Iran

Iran attack more likely with low oil prices
By Nick Mottern | UPI.com

If the Bush administration is hawkish enough to attack Iran or support an Israeli attack before it leaves office, the drop in world oil prices to the $80 to $90 a barrel range may give it enough of a cushion against the consequence of skyrocketing oil prices.

The administration may gamble that a quick, tightly targeted strike against Iran's nuclear facilities would bring only a brief, modest spike in oil prices, with the price settling back down in a week's time given the apparent downward trend in world oil demand.

By David Swanson

Tonight, Monday, October 6, 2008, a group of citizens in Charlottesville, Va., organized by the Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice, will attend the City Council's meeting to urge the Council to take up at its November meeting a resolution opposing a U.S. attack on the nation of Iran. Some members of the Council and of the public can be expected to respond with some well-intended but confused reasons to resist taking such a step. In hopes of clarifying the issue, let me suggest briefly three things: 1.-Why the United States should not attack Iran; 2.-Why there is a serious danger that the United States will attack Iran; 3.-Why Charlottesville City Council should pass a resolution opposing such an attack.

1.-Why the United States should not attack Iran.

Hoyer Responds to Senate's Failure to Pass Critical Iran Legislation

WASHINGTON, DC - House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement on the Senate's failure to pass the Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act:

“I was disappointed by the Senate’s failure to pass H.R.7112, the Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2008, due to Republican opposition. The House approved this critical legislation just days ago and we had hoped the Senate would follow suit. However, Majority Leader Reid’s effort to pass the measure failed due to opposition from the Republican side.

By Brent Lollis, American Iranian Council

The AIC was granted permission by the U.S. government to open an office in Iran. The AIC will be the only U.S. based peace and conflict resolution Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) operating in Iran. We look forward to helping governmental officials, NGO officials, and especially common citizens in working with us to promote respectful, rational and direct dialog between the United States and Iran.

Report from the Meeting between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Representatives of Peace and Anti-War Organizations, held Sept. 24, 2008, in New York City
Notes compiled by Phil Wilayto

The meeting was convened by the interfaith peace organization Fellowship of Reconciliation, at the invitation of the Iranian Mission to the United Nations. About 150 U.S. activists attended, representing about 50 organizations. The meeting was held at a midtown hotel near where the United Nations was holding its General Assembly session.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was seated on the dais, along with Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee and an Iranian woman translator.

Those scheduled to attend the invitation-only meeting included:

Ahmadinejad accepts Israel's right to exist
The Iranian president has said he would accept a two-state solution if the Palestinians agree. So where are the headlines?
By Peter Tatchell, www.guardian.co.uk

Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has made a remarkable announcement. He's admitted that Iran might agree to the existence of the state of Israel.

Ahmadinejad was asked: "If the Palestinian leaders agree to a two-state solution, could Iran live with an Israeli state?"

This was his astonishing reply:

If they [the Palestinians] want to keep the Zionists, they can stay ... Whatever the people decide, we will respect it. I mean, it's very much in correspondence with our proposal to allow Palestinian people to decide through free referendums.

Since most Palestinians are willing to accept a two-state solution, the Iranian president is, in effect, agreeing to Israel's right to exist and opening the door to a peace deal that Iran will endorse.

By Sam Gardiner

Over the weekend, the Iranian press reported two assassination attempts.

A prayer leader was killed in the providence of West Azerbaijan in Iran. Press releases point out this is the where the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) has been operating. The PJAK is a U.S. supported group.

In another incident an Iranian public prosecutor was wounded in the Sistan-Baluchestan providence of Iran. Again, the Iranian press imply connections to a U.S. sponsored group. In this case it is Jundullah. The press release mentions that the Jundullah leader has been on the Voice of America.

There is no independent confirmation that the U.S. has had any hand in this incidents, but it is important that the Iranians seem to believe the United States was involved.

By Paul Kawika Martin

I thought you might be interested in my reflections of a meeting I was fortunate to attend this week:

For nearly three years, Peace Action has been a leader in preventing the Bush Administration from conducting a war on Iran. In 2006, we coordinated a meeting of key nonprofit leaders and founded the Iran Policy Working Group – a group of over 100 leaders that share information and strategy. For years Peace Action led meetings with nonprofits and our congressional allies to form inside-outside strategies. Additionally, three Peace Action staff, including myself, traveled with delegations to Iran to practice citizen to citizen diplomacy.

Because of this work, the Fellowship of Reconciliation invited Peace Action to join over 100 leaders to meet with the President of Iran today, September 24, 2008. Here are some thoughts about the exchange.

H.R.7112
Title: To impose sanctions with respect to Iran, to provide for the divestment of assets in Iran by State and local governments and other entities, and to identify locations of concern with respect to transshipment, reexportation, or diversion of certain sensitive items to Iran.
Sponsor: Rep Berman, Howard L. [CA-28] (introduced 9/26/2008) Cosponsors (11)
Latest Major Action: 9/26/2008 Passed/agreed to in House. Status: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
[The cowards don't even record their names.]

Jim Lehrer missed an opportunity last night to help clarify for people watching the debate what is in dispute between Democrats like Barack Obama and Republicans like John McCain about U.S. policy towards Iran. For the record, this is what McCain adviser former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said about U.S. policy towards Iran, according to the transcript on CNN's website:

"I am in favor of negotiating with Iran.... But I do not believe that we can make conditions for the opening of negotiations."

This was at an event with five former U.S. Secretaries of State, three Republicans (Kissinger, Powell, and Baker) and two Democrats (Christopher and Albright.) All five agreed that the U.S. should negotiate with Iran, without preconditions.

By Ethan Vesely-Flad, FOR

Over the past 48 hours, I’ve had the opportunity to attend three powerful meetings that have sought to prevent war between the U.S. and Iran and to encourage dialogue and engagement between our two governments and their citizens.

Late afternoon this Wednesday, September 24th, 150 members of the U.S. peace, justice, and anti-war community held a historic first meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The private gathering in New York City was facilitated and hosted by the Fellowship of Reconciliation – an organization for whom I am incredibly proud to work. It is amazing that a small number of people were able to put together such a major gathering in less than a month.

Democratic leadership ‘effectively shelves’ Iran resolution
Think Progress

The Democratic leadership in the House “effectively shelved” a proposed non-binding resolution that “critics say would amount to a naval blockade of Iran because of concerns that it could provoke another war, officials on Capitol Hill said.” The Washington Times reports:

Even though the document would not be a law but a “statement of policy” aimed at preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, the Democratic leadership is worried that it could be viewed by the Bush administration as a green light to use military force against Iran, officials said. […]

The draft “demands that the president initiate an international effort” that would impose “stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains and cargo entering or departing Iran.”

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NEXT WE STOP PAULSON'S PLUNDER

Iran vows to block any attack
By Zahra Hosseinian | Reuters.com

Iran will stop any attacker before he can "pull the trigger" and sanctions intended to isolate the Islamic Republic have not worked, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a military parade on Sunday.

The United States and its allies are seeking to step up U.N. sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear plans, which the West sees as a bid to build nuclear arms. Iran denies this.

There has been persistent speculation Washington or Israel might launch strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, as neither country has ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to end the row.

"If anybody dares to breach the boundaries of the Iranian nation, the Iranian nation's holy land and Iran's legal interests, our armed forces ... will break his hand before he can pull the trigger," Ahmadinejad said.

Russia, China, Germany reject US evidence of Iran's covert nuke program
DEBKAfile Special Analysis | DEBKA.com

Euphrates pipes for destroyed Syrian reactor designed to be part of Iran's military program

Russia, China and Germany refuse to countenance tougher sanctions against Iran notwithstanding the International Atomic Energy Agency’s report from Vienna that its inspections of suspect activities and covert projects were stalled by Tehran’s non-cooperation. Diplomats for the five permanent Security Council members and Germany, meeting at the State Department Friday, Sept 19, therefore failed to agree on a new round of sanctions ahead of their foreign ministers’ meeting at UN Center next week.

Palin Warns Against 'Second Holocaust' by Ahmadinejad

ABC News' Imtiyaz Delawala Reports: Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin warned against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's pursuit of nuclear weapons for a "second holocaust," while blaming "Democrat partisans" for forcing rally organizers to withdraw her invitation to speak before an anti-Iran protest in New York next week.

"John McCain and I are committed to drawing attention to the danger posed by Iran's nuclear program and we will not waver in our commitment," Palin told a crowd of 9,000 supporters in Blaine, MN. "I will continue to call for sustained action to prevent Iranian President Ahmadinejad from getting these weapons that he wants for a second holocaust."

[Translated from *Le Figaro* (Paris)]
By Georges Malbrunot
The Iranian navy is preparing suicide boat attacks against the American fleet

A "pack attack, like wolves" against American ships: this is the
lightning-war tactic being perfected by the Iranian navy in the waters of the Arabo-Persian Gulf as a riposte to possible strikes against Tehran's nuclear installations. Piloted by fanaticized Revolutionary Guards, about twenty small boats regularly give the impression they are bearing down on Western ships crossing international waters. Suicide boat attacks "will give enemies no chance to flee," warns Ali Shirazi, representative of the Supreme Leader among the Guards, the r?gime's ideological army, which is
threatening to set Tel Aviv and the American fleet in the Gulf aflame
should Iran be attacked.

U.S. Militarism & Global Tensions Rise Together
By Phyllis Bennis | Institute for Policy Studies

17 September 2008

Dear friends,

Just a note on where we are, before I get into the analysis here. As all of us recognize, as we wake shaking in the night, fearing tomorrow, this is an incredibly dangerous moment. It doesn't just seem to, it really does get worse each election - the stakes grow higher, the dangers spread further. People's lives - not only, not even mainly, our own - are at grave risk. This election is probably the most important most of us have ever faced. And its outcome is at least partly in our hands.

My friend Holly Near, the great songwriter and singer-agitator, recently sent me some of her ideas of how to think about this election:

George Bush Desperate for "Trophy Strike" | StopTheWarCoalition

George Bush has signed a secret order allowing US troops to operate in Pakistan, without permission from the Pakistani government or agreement by the United Nations, contravening numerous international laws and conventions. Bush says the recent ground assault by US commandos and the big increase in the number of US missiles fired from unmanned aircraft are directed at al-Qaeda leaders, but the Pakistani government and local observers say that most of the dozens killed in these attacks have been civilians, the majority of them women and children.