U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Thursday that military action against Iran could have unintended consequences, The Associated Press reported. Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Panetta said he agrees with earlier assessments that a strike would only set Iran’s nuclear program back by three years at most. “You’ve got to be careful of […]
How’s that Russia “reset” going? Not so well, as the news this week shows. In addition to blocking tougher sanctions on Iran for its illicit nuclear weapons activities after a damaging report by the U.N.’s watchdog, Russia is “studying” building more reactors at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant. Recently, Speaker of the House John Boehner […]
In the wake of the media storm about the possibility of an Israeli military strike in Iran, a veteran journalist recalled on Sunday another Israeli military operation: the 1981 strike on Iraq’s nuclear reactor. On June 7, 1981, during the term of Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Israel carried out Operation Opera, a surprise air strike […]
by Daniel Pipes National Review Online November 8, 2011 The Arab upheavals of 2011 have inspired wildly inconsistent Western responses. How, for example, can one justify abiding the suppression of dissidents in Bahrain while celebrating dissidents in Egypt? Or protect Libyan rebels from government attacks but not their Syrian counterparts? Oppose Islamists taking over in […]
There are reports out of Washington, D.C., this week that the Obama administration is in a regular tizzy about the possibility that Israel will strike Iran’s nuclear facilities without U.S. help or permission. According to a senior State Department official, the Obama administration is so worried that Israel will go it alone that they are […]
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s president says the international community is closer to pursuing a military solution to the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program than a diplomatic one. The remarks by Shimon Peres to Israel’s channel 2 TV Friday were unusual because he is known as a dove and optimist. Peres said world leaders need to […]
The United States said on Thursday that Iran has a credibility problem, Fox News reported. “Iran, over many years, has been unable to demonstrate the peaceful intent of its nuclear program,” Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes was quoted as having told reporters in Cannes, France, where President Obama was attending the […]
US and Britain’s armed forces are stepping up their contingency planning for potential military action against Iran amid mounting concern about Tehran’s nuclear enrichment programme, the Guardian has learned. The Ministry of Defence believes the US may decide to fast-forward plans for targeted missile strikes at some key Iranian facilities. British officials say that if Obama presses ahead it will seek, […]
An Iranian chessmaster has been expelled from an international chess tournament after refusing to play an Israeli opponent. Top Iranian Grandmaster Ehsan Ghaem Maghami refused to play Ehud Sachar for political reasons at the Corsica Masters championship. Shachar, a FIDE Master, was Maghami’s scheduled opponent in the fourth round of the competition. “Politics has no […]
Bahrain and Syria are countries ruled by sectarian minorities. Bahrain’s Sunni royal family rules over a Shia majority whereas the Assad regime, which rules over a Sunni majority, belongs to the tiny Alawite sect. While this division has exacerbated both of the uprisings, the similarities end here. Bahrain’s royal family has reacted to the protests […]
