US vows to pressure Iran at UN Security Council

Am often asked admist arguments with well-meaning colleagues how we can occupy a country bigger even than Iraq.
Well, we don't need to occupy the fellas. We just need to defang their nuke program. Ain't the same thing. And the US military is tretched, mark my words and is hence much more dangerous. Coz now they can't afford to be generous with enemies anymore. No more benefits of doubt, no more kid gloves...If Sadr and party decide to party, they'll kiss desert dust as things start to go outta hand, IMO.

A frightened as I am about a war with Iran, I know it must come. The treacherous Russians and heartless Chinese will lose in that war as well. Thus, the sooner the war begins, the better as Iran is arming itself as quickly as it possibly can. The war is merely weeks away now.

The problem is what will become of our economy.

iran reported to un security council

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/world/13793206.htm

"And the US military is stretched, mark my words and is hence much more dangerous. "

its not stretched - when did you see the U.S. air force using it's FULL STRENGTH in iraq? like carbet bombing an entire city?

and what about the Rumsfeld doctrine of sending in as few troops as possible into Iraq?

lets get things in perspective here.

you've been watching too much MSM

It seems Bush has subtley changed his stance on Islam - during the state of the Union address instead of referring to Islam as a "Religion of Peace" like he usually does, he referred to it as "a Noble Religion". Since his speech was gone over with a fine tooth comb over several weeks, I'm sure this an intentional modification. He has to walk a fine line since he has invaded a Moslem country and he can't afford to come across as an anti-Islamic, but I'm sure he recognizes the global danger of Islam in general and not just the so-called fundamentalists and radicals that hi-jacked the "religion of peace". It will take time but I'm sure he and Rice are not as pollyannic as some of you accuse them of being. They are heads of state of a democratic nation and the world's only superior power and they got just go around lambasting their enemies or idealogical adversaries at every turn like the thug in chief of Iran does.

Pray for Israel.

Condi says:
"The world will not stand by if Iran continues on the path to a nuclear weapons capability."

Iran says:
Iran will not stand by if the world continues on the path in detering Iran's nuclear weapons capability."

Add a little cartoon rage to the mix and BINGO.
Hold onto your seat folks, the fireworks are soon to begin.

It will be interesting to see how the sunni street somehow talk themselves into supporting their shia "brothers". Their way of logical thinking gives me a headache when I try it.

Remember, while Russia and China agreed to refer to the UNSC, they wanted a month to delay. Moreover, both will stand firm against sanctions. That will force the US to act outside of the UNSC and tell our allies that it made its best effort at diplomacy. That will cause a schism through the world with countries like France happy that we made the effort and they were consulted. It will cause more countries to hate Europe. I am sure you might imagine which countries I am referring to.

The situation in this case is very different from Iraq. I am ready for it. Iran was always a much bigger problem than Iraq. It's time to give them what Ahmadinejad has wanted for so long: a rendezvous with allah compliments of Uncle Sam. I for one am ready to oblige.

"Security council" and the "United Nations", (where few are united) where 17 civilized nations finance 170 corrupt, uncivilized Arab- and other enemy nations to vote against us at every opportunity:

Time for disengagement! The US should pull the plug on Koffies corrupt livelihood and shut this obscene talkfest down.

Iran needs to be taken out, decisively and soon.

Those who trust a 'Mohammed' (Mohammed Baradei) to keep 'Abdullah' (Almadinejad) in check will have a rude awakening.

Trust Ahmadinejad: He means what he says and he will do what the mad, frenzied masses of fanatical, hateful Iranian masses want:
To build the bomb and to wipe out Israel.

We need the resolve to take them out. Sooner the better!

rice & bush do get it. but their politicians on the world stage - they have to watch their words. comes with the territory.

and as for "pray for israel" - i wouldnt bother. they are armed to the teeth. UN or no UN they will defend themselves. its the iranians who should be praying.

god speed Israel - and your fight for democracy.

lets just think right now about the israeli pilots and special forces who are now preparing for the envitable strike on iran.

my thoughts are with them.

get a load of this

http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1141

looks like the egyptians threw in a clause to get rid of israeli nukes.

fat chance of that happening. looks to me as if its going to be an israeli/u.s. strike, irrespective of the UN charade.

The U.N. didn't do anything when the U.S. invaded Iraq. Why does anyone think it will do anything about Iran acquiring a nuclear bomb? Why do we still hold out hope that it can do anything? Condoleeza's words ring hollow.

and as for "pray for israel" - i wouldnt bother. they are armed to the teeth. UN or no UN they will defend themselves. its the iranians who should be praying.

Couldn't hurt.

Archduke,

The reason they decision to refer was not made until today, and not made yesterday, was at the insistence of many countries which wanted to introduce language creating a "nuclear free ME". Well since Israel is part of the ME, and under so much pressure, the US was forced to compromise and add some language mentioning Israel.

Like Hugh says, if Israel were part of NATO, than a security umbrella would be sufficient. However, Israel would never give up its nukes. It's really a moot point.

Folks, this is the real game. Forget about the cartoons. Iran is the big game this week. I think that the cartoons are just a distraction to keep the press away from the big thing: Iran with nukes in the near future. Hold tight and pray.

The referral of Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions isn’t exactly what it appears to be. It is a referral for possible consideration of sanctions, which translates as: “We will continue to talk about talking”. According to the Russians “Diplomacy is not over”, nor will it ever be over because, Western diplomacy is designed to canalize all possible violent tendencies and belligerent motives into a broad and slow delta of muddled, ambiguous compromise. This is its purpose regardless of the source of the belligerence; that is, military threats made by the Western Alliance against barbaric theocracies are the equal of threats made by assassins, dictators, fanatics and fascists.

This is because the UN is not an arbitrator, but a mediator. It was designed to perform the function of a neutral observer facilitating the rapprochement between two claimants. There is no notion of an overriding principle that garners one claimant a recogniton of moral superiority by the UN…except for the seemingly virtuous notion that war should be avoided. Not just justifiable and judicious moves to avoid war, but feckless and counterproductive inactivity, inappropriate moral equivalence, and the actual hamstringing of righteous force are approved by this organization—because its purpose is to palliate and mediate between opponents, rather than identify and punish aggressors.

Iran will never be branded the medieval aggressor that it is, by such an organization. The fact that the vaunted UN was unable to so label Saddam Hussein, and rapidly slid into dithering, effete, corruption when faced with implacable evil, should be proof enough that so-called “sanctions” against Iran are foolish. We have already tried that route with this organization and it failed so miserably that it caused very real fractures in the Western Alliance (such as it is).

The Iranians will use any “action” in the UN as an excuse to commit actual acts, such as the open industrial scale reprocessing of uranium into bomb grade material, and the rejection of the Russian proposal. It is clear that they may have already obtained plutonium from the North Koreans, have the capacity to deliver WMD and are led by a dangerous cadre of neo-fascists. If you doubt they are fascists, listen to Ahmadinejad himself who says, “Countries” (he never uses our names) “who started a world war and killed 60 million people” cannot lecture Iran about ethics. The Holocaust never happened, and the West started WWII. Here anti-Semitism and loving regard for Hitlerism are obvious.

The United Nations has failed in its historic purpose. Whatever Eleanor Roosevelt might have wished it to be, it is now a corrupt, bloated bureaucracy inimical to the interests of the West. Taking Iran to the Security Council will only highlight the UN’s impotence. They move far too slowly in any event, to be of much use to us in the present crisis. We are past the point of talking about talking. But this is what we have come to.

If it comes to war, we should, in addition to attacking their nuclear facilities, relieve all the international suspense about Iranian economic retaliation by immediately destroying Iran's oil production, oil distribution, oil storage, and oil transportation systems (including pipelines and tanker loading facilities). We need to hit THEM in the pocketbook.

Like all dismal Islamic societies, there is nothing substantive in Iran to sustain a modern economy. Aside from oil revenuues, there is no economic activity there large enough to maintain an expensive nuclear research program. And without cash flow from oil, the Iranians won't be able to pay the salaries of their overly huge Islamic army and bloated fascist Islamic bureaucracy (complete with religious police). After some months of not being paid, the army and bureaucrats will probably get very angry at the central government and the mullahs. Either that, or they will do the usual Islamic thing and loot their own society and extort from their own population. The more turmoil the better, I say.

Of course, in the west we will have to suck it up and deal with a sudden shortage of oil. But that day is coming, sooner or later. Maybe we should force the issue now, and thereby kick start the process of adaptation.

A bonus of this approach is that no one on either side will be plausibly be able to charge that we "fought the war for oil." We need to wreck Iran's economy, and keep it wrecked. And when they call us to "negotiate a truce," we should hang up on them, until and if they replace completely the ruling regime.

Prayer does work, you guys. Last night I was hosting a happy hour in the bar area of a local snazzy restaurant for some new clients, and my old boss, who is one of my biggest enemies, came up to me and congratulated me on opening my own company. He was very sincere, with no guile at all and actually gave me a hug. I almost fell off my chair, but I felt that if he could do that, which basically was an apology for the crummy way I was cornered into leaving my old company, that I would forgive him completely. When I was driving home and wondering how that miraculous exchange had taken place it hit me that I spent a lot of time praying for him last year, even when I had to grit my teeth to do it. I realized what a blessing this was. What a gift from God, and I am certain, now more than ever before, that miracles happen and we can do anything through God's help Who strengthens us. So let us, by all means, pray.

"Prayer does work..."

All I know is a lot of prayers are eading to Detroit tomorrow for the Superbowl you see...

"The world will not stand by if Iran continues on the path to a nuclear weapons capability."

Errr.....hasn't this already happened??? Let's see - China and Russia are helping the Iranians, so there is a large slab of the world that WANT it to happen.

Iran has nothing to worry about - the Muslim world has been told to riot over cartoons! Saudia Arabia has recalled its Ambassador from Denmark, the Arab League wants to take Denmark to the UN over this blasphemy, Denmark wants to take the issue of the boycott as called in Saudia Arabia to the WTO......do you think that Kofi will have time to even think about nukes from Iran......pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeze - this is just a ruse to try to get the West to take its eye off the ball - ie Iran.

Russia and China have been dealing with Iran as trading partners - no help there.....not to worry.....Kofi is there to save the KAFIRS from themselves!

It seem to be true, prayer does work--on a statistically significant basis--some hospital studies are indicating that--why and how are surely beyond me--seems to create more questions than it answers--but I have taken up prayer and now seems a good time--but be careful what you pray for etc--

"this is just a ruse to try to get the West to take its eye off the ball - ie Iran."

-Jihan

I doubt it, since the cartoon issue is likely to die down. Moreover, no one has forgotten about Iran. It is on the minds of everyone. The cartoon issue however, is actually beneficial for the West as it shows just how nuts many Moslems are. Bush and Israel are surely smiling since they know it means that at long last, Europeans will have to confront their enemy. This coupled with Hamas' recent victory are DEVASTATING defeats of Islam before our eyes.

Well it took how many years of UN sanctions to fail in Iraq before the US and others to take down Saddam. Think it will be a whole lot shorter for Iraq, btw l am sure they are behind the funding of all these terrorists! the sooner the regime of Iraq goes down.. the better the world will become! l am sure Saudi will be pleased if Iran goes down!

"The world will not stand by if Iran continues on the path to a nuclear weapons capability."

This looks logical:

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HB03Ak02.html
"The somewhat standard scenario for this war - as indicated by Chinese and Russian war games - has the following features:

An initial Israeli air attack against some Iranian nuclear targets, command and control targets and Shahab missile sites. Iran retaliates with its remaining missiles, tries to close the Gulf, attacks US naval assets and American and British forces in Iraq. If Iranian missiles have chemical warheads (in fact or presumed), the US will immediately use nuclear weapons to destroy the Iranian military and industrial infrastructure. If not, an air campaign of up to two weeks will prepare the ground campaign for the occupation of the Iranian oil and gas fields."

Zeno,

The truth is that while other nations may desire to help, namely such countries as the UK, Poland, Denmark, Holland or Romania - all staunch allies of the US, they simply do not possess the power. However, the governments of those countries are afraid of getting involved in any more wars. These are also countries far closer to the Arab world. Remember, all of these counties are also in Bosnia, Afghanistan and soon Sudan. Additionally, all of these counties except perhaps the UK, are small potatoes, and amusingly, some are very small potatoes. France too might assist after the fact, but it too is relatively weak. France is helping though, by helping increasingly in Afghanistan and helping us diplomatically. Still, one wonders if they couldn’t do more. I don't doubt Australia might help in the operations, but I doubt it has the power to do much. Countries like Italy, Greece and Spain might be sympathetic to our cause, but I doubt we will see much help from them.

What is at stake here is also the unipolar world we are in. Iran is being armed precisely because of this problem. Consider allowing allies more power as one solution. Now here it comes, consider allowing Germany and Japan to seriously rearm. It’s about time we trusted them isn't it? Consider also arming the former Eastern European states far more than is currently the case to counter Russia. We must also continue helping Israel.

A more powerful Japan would counter China thereby allowing us to not have to focus on Japan, and only defend Taiwan. Germany's increased conventional power would assist in countering, at least in part, Russia’s presence in Europe.

Lastly, we need a missile defense system immediately. The entire free world must be under its umbrella as soon as it is functional.

two jordanian editors arrested:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4680948.stm

The fact is, when the U.S. has to attack Iran, it now doesn't have to have permission to fly over another muslim countries air space. We now have a base in Iraq.

"The fact is, when the U.S. has to attack Iran, it now doesn't have to have permission to fly over another muslim countries air space. We now have a base in Iraq."
-- from a posting above

The United States does not really need the permission of any country in the Middle East that can do nothing about American planes or missiles flying overhead. So it does not have to ask permission of anyone, anymore than the Israelis did in 1980, when they bombed the Osirak reactor -- and put out of commission, until today, some 25 years later, Iraq's nuclear plans.

As for the utility of the American presence in Iraq -- that presence does not help, but hinders, and possibly inhibits, American resolve and ability to deal with Iran.

What is now a fiasco in Iraq, where the Americans continue to build up, and try to make viable, a unified nation-state where they should be leaving, and welcoming whatever happens, but especially not fearing, not deploring, the sectarian (Sunni-Shi'a) and ethnic (Arab-Kurd) hostilities (that might far better serve American and Infidel interests than the absence or diminishment of such hostilities.

The continued American presence in Iraq, not a quagmire but a tarbaby, where the tar is generated by the government itself, that appears unable to get unstuck without some kind of loss of face -- fear that leaving Ira would be a tacit admission that the whole Iraq the Model, Iraq the Light Unto the Muslim Nations, Iraq the harbinger of "democracy" which, in turn, would "transform" the Middle East (this is the kind of thing that at this point only the very obstinate and determinedly ill-informed could possibly believe) was silly to begin with. There is no need to worry about. The relief that would come from every part of the public would overwhelm any recriminations, but to remain in Iraq is to keep up, and double the dose of wormwood at the end.

But there is no need for the Administration to stubbornly insist that they have to stay in Iraq. Just look around the world. There are many problems. From the menace of Islam, two immediately present themselves: Iran''s becoming a nuclear power, and the upheaval, which will only get worse, and cannot get better, in Western Euroope caused by a large, growing, aggressive, violent, dangerous, indifferent to Western laws, customs, ways, population of Muslims, who represent possibly the most astonishing example in world history of an enemy unwittingly permitted to live, and not only live but have excuses made for it at every turn, and the real nature of the menace they posed minimized or pooh-poohed in every way. Major weaponry in Muslim hands, and the other, non-military instruments of Jihad -- Da'wa and demography, especially in Western Europe -- are now a threat that cannot be solved by, have little to do with, whether or not Sunnis and Shi'a come to some reconciliation which, should it occur, would be of benefit only to themselves, and one less possible means for the Infidels of this world to hope to find, in the world of Islam, points of division and potential demoralization.

If only our rulers would come to their senses -- they are far behind those whom they claim to be protecting, and whose duty it is for them to instruct. But it turns out it is they who are in need of instruction, both about the nature of Islam, and the nature of Iraq. They failed to consider these carefully before. One forgave them. The American government, like all Western governments, had never made the study of Islam its strong suit, and during the Cold War the habit of regarding Islam as not merely inoccuous, but positively to be encouraged as a "bulwark against Communism," was established and fixed in quite a few shallow minds (Zbigniew Brzezinski); there were also those who for various reasons -- sometimes mere animus to Israel, prompted by that mental pathology with which we are all familiar -- did not wish to draw attention to the nature of Islam because that would cast the Arab-Israeli conflict in a new, much more accurate light, and would show up the hollowness of all the "negotiations" and the photo oppoortunities that surrounded them.

There is no more time for the false promise of Democracy is On the March and Iraq the Light Unto the Muslim Nations. That light, Iraq, has people who are represented much more by SCIRI, Da'wa, the Ansar al-Mahdi of Moqtada al-Sadr, and of course the various Sunnis unwilling to yield power to the Shi'a Rafidite dogs, than by those whom Wolfowitz et al kept taking as "representative" Iraqis. Never before have so many so-called tough-minded weapons systems analysts, and people with words like "strategy" in the titles of their private or collective think-tanks, demonstrated their own vacuity and ignorance, as they airily discuss, even now, such ectoplasmic shapes as, not only "Iraq," but also places they refer to so self-assuredly as "India." And "China."

Fantastic.

Isabel

Interesting post.

I grew up with a mildly hostile atitude towards Christianity, but events in the last few years have made me realize the truth and beauty of a religion that is rooted in Love and Forgiveness.

Those are Jewish concepts as well. "Do not do unto your neighbor what is hateful to yourself" is Hebrew.

I still pray that one day there can be a trancscendent Islam but I don't see how with no criticism of Mohammud acceptable.

The Prophets of the OT were all flawed and were often punished for their flaws.

But again, I have learned the same power of praying for people and myslef to gain higher perspective.

It has been mentioned before but the thing about the Danish flag burning which is enduringly interesting is that it is indeed the burning of a cross so the complaint of insulting a religion is hokum at best, the finest of Taquiyya.

Hugh,

Yet another of your long-winded run-on sentences constructed more to razzle-dazzle than tailored to inform. You lack brevity, Hugh. And brevity is the soul of wit. Frankly, witless people are bores and boring people aren't paid much attention to no matter how brilliant they may be.

With all due respect, people will likely pay more attention to what you have to say if you focus more on your point than on the long-winded journey you force your reader to take getting to it. And after a tiresome journey down the yellow brick road, the reader is still unsure what your point was exactly because they've now lost interest from wading through all the obfuscation along the way.

Mahdi

From article: Condoleezza Rice said in a statement. "The world will not stand by if Iran continues on the path to a nuclear weapons capability."

It may be that the world she is refering to is not the one you think of when she said that.
She is probably refering to the 'globalist elite' world, that she is a member of. What 'globalists'( used to be the NWO crowd), and Islam have in common is a quest for world domination. The problem is that they both cant dominate at the same time. Some conspiracy theorists might claim that the globalist war is being conducted from Geneva, Switzerland by the inner councils of the Bilderberger Group, and numerous sub groups like the CFR (Council on Foreign Relations). The Islamic war is being conducted from Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and numerous sub-groups operating from mosques everywhere....A good story, better than some, is any of it true? Beats me. I just know that not all conspiracy theories are theories, some of them are actualities...

Mahdi...I agree that the most powerful message should take up the least possible space.
This is because people have a short attention span, and unless especially intrigued by the writing, they will drift off to thoughts of food and sex. (not necessarilly in that order).
Yet, some people have very useful, or enlightening information to pass, and spacing out on the text is like throwing the baby out with the bath water. You simply cant get the full impact of Hugh's articles while thinking of some woman. You have to 'focus', Mahdi, focus.
Concentrate, I know it's hard but you can do it.

Is your name 'Mahdi' an Islamic thing or, are you just being sardonic?