UN Security Council Slaps New Sanctions on Iran

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has voted in favor of imposing a fourth round of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

Of the 15 UNSC member states Brazil and Turkey voted against the new round of sanctions on Wednesday, while Lebanon abstained from vote.

The fourth round of sanctions was adopted against Iran over its uranium enrichment -- which has been portrayed as a threat in the West despite repeated assurances from the IAEA on the non-diversion of nuclear material in the country.'

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An Exclusive on: Israel’s Dr. Strangelove – Uzi Arad

This is the man who probably should be criminally indicted for Israel’s high-seas massacre of people on the Peace Flotilla.The latest total is 64 badly wounded, killed, or missing.Turkey, Egypt, and other countries should certainly blacklist him from any further visits. He is Israel’s Dr. Strangelove.

Like with so many other sensitive things about Israel, the question needs to be asked: Why are the major US newspapers and TV networks not telling the American people about Uzi Arad, arguably the most important and most dangerous man in Israel when it comes to war and peace, the man who really has his finger on Israel’s nukes, the man who has publicly threatened to totally destroy Iran, as well as the man thought to be most responsible for the 31 May massacre?'

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The IAEA: From UN Nuclear Watchdog to US Lapdog

As the United Nations’ nuclear inspections body, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), meets in Vienna later this week to discuss its latest report on Iran, there are signs that Washington is now writing the IAEA’s script.

The most glaring indication of the IAEA’s appeasement of US belligerence over the latter’s allegations of Iranian nuclear ambitions, and therefore the need for further punitive UN sanctions, is the gaping omission from the agency’s report of the Tehran nuclear fuel swap declaration.

Despite acknowledging that the agency has yet again not found any evidence to suggest the diversion of nuclear material from civilian purposes, the IAEA nevertheless draws the conclusion that it “remains concerned about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed nuclear related activities, involving military related organisations, including activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile”.'

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Russia Warns Against Iran Sanctions

Russia and China have warned against attempts to lobby for further sanctions against Iran in a UN Security Council vote due to be held on Tehran's nuclear program.

"We are against forcing the voting process," Interfax news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying in Beijing on Friday.

The United States has been stepping up efforts to persuade veto-wielding UNSC members Russia and China to agree to a new round of sanctions against Iran.'

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From the 1953 CIA Overthrow of Democracy in Iran, to the Iraq War, to the Criminal Gulf Catastrophe and Deaths, BP Was There

If you were to draw an oily line from the first exploitation of oil in the Middle East by the British in 1901 (they were in the process of converting their then world dominating naval fleet from coal to oil and were in desperate need of it) to the overthrow of the secular democratic leader in Iran, Mohammed Mossadeq, in 1953, to the Iraq War, to the criminal environmental catastrophe in the Gulf, BP would have been there.

But the fourth largest company in the world wasn't always called BP. It used to be owned by the British Government (remember the navy armada in need of oil). It was named the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company when the CIA teamed up with the British because the Western style Iranian leader Mossadeq wanted to nationalize Britain's 100% owned and run giant oil concession in Iran, and the West would have none of that. So Eisenhower authorized "Operation Ajax," and the Shah of Iran was placed in power -- ruling with an iron fist and the dreaded SAVAK, all the time fully backed by the U.S. -- leading to the radical theocratic revolution that we still confront today. All the time BP, which formally adopted its current name in 1954, was there.'

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'Iran Haze Contains Depleted Uranium'

An Iranian lawmaker says the haze that arrives in Iran from Iraq is polluted with depleted uranium due to the US military's use of the prohibited weapon in the neighboring country.

MP Mohammad-Mehdi Shahriari called for urgent measures to prevent the diffusion of the Iraqi haze over Iran.

"This is not an issue that can be easily neglected," said Shahriari, who is a member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.

"Everyone knows that the United States has used depleted uranium during the occupation of Iraq, and this has contaminated the Iraqi soil, which arrives in Iran once in a while and pollutes Iranian soil," the Iranian MP told the Mehr news agency on Monday.'

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Bilderberg: The Open Conspiracy

Now that the agenda for global government and a centralized world economic system is public and out in the open, the importance of the Bilderberg Group’s annual conference rests on grooming political candidates. The lion’s share of Bilderberg’s 2010 agenda has already been announced by its members weeks before – it will revolve around a potential military strike on Iran as well as the future collapse of the euro.

Trilateral Commission members, who routinely also attend Bilderberg’s annual confab, have let slip that a war on Iran is being seriously debated, while the elite continue to exploit the fallout from the economic crisis to push for centralized financial regulation.

The consequences of a military strike on Iran will cause a split between Bilderberg luminaries, just as it did before the invasion of Iraq at the 2002 meeting.'

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Nuclear Fuel Swap Deal: US Sabotages ‘Unique Opportunity’ for Peaceful Resolution with Iran

In his inaugural speech in January 2009, US president Barack Obama promised a new beginning in foreign policy towards Iran, saying “we will extend a hand if you are willing to un-clench your fist”. He didn’t actually mention Iran by name then, but everyone knew he was saying that the Bush administration’s confrontational approach to the Islamic Republic was being replaced by a more reasonable policy based on mutual dialogue.

Well, we better return to examine everything else promised in that address – about “decent jobs and affordable healthcare” and “America being a friend to each nation and to every man, woman and child” – because the 44th president is now shown to be a liar.

This week, Obama’s fine words were put to the test when, on 17 May, Iran announced a joint declaration with Turkey and Brazil on a nuclear fuel swap deal that, in the words of Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdorgan, provides a unique opportunity to resolve the long-running dispute between the US and its western allies and Iran over the latter’s nuclear programme.

"There is a unique chance before us and I believe that we should take this chance," said Erdogan following the signed accord, which was also brokered in Tehran by Brazilian president Lula da Silva.

"I urge the international community to support this final declaration, which is going to have a very positive impact on the establishment of world peace in the future," added Erdogan.

But less than 24 hours after the nuclear fuel swap plan – which was hailed as a positive development by diverse opinion, including UN chief Ban Ki-moon, China’s foreign minister Yang Jiechi and even French president Nicolas Sarkozy – the Obama administration moved swiftly to sabotage the deal.

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton announced on 18 May that a draft document for a fourth round of sanctions drawn up by the US had been agreed by all five permanent members of the UN security council (after weeks of arm-twisting on China, it has to be said [1] [2]). The proposed sanctions will have “more teeth” than the previous three rounds, and are aimed at hitting Iran’s international finances and trade.

So much for Obama’s promise of extending a hand to what is clearly a significant bid by Iran to build confidence and trust. More like extending a punch in the face.

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US Begins Massive Military Build Up Around Iran, Sending Up To 4 New Carrier Groups In Region

As if uncontrollable economic contagion was not enough for the administration, Obama is now willing to add geopolitical risk to the current extremely precarious economic and financial situation. Over at Debkafile we read that the president has decided to “boost US military strength in the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf regions in the short term with an extra air and naval strike forces and 6,000 Marine and sea combatants.” With just one aircraft carrier in proximity to Iran, the Nobel peace prize winner has decided to send a clear message that peace will no longer be tolerated, and has decided to increase the US aircraft carrier presence in the region by a 400-500% CAGR.'

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Clinton: Deal Made on Iran Sanctions

The US claims to have made an agreement with all veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council on a draft sanctions resolution against Iran.

"We have reached agreement on a strong draft with the cooperation of Russia and China," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, referring to talks with permanent members of the UN Security Council Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany.

Russia and China have long resisted the US campaign for sanctions and urged other powers to seek a diplomatic solution to the standoff over Iran's nuclear program. Both countries welcomed the nuclear declaration issued by Iran, Turkey and Brazil.

"We attach importance to and support this agreement," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said on Tuesday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also welcomed the declaration as "the politics of a diplomatic solution."

Moscow has stressed that it would never support sanctions meant to "strangle Iran" or harm the Iranian people.'

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Iran’s Uranium Deal a Serious Blow to War Party

In a move that will likely drive a stake into the heart of the near-term prospects for the US-backed “crippling sanctions” against Iran, Turkey and Brazil have managed to come up with a compromise deal that provides everything the Western nations claimed to have wanted from the third-party enrichment deal in the first place.

The deal was announced last night but details were only made available this morning. According to the announcement, Iran will ship 1,200 kg of its 3.5% enriched uranium to Turkey, exactly the amount sought in the P5+1 enrichment deal, and will receive fuel rods for its medical reactor one year later, again the amount of time given in the P5+1 deal.

Though the inclusion of Turkey is a new rub, everything else about the deal seems to be designed to be verbatim to the P5+1 deal in October, which the Obama Administration has repeatedly demanded Iran sign.'

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Iran Agrees to Ship Low Enriched Uranium to Turkey

After several hours of intense negotiations, the trilateral meeting between Iran, Brazil and Turkey ends with Tehran agreeing to ship its domestic low-enriched uranium to Turkey.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Monday that the Tehran government has agreed to a draft proposal whereby Iran will send some 1200 kg of its 3.5 percent enriched uranium over to Turkey in exchange for a total of 120 kg 20 percent, Press TV reported.'

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Turkish Air Defense System Deployed to 'Defend Syria, Iran gainst Israel Raids' A

High-ranking sources in the Israeli Foreign Ministry expressed displeasure with Turkey over deploying anti-aircraft batteries along the Syrian border in the Iskenderun district.

The Turkish daily Hurriyet meanwhile, quoted a military source as saying that “this move aims at repelling a US or Israeli attack against Iran or Syria.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry sources noted that if the news published in the Turkish media were true, then Ankara would be taking a side with Damascus and Tehran, instead of preventing the nuclearization of Iran.'

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IAEA Rejects Own Reports, Purpose, Non-Proliferation Treaty: Orwellian Vote Condemns Compliant Iran

Iran received US assistance under the US-imposed dictator, the Shah Pahlavi (a "king"). When Iran deposed their king, the US withdrew their assistance and refused to refund billions of dollars Iran had paid. France also reneged on contracts without refunding Iran’s payments. The issues over Iran allowing other nations to develop their nuclear fuel is colored by this history of US and France still owing Iran billions of dollars, and refusing Iran’s offer to only allow a fuel exchange if their unprocessed uranium is simultaneously swapped with enriched fuel.'

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Zimbabwe Denies Uranium Deal With Iran

A report by the UK-based Daily Telegraph claimed on Saturday that a deal had been reached between the two countries under which Iran would be allowed to mine potential uranium deposits in Zimbabwe to provide fuel for its nuclear reactors and in exchange Zimbabwe would get oil from Iran. The report said that the agreement was sealed secretly last month during a visit to Tehran by a close aide to Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe.

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Comment by Mike Rivero

This is a replay of the infamous and equally mythical deal claimed between Iraq and Niger over "Yellow cake" processed uranium. That claim, which resulted in President Bush's notorious "16 words" in the 2003 State of the Union speech in which he claimed Iraq was acquiring processed uranium from Niger, was based on documents which the IAEA declared to be obvious forgeries.


Clearly the Daily Telegraph hopes you are either too stupid or too forgetful to realize this trick has been played on you before.

The MoD, the Arms Deal and a 30-year-old Bill for £400m

The problem came in 1979 when, with just 185 tanks delivered to Tehran, the Iranian Revolution deposed Shah Pahlavi and installed an Islamic Republic with a somewhat less warm stance towards the United Kingdom. The massive deal, fully sanctioned by the Ministry of Defence, foundered and the Iranians, perhaps understandably, asked for their money back.

London refused and - after flogging a number of its suddenly surplus tanks to Iran’s most bitter enemy in the shape of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq - the British government has for 30 years fought a little-noticed but bitter legal wrangle in an obscure international trade court based in the Netherlands to hold onto what remains of the Shah’s money.'

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Iran Rightfully Calls for America to be Suspended From IAEA

The leader of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has rightfully called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to suspend America for constantly threatening to use nuclear weapons against his country and other states; and his bold stance could be a significant opportunity for the non-European world to stand up to western terrorism.'

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Secret US Memo Urges War on Iran

A secret memo by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates urges Washington to consider the use of military force against Iran if diplomacy fails to scrap the country's nuclear program.

In what seems to be a new twist in US efforts to tackle Iran's enrichment activities, The New York Times reveals that a three-page memorandum, which has been circulating in Washington since January, has advocated military action against Tehran.

The classified memorandum, according to unnamed government officials quoted by the Times, warns that Washington lacks an effective policy in dealing with Iran's nuclear program and should therefore come up with new options.'

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Another War Lie to Attack Iran: Neda 'Murder Video' Shows Her Pouring Fake Blood on Her Own Face

You know that US government and corporate media lied to the world for unlawful war with Iraq. We know these were all known lies as they were told because we now have the disclosed evidence. The lies are "emperor has no clothes" obvious upon examination.

We know that US government and corporate media are lying to the world for unlawful war with Iran. We know these are all lies by examining the evidence. We know that the US lied to overthrow Iran’s democracy from 1953 to 1979 in order to have an oil-friendly dictator and then supported Iran’s invasion from 1980 to 1988 when they refused a replacement dictator.

As a teacher of government and law, I created an analogy to recognize the lies by imposing the names of “China” for the US, and “US” for Iran to see what it looks like as the target of war lies. I also provide a glimpse into Persian culture to humanize Iran rather than demonize the targets of provable and criminal US war lies.

I just became aware of the video evidence during Iran’s June 2009 election of Neda Agha-Soltan that shows her pouring a red substance over her own face that is caught by the video. I had to watch about six times to verify that I really did see Neda apply the "blood" to her face. This staged event ended with Neda's real death; her autopsy reported her cause of death was a close-range shot to the back rather than the US corporate media report of sniper-fire to the chest. I couldn't find confirmation in English of her autopsy and welcome reader links.'

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Iran: Haven’t We Seen This Movie Before?

In the joint interview* with Hillary Clinton and Robert M. Gates on Sunday, the buzz words were all there: international terrorism, Al Qaeda, Iran’s nuclear program, the need for UN Resolutions and the fact that such Resolutions will not stop the USA from taking further action, an international coalition being built, Teheran not wanting to follow the diplomatic path…and Iran was mentioned no less than eighteen times.

The build-up, ladies and gentlemen, is on. We have seen it before and we are seeing it again. Look at a map of Iran and the mechanisms are in place. And now the rhetoric is taking the same path as the run-up to the war in Iraq. Take for example the recent interview (source quoted below) between the NBC’s David Gregory and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Defense Secretary William Gates on Sunday April 11, 2010.

During the interview, Iran was mentioned, directly or indirectly, no less than 18 times, ten ominously by Defense Secretary Gates (5 directly and five indirectly – “they”, “them”), 6 times by the interviewer and twice by Hillary Clinton.

While there were references to “putting pressure” on Iran and a mix of policies including economic sanctions, the images created by this interview are as telling as they are shocking and frightening: we have all the ingredients present in the verbal and body language of the United States of America visible immediately before the Iraq war.'

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