GangsterBB.NET


Funko Pop! Movies:
The Godfather 50th Anniversary Collectors Set -
3 Figure Set: Michael, Vito, Sonny

Who's Online Now
3 registered members (TheKillingJoke, Irishman12, RushStreet), 87 guests, and 2 spiders.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Shout Box
Site Links
>Help Page
>More Smilies
>GBB on Facebook
>Job Saver

>Godfather Website
>Scarface Website
>Mario Puzo Website
NEW!
Active Member Birthdays
No birthdays today
Newest Members
TheGhost, Pumpkin, RussianCriminalWorld, JohnnyTheBat, Havana
10349 Registered Users
Top Posters(All Time)
Irishman12 67,095
DE NIRO 44,945
J Geoff 31,284
Hollander 23,355
pizzaboy 23,296
SC 22,902
Turnbull 19,487
Mignon 19,066
Don Cardi 18,238
Sicilian Babe 17,300
plawrence 15,058
Forum Statistics
Forums21
Topics42,216
Posts1,056,184
Members10,349
Most Online796
Jan 21st, 2020
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 9 of 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #639302
03/10/12 06:10 PM
03/10/12 06:10 PM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
I
IvyLeague Offline
IvyLeague  Offline
I

Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
Israeli airstrikes kill 15 Gaza militants
Associated Press
March 10, 2012

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel pounded Gaza for the second day in a row Saturday, trading airstrikes and rocket fire with Palestinian militants and killing 15 of them as the deadliest Gaza violence in over a year showed no signs of abating.

Despite Egyptian efforts to mediate a cease-fire, Palestinians fired more than 100 rockets, some striking major cities in southern Israel and seriously wounding an Israeli civilian. The military responded with more than a dozen airstrikes and the targeted killings of Palestinian militants from various Gaza organizations.

Israel's lauded Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted more than 25 projectiles. Still, residents were told to stay close to home and the cities of Beersheba, Ashdod and Ashkelon called off school for Sunday.

Tit-for-tat exchanges between Israel and Palestinians have been routine since the 2009 war, but a flare-up of this intensity is rare. The Arab League called the Israeli attacks a "massacre."

The United Nations and the State Department condemned the violence and called on both sides to exercise restraint.

"This round in Gaza is far from being over," Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a visit to southern Israel. "We will not allow anyone to harm the citizens of the country and we will act against anyone who attempts to launch rockets. They will pay a heavy price, and no one will have immunity."

The latest spate of violence got under way Friday afternoon, when an Israeli airstrike on a car in Gaza City killed top militant commander Zuhair al-Qaissi and two of his underlings. It was the highest-profile killing Israel has carried out in many months, interrupting a period of relative calm on the volatile southern front.

Almost immediately, Gaza militants unleashed a barrage of rockets toward southern Israeli border communities.

So far, militants have fired more than 100 rockets since al-Qaissi's killing, a major escalation from recent months.

Palestinian militants fired some 50 rockets toward Israel in the previous three months.

Gaza's militant Islamic Hamas rulers condemned the Israeli strike but, pointedly, their fighters did not fire rockets at Israel. Instead, they quietly allowed other smaller Palestinian militant groups to unleash salvos.

In previous flare-ups, Hamas has used such a strategy to allow Palestinian militants to burn off their anger, with an eye toward the exchange of strikes eventually quieting down.

Hamas hasn't been eager to participate in rocket barrages since Israel conducted a punishing three-week war against the militant group in 2009. Hundreds of Palestinian civilians and militants were killed and the air and ground assault destroyed much of Hamas' infrastructure.

Since then, Hamas has sought to shore up its Gaza rule and amass a better weapons arsenal. Still, Israel's military said Hamas, as the territory's ruler, would "bear the consequences" for any attacks that emerged from Gaza.

Egypt, which has helped arrange truces in the past, said Saturday it was trying to cobble together a cease-fire.

"(We) won't give this occupation a free truce while our leaders and heroes are being killed," said Abu Mujahid, spokesman for al-Qaissi's group.

The U.N. and the State Department on Saturday called for an end to the violence.

"We deplore the fact that civilians are once again paying the price," said Richard Miron, a spokesman for Robert Serry, the U.N.'s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process. He called the situation in Gaza "very fragile and unsustainable."

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, "we condemn in the strongest terms the rocket fire from Gaza by terrorists into southern Israel in recent days, which has dramatically and dangerously escalated in the past day. We call on those responsible to take immediate action to stop these cowardly acts."

Israel released a number of video clips showing militants who were apparently hit by airstrikes moments before they were to fire rockets.

Palestinian rockets against Israeli communities have killed more than a dozen Israelis in the past decade.

This weekend's events are the deadliest in Gaza in more than a year.

Last April, Israeli killed 11 Palestinians, including four civilians, after Palestinian militants fired a rocket that hit a school bus and badly wounded a 16-year-old boy.

In August, Israel assassinated Kamal al-Nairab, al-Qaissi's predecessor as leader of the Popular Resistance Committees, after the group carried out an attack from Sinai that killed eight Israelis and injured 40.

Barak said al-Qaissi was preparing a similar attack. He said he couldn't say yet whether the plan had been completely thwarted.
The Popular Resistance Committees is a group closely aligned with Hamas that is best known for the 2006 abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit. Schalit was freed last year in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The current fighting could spiral out of control if Palestinian militants manage to kill Israeli civilians or if the Israeli strikes kill Palestinian civilians or another top militant.

On Saturday, the low whooshing noise of rocket fire from border areas toward Israel was palpably heard inside Gaza City. Israeli drones hovered in the skies above. Tens of thousands of Palestinian mourners marched through the streets in funeral processions. They carried slain militants in coffins, their bodies too torn up to be wrapped in cloth, as Muslim tradition dictates. Masked militants sprayed machine gun fire above the mourners' heads in angry grief.

"Revenge, revenge!" chanted the crowds.

Airstrikes continued throughout the day. The latest airstrike hit militants in the southern city of Rafah, near where an elaborate network of smuggling tunnels runs between the coastal strip and Egypt's Sinai peninsula. Palestinian officials said one militant was killed and three others wounded. An earlier strike killed two Palestinian militants on a motorbike in the border town of Bani Suheila in southeast Gaza.

Palestinian officials acknowledged that several of the dead were preparing to fire rockets.

http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-airstrikes-kill-15-gaza-militants-184708924.html


Mods should mind their own business and leave poster's profile signatures alone.
Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #639374
03/11/12 08:05 AM
03/11/12 08:05 AM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 5,325
MI
Lilo Offline
Lilo  Offline

Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 5,325
MI
If Obama were Reagan he'd be impeached

Quote:
Imagine if Israel would launch a successful preemptive strike against a country that is building a nuclear bomb that threatens its very existence, and the American president would describe it as “a tragedy”.

And then, not only would the U.S. administration fail to “stand by its ally”, as Republicans pledged this week, but it would actually lend its hand to a UN Security Council decision that condemns Israel, calls on it to place its nuclear facilities under international supervision and demands that it pay reparations (!) for the damage it had wrought.

And then, to add insult to injury, the U.S. president would impose an embargo on further sales of F-16 aircraft because Israel had “violated its commitment to use the planes only in self-defense”.

Can you imagine the uproar? Can you contemplate the brouhaha? I mean, if Mitt Romney believes that President Obama “threw Israel under the bus” just for suggesting that a peace settlement with Israel be based on the 1967 borders - what would he say about a president who actually turns his back on Israel in its greatest time of need? That he hurled Israel over the cliff with a live grenade in its pocket and into a burning volcano?

And what if that very same president, only a few months later, would decide to sell truly game-changing sophisticated weaponry to Saudi Arabia, an Arab country that is a sworn enemy of Israel? And not only would this president dismiss Israeli objections that these weapons endanger its security, but he would actually warn, in a manner that sent shivers down the spines of American Jews, that “it is not the business of other nations to make American foreign policy”. And his Secretary of State would mince no words, just in case Walt or Mearsheimer hadn’t heard the first time, saying ominously that if the deal would be blocked by Israeli influence, there would be “serious implications on all American policies in the Middle East... I’ll just leave it there.” And then the two of them would extend the abovementioned arms embargo, just to twist Israel’s arm a little bit more....


"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives."
Winter is Coming

Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky; And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back; For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.
Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #639476
03/11/12 10:43 PM
03/11/12 10:43 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
R
ronnierocketAGO Offline OP
ronnierocketAGO  Offline OP
R

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
You read this Ivy?

Iranian opposition leader: Israeli strike would be "A gift from God for the Mullahs"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/h...O61R_story.html

EDIT - this passage stands out and should be bigger news than it is unfortunately.

Quote:
Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace whose views are closely studied at the Obama White House, argues that the Iranian regime is gradually bleeding itself to death for the sake of its nuclear program. He likens the process to the demise of the Soviet Union, which bankrupted itself in an arms race with the United States.

Sadjadpour likes to invoke an old saying about dictatorships: “While they rule, their collapse appears inconceivable. After they’ve fallen, their collapse appeared inevitable.” Iran, he argues, is “at the crossroads of that maxim.”




Last edited by ronnierocketAGO; 03/11/12 11:00 PM.
Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #639478
03/11/12 10:59 PM
03/11/12 10:59 PM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
I
IvyLeague Offline
IvyLeague  Offline
I

Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
Originally Posted By: ronnierocketAGO
You read this Ivy?

Iranian opposition leader: Israeli strike would be "A gift from God for the Mullahs"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/h...O61R_story.html



The article seems to have the built-in assumption that sanctions will lead to eventual regime change in Iran and/or the end of it's nuclear program. As I've said before, I'm all for sanctions, political pressure, etc. But Iran still has to know that, if push came to shove, the U.S. and Israel would use military action.


Mods should mind their own business and leave poster's profile signatures alone.
Re: War with Iran? [Re: IvyLeague] #639480
03/11/12 11:02 PM
03/11/12 11:02 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
R
ronnierocketAGO Offline OP
ronnierocketAGO  Offline OP
R

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
Originally Posted By: IvyLeague

The article seems to have the built-in assumption that sanctions will lead to eventual regime change in Iran and/or the end of it's nuclear program. As I've said before, I'm all for sanctions, political pressure, etc. But Iran still has to know that, if push came to shove, the U.S. and Israel would use military action.


For once in this entire thread, we absolutely agree on something.

Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #639606
03/12/12 07:31 PM
03/12/12 07:31 PM
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,089
Brooklyn, New York
Dapper_Don Offline
Underboss
Dapper_Don  Offline
Underboss
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,089
Brooklyn, New York
Ex-Mossad chief: Iran is ‘rational’

The Iranian regime is “very rational” and is moving deliberately in its secretive nuclear program, the former head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency says.

“Maybe it’s not exactly rational based on what I call ‘Western thinking,’ but no doubt that they are considering all the implications of their actions,” Meir Dagan said in an interview with CBS‘ “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday.

Asked whether he believes Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is also rational, Mr. Dagan said yes. “Not exactly our rational, but I think that he is rational.”

Mr. Dagan’s remarks come as the U.S. and Israeli governments tussle over Iran, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu favoring a military strike on the country’s nuclear program in coming months.

President Obama said in a speech last week that there is “too much loose talk of war” and that he believes “that an opportunity still remains for diplomacy — backed by pressure — to succeed.”

Mr. Dagan, who retired from Mossad in 2010, sided with Mr. Obama.

“An attack on Iran before you [are] exploring all other approaches is not the right way how to do [it],” he said in the interview.

He said there is “more time” — perhaps as much as three years — to slow Iran’s nuclear program through other means.

Mr. Dagan has angered many in Israel’s political and security establishment by going public with his reservations about an Israeli attack on Iran.

In the interview, he expressed his fear that such a strike would precipitate a “regional war” and would invite large-scale retaliation against Israel from Iran and its proxies.

An attack on Iran’s nuclear program would be extremely difficult because it would involve “dozens of sites,” he said.

Many analysts have said they believe a U.S. strike would be far more effective than an Israeli one due, in part, to a superior arsenal of bunker-busting bombs that could penetrate some of Iran’s heavily fortified sites.

Most Israeli officials say they are skeptical that Mr. Obama has the stomach for an armed conflict with Iran, but Mr. Dagan said he believes the president is sincere.

“I heard very carefully what President Obama said, and he said openly that the military option is on the table, and he is not going to let Iran become a nuclear state,” he said.

Asked whether this meant he was hoping that the U.S. would do the job, Mr. Dagan said, “If I prefer that someone will do it, I always prefer that the Americans will do it.”

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/12/ex-mossad-chief-iran-is-rational/


Tommy Shots: They want me running the family, don't they know I have a young wife?
Sal Vitale: (laughs) Tommy, jump in, the water's fine.


Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #639646
03/13/12 01:42 AM
03/13/12 01:42 AM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 15,018
Texas
O
olivant Offline
olivant  Offline
O

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 15,018
Texas
There's no reason that a nation would not want a nuclear capability if it was in its national interests. North Korea figures that its national interest includes just being able to say that it has a nuclear capability. Iran is the same. Iran is not going to attack anyone with a nuclear weapon even through a proxy. There's alot of hyperbole by and about Iran. It's necessary to sift through it.


"Generosity. That was my first mistake."
"Experience must be our only guide; reason may mislead us."
"Instagram is Twitter for people who can't read."
Re: War with Iran? [Re: olivant] #639651
03/13/12 01:53 AM
03/13/12 01:53 AM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
I
IvyLeague Offline
IvyLeague  Offline
I

Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
Originally Posted By: olivant
There's no reason that a nation would not want a nuclear capability if it was in its national interests. North Korea figures that its national interest includes just being able to say that it has a nuclear capability. Iran is the same. Iran is not going to attack anyone with a nuclear weapon even through a proxy. There's alot of hyperbole by and about Iran. It's necessary to sift through it.


I disagree about Iran not using nuclear weapons if they had them but, even if that were the case, them having nuclear weapons at all would have enough of a destabilizing effect.

Like I said before, it seems like you're basically saying, "Sure, let's do all we can to dissuade Iran from developing it's nuclear program but, if and when they eventually do have nuclear weapons, oh well."


Mods should mind their own business and leave poster's profile signatures alone.
Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #639693
03/13/12 12:03 PM
03/13/12 12:03 PM
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 357
Amsterdam
C
Chopper2012 Offline
Capo
Chopper2012  Offline
C
Capo
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 357
Amsterdam
I agree with the fact that an nuclear armed Iran is a big treat to stability in the Middle East. But I'm not so sure there is a need to act this year, or even to act at all. Even the ex-chef of the Mossad Dagan seems to think we have at least three years left. Plus Israel has been running a pretty effective counter-program the last years by releasing computer viruses into nuclear facility's in Iran, as well as blowing up nuclear scientists all over the country.

This, combined with heavy sanctions against the regime, gives the world some time. Obama doesn't want war. But when push comes to shove, I think he will do what's necessary. Or what he is pushed into.

Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #639943
03/14/12 03:29 PM
03/14/12 03:29 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
R
ronnierocketAGO Offline OP
ronnierocketAGO  Offline OP
R

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
New polling on the Iran question.

Quote:
Americans show substantial pessimism about Iran and its nuclear program. Six in ten believe that Iran has decided to try to produce nuclear weapons and is actively working to do so. Nine in ten believe that it is likely that Iran will eventually develop nuclear weapons.


Quote:
If Israel goes ahead with a military strike against Iran’s nuclear program and Iran retaliates (but not against American targets), only one in four favors the US providing military support for Israel and only 4 in 10 favor the US providing even diplomatic support. Few would support open opposition. The most popular position is for the US to take a neutral stance.


http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/pdf/mar12/IsrIran_Mar12_rpt.pdf

Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #639946
03/14/12 03:52 PM
03/14/12 03:52 PM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 15,018
Texas
O
olivant Offline
olivant  Offline
O

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 15,018
Texas
One of the things that does not get discussed on this Board or among the Republican presidential candidates, their spokespeople, or the media is when and how an attack on Iran will take place. I take it that within some timeframe, if Iran does not power down its nuclear arms effort, the President will order US military forces to attack Iran.

Reasonably, I don't think such an attack can be launched by the US from anywhere except the Sea of Oman or Iraq. Both have their problems. Iran is probably already prepared for such an attack and we could lose quite a few pilots. Like some of youthough,I am not sure a nulclear armed Iran affects anything.


"Generosity. That was my first mistake."
"Experience must be our only guide; reason may mislead us."
"Instagram is Twitter for people who can't read."
Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #640064
03/15/12 10:48 AM
03/15/12 10:48 AM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
R
ronnierocketAGO Offline OP
ronnierocketAGO  Offline OP
R

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
AP Mobile Breaking (10:21 AM)

International banking hub crucial to oil, other trade, bars Iranian banks from its services.

Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #640065
03/15/12 10:52 AM
03/15/12 10:52 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,296
Throggs Neck
pizzaboy Offline
The Fuckin Doctor
pizzaboy  Offline
The Fuckin Doctor

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,296
Throggs Neck
Originally Posted By: ronnierocketAGO
AP Mobile Breaking (10:21 AM)

International banking hub crucial to oil, other trade, bars Iranian banks from its services.

Wow.


"I got news for you. If it wasn't for the toilet, there would be no books." --- George Costanza.
Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #640374
03/17/12 12:21 AM
03/17/12 12:21 AM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
R
ronnierocketAGO Offline OP
ronnierocketAGO  Offline OP
R

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
Quote:
A high-level advisor to Iran's supreme leader said his country is ready to allow "permanent human monitoring" of its nuclear program in exchange for Western cooperation but also warned Iran is prepared to defend itself against military strikes.

Mohammad Javad Larijani, who serves as Secretary-General of Iran's Human Rights Council and key foreign policy advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei, said the West should sell Iran 20 percent enriched uranium and provide all the help that nuclear nations are supposed to provide to countries building civilian nuclear power plants. He also said the U.S. and the West should accept his country's right to continue what Iran calls its peaceful nuclear program. In return for cooperation from the West, he said, Iran would offer "full transparency."


The only thing I'll comment is what I bolded. I mean that might be one of the cruelest oxymorons I've ever come across. Along with the South African School for Racial Tolerance, the Nazi Germany Department of Shulchan Aruch, and the African Obese Institute.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/iran-offic...77#.T2N4toVmQjy

Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #640376
03/17/12 12:23 AM
03/17/12 12:23 AM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
R
ronnierocketAGO Offline OP
ronnierocketAGO  Offline OP
R

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee

Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #640388
03/17/12 01:27 AM
03/17/12 01:27 AM
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,602
Yunkai
afsaneh77 Offline
Mother of Dragons
afsaneh77  Offline
Mother of Dragons

Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,602
Yunkai
Hamas only wants Iran's money, it's not gonna drag itself down with Iran. They already are making nice with Abbas, since sanctions are making Iran unable to transfer money around. I'm wondering with all the big talks on Iran backing these groups, why there was not such sanctions before.


"Fire cannot kill a dragon." -Daenerys Targaryen, Game of Thrones
Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #640811
03/19/12 05:26 PM
03/19/12 05:26 PM
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,089
Brooklyn, New York
Dapper_Don Offline
Underboss
Dapper_Don  Offline
Underboss
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,089
Brooklyn, New York
Pentagon Finds Perils for U.S. if Israel Were to Strike Iran

A classified war simulation exercise held this month to assess the American military’s capabilities to respond to an Israeli attack on Iran forecast that the strike would lead to a wider regional war, which could draw in the United States and leave hundreds of Americans dead, according to American officials.

The officials said the so-called war game was not designed as a rehearsal for American military action — and they emphasized that the exercise’s results were not the only possible outcome of a real-world conflict. But the game has raised fears among top American planners that it may be impossible to preclude American involvement in any escalating confrontation with Iran, the officials said. In the debate among policymakers over the consequences of any possible Israeli attack, that reaction may give stronger voice to those within the White House, Pentagon and intelligence community who have warned that a strike could prove perilous for the United States.

The results of the war game were particularly troubling to Gen. James N. Mattis, who commands all American forces in the Middle East, Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia, according to officials who either participated in the Central Command exercise or who were briefed on the results and spoke on condition of anonymity because of its classified nature. When the exercise had concluded earlier this month, according to the officials, General Mattis told aides that an Israeli first-strike would likely have dire consequences across the region and for United States forces there.

The two-week war game, called “Internal Look,” played out a narrative in which the United States found it was pulled into the conflict after Iranian missiles struck a Navy warship in the Persian Gulf, killing about 200 Americans, according to officials with knowledge of the exercise. The United States then retaliated by launching its own strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The initial Israeli attack was assessed to have set back the Iranian nuclear program by roughly a year, and the subsequent American strikes did not slow the Iranian nuclear program by more than an additional two years. However, other Pentagon planners have said that America’s arsenal of long-range bombers, refueling aircraft and precision missiles could do far more damage to the Iranian nuclear program — if President Obama were to decide on a full-scale retaliation.

The exercise was designed specifically to test internal military communications and coordination among battle staffs in the Pentagon, Tampa, where the headquarters of the Central Command is located, and in the Persian Gulf in the aftermath of an Israeli strike. But the exercise was written to assess a pressing, potential, real-world situation.

In the end, the war game reinforced to military officials the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of a strike by Israel, and a counterstrike by Iran, the officials said.

American and Israeli intelligence services broadly agree on the progress Iran has made to enrich uranium. But they disagree on how much time there would be to prevent Iran from building a weapon if leaders in Tehran decided to go ahead with one.

With the Israelis saying publicly that the window to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb is closing, American officials see an Israeli attack on Iran within the next year as a possibility. They have said privately that they believe that Israel would probably give the United States little or no warning should Israeli officials make the decision to strike Iranian nuclear sites.

Officials said that, under the chain of events, Iran believed that Israel and the United States were partners in any strike against Iranian nuclear sites and therefore considered American military forces in the Persian Gulf as complicit in the attack. Iranian jets chased Israeli warplanes after the attack, and Iranians launched missiles at an American warship in the Persian Gulf, viewed as an act of war that allowed an American retaliation.

Internal Look has long been one of Central Command’s most significant planning exercises, and is carried out about twice a year to assess how the headquarters, its staff and command posts in the region would respond to various real-world situations.

Over the years, it has been used to prepare for various wars in the Middle East. According to the defense Web site Globalsecurity.Org, military planners during the cold war used Internal Look to prepare for a move by the Soviet Union to seize Iranian oil fields. The American war plan at the time called for the Pentagon to march nearly six Army divisions north from the Persian Gulf to the Zagros mountains of Iran to blunt a Soviet attack.

In December 2002, Gen. Tommy Franks, who was the top officer at Central Command, used Internal Look to test the readiness of his units for the coming invasion of Iraq.

Many experts have predicted that Iran would try to carefully manage the escalation after an Israeli first-strike in order to avoid giving the United States a rationale for attacking with its far superior forces. Thus, it might use proxies to set off car bombs in world capitals or funnel high explosives to insurgents in Afghanistan to attack American and NATO troops. While using surrogates might, in the end, not be enough to hide Iran’s instigation of these attacks, the government in Tehran could at least publicly deny all responsibility.

Some military specialists in the United States and in Israel who have assessed the potential ramifications of an Israeli attack believe that the last thing Iran would want is a full-scale war on its territory. Thus, they argue that Iran would not directly strike American military targets, whether warships in the Persian Gulf or bases in the region.

Their analysis, however, also includes the broad caveat that it is impossible to know the internal thinking of the senior Iranian leadership, and is informed by the awareness that even the most detailed war games cannot predict how nations and their leaders will react in the heat of conflict.

Yet these specialists continue their work, saying that any insight on how the Iranians will react to an attack will help determine whether the Israelis launch a strike — and what the American position will be if they do.

Israeli intelligence estimates, backed by academic studies, have cast doubt on the widespread assumption that a military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities would set off a catastrophic set of events like a regional conflagration, widespread acts of terrorism and sky-high oil prices.

“A war is no picnic,” Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio in November. But if Israel feels itself forced into action, the retaliation would be bearable, he said. “There will not be 100,000 dead or 10,000 dead or 1,000 dead. The state of Israel will not be destroyed.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/world/...?pagewanted=all


Tommy Shots: They want me running the family, don't they know I have a young wife?
Sal Vitale: (laughs) Tommy, jump in, the water's fine.


Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #640880
03/20/12 02:00 AM
03/20/12 02:00 AM
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 592
Chicago Underworld
Frank_Nitti Offline
"The Enforcer"
Frank_Nitti  Offline
"The Enforcer"
Underboss
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 592
Chicago Underworld
Slightly off topic but March 20, marks the first day of the Persian New Year, the year 1391 in the Persian Calender.

happy New Year to Afsaneh and anyone else celebrating today!

The occassion, called Nowruz in Persian-Speaking countries which translates into 'New Day', is one of the richest parts of the Persian Heritage (something Iranians pride themselves in ). The festival is celebrated throughout the Persian Speaking world and Greater Iran. The festival is thought to have originated from the Achaemenid era.

The UN's General Assembly in 2010 recognized the International Day of Nowruz, describing it a spring festival of Persian origin which has been celebrated for over 3,000 years

Each Persian family makes a special table filled with all sorts of goods like:

sabzeh - Wheat Barley or Lentil sprouts growing in a dish - symbolizing rebirth
Samanu - a sweet pudding made from Wheat_germ - symbolizing affluence
senjed - the dried fruit of the Elaeagnus angustifolia tree - symbolizing love
"sir" - Garlic - symbolizing medicine
"sib" - - symbolizing beauty and health
somaq - Sumac berries - symbolizing (the color of) sunrise
serkeh - Vinegar - symbolizing age and patience.

Other items on the table may include:

Sonbol - Hyacinth (plant)
Sekkeh - Coins - representative of wealth
Traditional Iranian pastries such as Baklava ,White Mulberry , naan-nokhodchi
Aajeel - dried nuts, berries and raisins
lit Candle (enlightenment and happiness)
a Mirror (symbolizing cleanness and honesty)
Egg decorating , sometimes one for each member of the family (fertility), the Flag of Iran, for a patriotic touch a holy book (e.g., the Avesta ,Qur'an,
Bible ,Torah or Kitáb-i-Aqdas) and/or a poetry book

And lots of other goodies, I'm sure, which I'm not familiar with! smile Besides that, from what I understand family members visit each other (big family gathering) and even involves spring cleaning! tongue



Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #640934
03/20/12 02:50 PM
03/20/12 02:50 PM
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,602
Yunkai
afsaneh77 Offline
Mother of Dragons
afsaneh77  Offline
Mother of Dragons

Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,602
Yunkai
Thank you Frank! I somehow managed to survive spring cleaning, though from waist down it pretty much hurts everywhere! lol

I hope everyone starts a happy spring! I got to spend the day with most of our family and had a great time. smile

Our decorations this year:
http://ow.ly/i/whZ3


"Fire cannot kill a dragon." -Daenerys Targaryen, Game of Thrones
Re: War with Iran? [Re: afsaneh77] #640935
03/20/12 02:52 PM
03/20/12 02:52 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,296
Throggs Neck
pizzaboy Offline
The Fuckin Doctor
pizzaboy  Offline
The Fuckin Doctor

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,296
Throggs Neck
Originally Posted By: afsaneh77
though from waist down it pretty much hurts everywhere! lol

I'm not even gonna go there whistle lol.


"I got news for you. If it wasn't for the toilet, there would be no books." --- George Costanza.
Re: War with Iran? [Re: pizzaboy] #640942
03/20/12 03:05 PM
03/20/12 03:05 PM
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,602
Yunkai
afsaneh77 Offline
Mother of Dragons
afsaneh77  Offline
Mother of Dragons

Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,602
Yunkai
Originally Posted By: pizzaboy
Originally Posted By: afsaneh77
though from waist down it pretty much hurts everywhere! lol

I'm not even gonna go there whistle lol.


lol lol

I was fully aware what I was writing. IT DOES. lol

BTW, here president Obama's message for our new year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tSpWLq8vVM


"Fire cannot kill a dragon." -Daenerys Targaryen, Game of Thrones
Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #642178
03/30/12 11:50 AM
03/30/12 11:50 AM
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 357
Amsterdam
C
Chopper2012 Offline
Capo
Chopper2012  Offline
C
Capo
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 357
Amsterdam
Apparently, Israel has now gained access to airports in Azerbaijan, which would make an attack on Iran a lot easier for the Israelis, since Azerbaijan is Iran's neighbor.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_no...ign-policy.html

Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #642694
04/04/12 12:22 PM
04/04/12 12:22 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
R
ronnierocketAGO Offline OP
ronnierocketAGO  Offline OP
R

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
'Confrontation with Iran may be delayed to 2013'

Defense official says sanctions beginning to show results, Israel waiting to see what happens in upcoming nuclear talks.

http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=264707

Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #642741
04/04/12 11:11 PM
04/04/12 11:11 PM
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,089
Brooklyn, New York
Dapper_Don Offline
Underboss
Dapper_Don  Offline
Underboss
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,089
Brooklyn, New York
US aid to Israel: 115 billion dollars
Wed Apr 4, 2012

New data shows Washington has given more than 115 billion dollars in financial aid to Israel over the years, indicating Tel Aviv’s great dependence on the US.

According to the report published by the Congressional Research Service Israel has received more assistance from the US than 15 European countries did to recover from the devastation caused during World War II.

More than 67 billion dollars of the Washington's aid to Israel has been in military, the report said.

The astonishing report adds that the US has allocated 3.1 billion dollars, around one-fifth of its defense budget, to Israel this year alone.

Americans also allow the Israeli army to use their emergency reserve ammunition stored in Israel. The value of the weapons held in the US emergency supplies is 1.2 billion dollars.

The US gives billions of dollars in American taxpayers' money to the Tel Aviv regime each year in the form of military and economic aid, legally justified as part of US government's foreign aid package.

Washington has never downsized its annual 3 billion dollars grant to the Israeli regime despite going through its worst recession in decades which has prompted the government to impose major cuts on most public service programs for citizens.

http://spyghana.com/world-news/us-aid-to-israel-115-billion-dollars/

Last edited by Dapper_Don; 04/04/12 11:11 PM.

Tommy Shots: They want me running the family, don't they know I have a young wife?
Sal Vitale: (laughs) Tommy, jump in, the water's fine.


Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #643215
04/09/12 10:52 PM
04/09/12 10:52 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
R
ronnierocketAGO Offline OP
ronnierocketAGO  Offline OP
R

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee

Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #643432
04/11/12 06:07 PM
04/11/12 06:07 PM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
I
IvyLeague Offline
IvyLeague  Offline
I

Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
Originally Posted By: ronnierocketAGO


Hopefully they actually go somewhere and it's not just an effort to buy time.


Mods should mind their own business and leave poster's profile signatures alone.
Re: War with Iran? [Re: ronnierocketAGO] #644568
04/19/12 03:17 PM
04/19/12 03:17 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
R
ronnierocketAGO Offline OP
ronnierocketAGO  Offline OP
R

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,145
East Tennessee
This certainly reminds me of the old USSR. Certainly reminds me too why their famed space program, despite that impressive technological head start compared to the Americans, fizzled out.

Quote:
In a study of Iranian human-resource practices, the management analysts Pari Namazie and Monir Tayeb concluded that the Iranian regime has historically shown a marked preference for political loyalty over professional qualifications. "The belief," they wrote, "is that a loyal person can learn new skills, but it is much more difficult to teach loyalty to a skilled person." This is the classic attitude of authoritarian managers. And according to the Iranian political scientist Hossein Bashiriyeh, in recent years, Iran's "irregular and erratic economic policies and practices, political nepotism and general mismanagement" have greatly accelerated. It is hard to imagine that the politically charged Iranian nuclear program is sheltered from these tendencies.


Quote:
The historical record strongly indicates that the more a state has conformed to the professional management culture generally found in developed states, the less time it has needed to get its first bomb and the lower its chances of failure. Conversely, the more a state has conformed to the authoritarian management culture typically found in developing states, the more time it has needed to get its first bomb and the higher its chances of failure...



http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/137403/jacques-e-c-hymans/botching-the-bomb

Page 9 of 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Moderated by  Don Cardi, J Geoff, SC, Turnbull 

Powered by UBB.threads™