so-called “Petrostans” lie to the north. Bought off by Washington, they will allow temporary bases and fly over rights as the need arises and the cash comes in. Reports have surfaced that the United States Air Force has been routinely violating Iranian air space. Unmanned Aerial vehicles have been reported on recon missions inside Iran. American fighter aircraft have been reported flying in from both Iraq and Afghanistan. Their mission is to try to get the Iranians to turn on their radar so the sites can be mapped. The Iranian air defenses forces have been ordered to shoot down any aircraft entering their airspace. Wishful thinking on the part of the Iranians perhaps, but it shows they are willing to pull the trigger if they get the chance
Sources claim that both American and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commandos have actually crossed the border and have engaged in recon missions, spying on military installations and the like. Kurdish special- forces have been reported to be helping the Americans and IDF. No contact with the Iranians has not been reported, but then there are probably no reporters embedded with these units.
More indirect threats against Tehran are also in the news. The Israeli Air Force has admitted to the Israeli press that it has modified a squadron of American F-15 eagle fighters with special long- range fuel tanks. It has also admitted to the purchase of a number of GBU-27 or GBU-28 bunker busting bombs. These are laser or satellite guided once launched from newly renamed F-15I (I for Israel) jet fighters and can penetrate at least 10 meters of earth and concrete. These aircraft have been formed into a special unit called squadron 69. A spokesman for the Israeli Air Force in an interview with Ha’aretz magazine also admitted the squadron was practicing long range bombing missions. The Times of London reported in March that the cabinet of Israeli Prime Minister Sharon has given ‘initial authorization” for an attack during a private meeting at his ranch.
The Sunday Times of London last month broke the story that a battalion of very secret and very elite Israeli commandos are rehearsing an attack on the Iranian nuclear facility at Natanz. Most of the men were from the Shaldag (kingfisher) battalion and working with Mossad agents. The full size mock up is located in the Negev desert. These special ops troops practice attacking from helicopters, marking targets for air strikes, and planting high-explosives on underground targets.
The Israeli Navy has not been idle, or able to keep secrets. The Israeli Navy has three Dolphin class submarines in its inventory. Built in Germany, these boats are small, fast, crewed by only 45 sailors, carry the latest electronics and are armed with torpedoes and cruise missiles. They are diesel-electric boats with a range of over 4,500 nautical miles and an endurance of more than 30 days. Operating in the relatively shallow Persian Gulf under the noses of the Iranian navy would be no problem. And there is no target inside Iran they cannot strike. The Israeli navy has been operating out of a forward operating base in the Dalak archipelago just past the Gulf of Aden in the Red Sea off the coast of Eritrea.
Just a few months ago Tel Aviv announced that it wanted to acquire two more Dolphin class submarines to add to the fleet, adding to the threat against Iran.
Former U.N. arms inspector Scott Ritter and New Yorker investigative reporter Seymour Hersch have both reported that there may be an air strike on Iran as soon as this June.
The United States and Israel can certainly attack Iran when they feel ready. The Iranian s have a handful of F-14 Tom Cats and some front line M-29’s. After the fall of the Shah, the Mullahs purged all western influence from Iran’s military. All western trained pilots were retired, as well as some western technology. American and Israeli losses during a series of air strikes would be minimal.
Clearly, Washington and Tel Aviv want to stampede Tehran into attacking first. This Iranian preemptive attack would be just the excuse the Bush administration needs to launch an all out counter attack, designed to topple the Mullahs and encourage the formation of a pro-western government with no interest in changing to the euro dollar for oil transactions. Stopping Moscow from expanding its sphere of influence is another added bonus.
And the fact that Iran holds the second largest oil reserves on the planet doesn’t hurt.
posted by Traveller at
9:22 p.m.
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