The Times: Iran awaits Ayatollah’s nod for nuclear bomb

Propaganda Alert

compiled by Cem Ertür
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
3 August 2009

1) Iran is ready to build an N-bomb – it is just waiting for the Ayatollah’s order (August 2009)

2) [from the archives] Clandestine aims of the National Intelligence Estimate report (December 2007)

__________________

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6736785.ece

excerpts from: Iran is ready to build an N-bomb – it is just waiting for the Ayatollah’s order

by James Hider, Richard Beeston and Michael Evans, Times, 3 August 2009

Iran has perfected the technology to create and detonate a nuclear warhead and is merely awaiting the word from its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to produce its first bomb, Western intelligence sources have told The Times.

The sources said that Iran completed a research programme to create weaponised uranium in the summer of 2003 and that it could feasibly make a bomb within a year of an order from its Supreme Leader.

A US National Intelligence Estimate two years ago concluded that Iran had ended its nuclear arms research programme in 2003 because of the threat from the American invasion of Iraq.

But intelligence sources have told The Times that Tehran had halted the research because it had achieved its aim — to find a way of detonating a warhead that could be launched on its long-range Shehab-3 missiles. […]

The Iranian Defence Ministry has been running a covert nuclear research department for years, employing hundreds of scientists, researchers and metallurgists in a multibillion-dollar programme to develop nuclear technology alongside the civilian nuclear programme.

__________________

U.S. Now Sees Iran as Pursuing Nuclear Bomb + US Intel Confirms Iran Not Developing Nukes + Obama’s Press Conference

Dandelion Salad

By Greg Miller
ICH
February 13, 2009 “LA Times”

New intelligence report says Pakistan is ‘on the edge’

Dandelion Salad

By Jonathan S. Landay and John Walcott
McClatchy Newspapers
Oct 14, 2008

WASHINGTON — A growing al Qaida-backed insurgency, combined with the Pakistani army’s reluctance to launch an all-out crackdown, political infighting and energy and food shortages are plunging America’s key ally in the war on terror deeper into turmoil and violence, says a soon-to-be completed U.S. intelligence assessment.

A U.S. official who participated in drafting the top secret National Intelligence Estimate said it portrays the situation in Pakistan as “very bad.” Another official called the draft “very bleak,” and said it describes Pakistan as being “on the edge.”

The first official summarized the estimate’s conclusions about the state of Pakistan as: “no money, no energy, no government.”

Six U.S. officials who helped draft or are aware of the document’s findings confirmed them to McClatchy on the condition of anonymity because NIEs are top secret and are restricted to the president, senior officials and members of Congress. An NIE’s conclusions reflect the consensus of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies.

[…]

via McClatchy Washington Bureau | 10/14/2008 | New intelligence report says Pakistan is ‘on the edge’

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

PR Push for Iraq War Preceded Intelligence Findings – “White Paper” Drafted before NIE even Requested

Dandelion Salad

by John Prados
Global Research, August 24, 2008
www.nsarchive.org
National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 254 – 2008-08-22

The U.S. intelligence community buckled sooner in 2002 than previously reported to Bush administration pressure for data justifying an invasion of Iraq, according to a documents posting on the Web today by National Security Archive senior fellow John Prados.

A Vote For Military Force Against Iran? AIPAC’s House Resolution, H. Con. Res. 362

Dandelion Salad

by Ira Glunts
Thursday Jul 31st, 2008

Despite the expectation of easy passage, AIPAC’s controversial resolution is stalled in committee. The efforts of antiwar groups who mobilized messages of protest proved fruitful, but the debate over the use of military force in Iran is just beginning.

Ordinarily, the American Israel Policy Action Committee (AIPAC) has an influence on U.S. foreign policy way which goes unchallenged. In the case of the current House resolution, H. Con. Res. 362, despite the intense pressure exerted by AIPAC, some members of the United States House of Representatives who initially were about to rubber stamp this reckless non-binding resolution promoted by the powerful pro-Israel lobbying group, are having a change of heart. After receiving many thousands of messages which pointed out that the resolution could be interpreted as Congressional authorization for military action against Iran, legislators began expressing their own reservations.

Bush must be stopped before starting war with Iran

Dandelion Salad

By Joe Parko
ICH
www.tennessean.com
July 28, 2008

The Bush administration, in rhetoric that is eerily similar to that used to build the case for a war against Iraq, asserts that the Iranian Quds Force is arming anti-U.S. groups in Iraq and providing them with high-tech roadside bombs and sophisticated rockets.

It dismisses the National Intelligence Estimate conclusion that Iran suspended its nuclear weapons program.
Advertisement

The White House has not provided evidence to back up its claims. I suspect it never will. And when Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz tells the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth an attack on Iran is “unavoidable” if Tehran does not halt its alleged nuclear weapons program, what he is really telling us is we should prepare for war.

…continued

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

see

To Provoke War: Cheney Considered Proposal To Dress Up Navy Seals As Iranians & Shoot At Them

The NYT: Making Nuclear Extermination Respectable

If Iran is Attacking It Might Really be Israel By Philip Giraldi

Plain Facts About Iran’s Military By Eric Margolis

Acts of War By Scott Ritter

Call on AP to retract false reporting on Iran

The possibility of a retaliatory attack by Iran on US bases in the region

Iran

Hearing on Limits of Executive Power: Vincent Bugliosi

Dandelion Salad

videocafeblog

Vincent Bugliosi’s opening statements during the House Judiciary Committee hearing on the constitutional limits of executive power.

Chossudovsky: Iran: All Out War or Economic Conquest (audio)

Dandelion Salad

by Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research, July 19, 2008
Guns and Butter, KPFA (Pacifica)

Radio Interview

Audio link

Interview with author and Director of the Center for Research on Globalization, Michel Chossudovsky.

We discuss Iran’s privatization program, U.S. war propaganda, Plan TIRANT, Congressional Resolution 362, the National Intelligence Estimate, dissent within the military, currency speculation, Russia, China, the police state and the war agenda.

At first sight it appears that Tehran is caving into Washington’s demands so as to avoid an all out war.

Iran’s assets would be handed over on a silver platter to Western foreign investors, without the need for America to conquer new economic frontiers through military means?

But there is more than meets the eye.

© Copyright Michel Chossudovsky, Guns and Butter, KPFA (Pacifica), 2008

The url address of this article is: www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9618

see

Iran: War or Privatization: All Out War or “Economic Conquest”?

NYT Op-Ed: Israel Will Attack Iran

Israel’s War with Iran and The Zionist Power Configuration in America

Kucinich Decries Iran Saber Rattling in House Legislation

Israel threatens to wage illegal, pre-emptive military attack on Iran

Will Israel And/Or The U.S. Attack Iran? By Uri Avnery

War, war, war or jaw, jaw, jaw? by William Bowles

HR 362 and the Alarming Escalation of Hostility Towards Iran

Iran

Seymour Hersh: The secret war in Iran

Dandelion Salad

TheRealNews

Hersh: VP Cheney believes he is going to save the world (part one)

Hersh: Congress Agreed to Bush Request to Fund Major Escalation in Secret Operations Against Iran

Dandelion Salad

Democracy Now!

June 30, 2008

Hersh: Congress Agreed to Bush Request to Fund Major Escalation in Secret Operations Against Iran

Congressional leaders agreed to a request from President Bush last year to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran aimed at destabilizing Iran’s leadership, according to a new article by veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker magazine. The operations were set out in a highly classified Presidential Finding signed by Bush which, by law, must be made known to Democratic and Republican leaders. The plan allowed up to $400 million in covert spending for activities ranging from supporting dissident groups to spying on Iran’s nuclear program. Hersh joins us from Washington DC.

Real Video Stream

Real Audio Stream

MP3 Download

transcript

***

Congress funds 400 mil in covert spy ops against Iran

IWantDemocracyNow

see

Preparing the Battlefield by Seymour M. Hersh

Morning Joe: Andrew Card & Katrina vanden Heuvel on the Sy Hersh Leak

Sy Hersh on Late Edition: Inside Iran

Ron Paul: Iran war will triple energy prices

Iranians Float an Offer the West Should Not Refuse

Military official: Iran digging 320,000 graves for invaders

Seymour Hersh (older posts)

Hersh-Seymour (newer posts)

Sy Hersh on Late Edition: Inside Iran

Dandelion Salad

videocafeblog

Sy Hersh on CNN’s Late Edition talking about the covert ops going on inside of Iran right now.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

“Sy Hersh on Late Edition: Inside Iran“, posted with vodpod

see

Preparing the Battlefield by Seymour M. Hersh

Will the US Congress ratify the Bush Administration’s Decision to launch a War on Iran

Ron Paul: Iran war will triple energy prices

Iranians Float an Offer the West Should Not Refuse

Military official: Iran digging 320,000 graves for invaders

Preparing the Battlefield by Seymour M. Hersh

Dandelion Salad

by Seymour M. Hersh
http://www.newyorker.com
July 7, 2008

The Bush Administration steps up its secret moves against Iran.

Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources. These operations, for which the President sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country’s religious leadership. The covert activities involve support of the minority Ahwazi Arab and Baluchi groups and other dissident organizations. They also include gathering intelligence about Iran’s suspected nuclear-weapons program.

Clandestine operations against Iran are not new. United States Special Operations Forces have been conducting cross-border operations from southern Iraq, with Presidential authorization, since last year. These have included seizing members of Al Quds, the commando arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and taking them to Iraq for interrogation, and the pursuit of “high-value targets” in the President’s war on terror, who may be captured or killed. But the scale and the scope of the operations in Iran, which involve the Central Intelligence Agency and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), have now been significantly expanded, according to the current and former officials. Many of these activities are not specified in the new Finding, and some congressional leaders have had serious questions about their nature.

…continued

h/t: CLG

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

see

Hersh: Congress Agreed to Bush Request to Fund Major Escalation in Secret Operations Against Iran

Sy Hersh on Late Edition: Inside Iran

Will the US Congress ratify the Bush Administration’s Decision to launch a War on Iran

Iran

Hersh-Seymour

Countdown: Delegate Math + NIE Report

Dandelion Salad

videocafeblog

June 05, 2008

Chuck Todd on the Delegate Math

Keith breaks down the delegate math for the general election with Chuck Todd.

Phase II of the Intelligence Report Released

Now that the second phase of the report has finally been released by the Intelligence Committee in the Senate, it’s obvious that what most people already knew was true. We were lied into war. Richard Clarke weighs in.

Worst Person

And the winner is…Rupert Murdoch. Runners up Dana Rohrabacher and John McCain.

Bushed!

Tonight’s: Idol-Gate, The Real Republican Agenda-Gate and Appeasement-Gate.

see

New America Foundation: National Intelligence Estimates

The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder

Olmert at AIPAC: United with Bush on Iran

Dandelion Salad

TheRealNews

Report says Olmert will try to convince Bush to ignore NIE report that said Iran has no nuke weapons.

New America Foundation: National Intelligence Estimates

Dandelion Salad

NewAmericaFoundation

National Intelligence Estimates (NIE) are the nation’s most informed reports on national security issues, but in the wake of miscalculations on Iraq, NIEs have come under increasing scrutiny and skepticism, most recently the December 2007 NIE on Iran. To assess the validity of such concerns, Dr. Thomas Fingar will dissect exactly how these estimates are compiled and key judgments formed.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “National Intelligence Estimates“, posted with vodpod