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Israel Calls for US Blockade of Iran

Oppose Neo-Fascism | 22.05.2008 02:21 | Anti-militarism | World

As predicted: Unfortunately, anything ElBaradei says will be discarded or belittled by the US and Israel.

They may even try the same slimy tactics they used on his predecessor Hans Blix, where they attempted to smear him to discredit what he had to say professionally about Iraq not having WMDS.

Hans Blix was absolutely telling the truth; ElBaradei is doing the same with Iran.

But for the US and Israel, it is a very iinconvenient truth.

Olmert to U.S.: Impose naval blockade on Iran

By Barak Ravid and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents and AP

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has proposed in discussions with the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, that a naval blockade be imposed on Iran as one of several ways to pressure Iran into stopping its uranium enrichment program.

(Which is Iran's legal right under the NPT, which Israel refuses to sign onto.)

Although the White House denied a published report that U.S. President George W. Bush intends to attack Iran before the end of his term in January, the Bush administration is said not to have ruled out entirely the possibility of an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

(These statements exactly mirror those Bush made in the weeks leading up to the illegal attack on Iraq.)

A story in the Jerusalem Post quoted an unidentified official as claiming that a "senior member" of Bush's entourage to Israel last week made the statement about attacking Iran in a closed meeting. However, White House press secretary Dana Perino said the article is "not worth the paper it's written on." She added that the administration's preference and actions for dealing with Iran remain through peaceful diplomatic means.

(Which we know is bullsh*t, because this whole illusion of a 'crisis' where none exists is solely about feigning a justification for yet another unprovoked attack on a sovereign country Israel hates.)

Israelis who spoke to Bush and his entourage while they were in Israel last week said they had the impression that the military option "is on the table," and that the president felt a sense of deep obligation to overcome the Iranian threat.

(The only 'Iranian threat' which exists is that these Zionist Ideologues will launch another illegal war.)

The Iranian issue was central in Olmert's meeting over lunch Monday with Pelosi, together with 12 other members of Congress in the bipartisan delegation Pelosi led.

(Pelosi has already betrayed the people who elected her to power, proving herself to be one of the RepubliCrats threatening the United States.)

Among those present were House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman, and heads of the House Appropriations Committee, Nita Lowey and Gary Ackerman.

(Who should be at home, working on American issues, not half way around the world, being talked into another disastrous International Crime ...)

"The present economic sanctions on Iran have exhausted themselves," Olmert told Pelosi, adding that the international community needed to take much more drastic steps to stop Iran's efforts to obtain nuclear weapons.

(Iran is not trying to build nuclear weapons ...)

Olmert also said there was a great deal of space between the present sanctions and military action. Aggressive action could be taken that was not violent, Olmert told Pelosi.

(In order to have this repeated by the media, while they continue to plot war ...)

Olmert's suggestions mainly involved continued efforts to isolate the Iranian regime. Olmert proposed two possible courses of action: first, a naval blockade of Iran using the U.S. fleet to limit the movement in and out of Iran of its merchant ships.

(Why should these be used to enforce Israeli policies? It is, however, a great way to provoke war, or set the stage for the long-predicted naval False Flag that will kick-start this Act of Aggression ...)

The second option Olmert proposed was to place limitations on Iranian aircraft, business people and senior members of the regime at airports throughout the world. "Iranian businesspeople who would not be able to land anywhere in the world would pressure the regime," Olmert said.

(Or provoke war. Perhaps this is how the world should begin pressuring Israel to abandon its policies of destruction, obey the Rule of Law, and live up to its legal and moral obligations regarding the Palestinians.)

Members of the American delegation also spoke about how to pressure Iran. Pelosi herself said at a press conference Monday that a whole series of moves were on the table to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear status."

(Those antiwar groups who elected Pelosi on a platform of "no more war" should be paying close attention to this reversal and betrayal.)

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Pelosi at a meeting that "the effectiveness of the sanctions depends on a united front by the countries of the world." Livni added that when there are those who create commercial options for Iran, the efficacy of sanctions was reduced. "When Iran sees the foreign minister of Switzerland wearing a veil when she comes to to Ahmadinejad to sign an agreement, it concludes that the world is not united against it," Livni said.

(And indeed, it isn't, because Iran hasn't done anything wrong, and nobody believes the LIES being peddled by Israel's Extremists.)

Olmert is scheduled to fly to Washington in two weeks for another working meeting with Bush that will focus on the Iranian issue. During Bush's visit last week, he met with Olmert privately, as well as together with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, to discuss the options for dealing with Iran's nuclear program.

Senior government officials in Jerusalem said they were satisfied with the talks and Bush's speech in the Knesset on Iran. They said they believed Bush would make good on his declarations.

Meanwhile, diplomats in Vienna said a new attempt by Mohammed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to probe allegations that Iran tried to make nuclear arms has failed. ElBaradei was said to have been hopeful a month ago when he announced a new attempt to investigate allegations that Iran has tried to make atomic arms. However, the diplomats told The Associated Press yesterday that Iran denies such activities.

(ElBaradei himself stated yesterday that Iran is not seeking weapons, and none of those itching for war - guilty themselves of nuclear proliferation, War Crimes, and 'The Supreme International Crime' - on Iran have been able to produce any evidence to the contrary ...)

 http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/985421.html

Israel wants more pressure on Iran by Jean-Luc Renaudie
Wed May 21, 9:29 AM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel wants to put more international pressure on Iran over its disputed nuclear programme, suggesting an US-imposed naval blockade and tougher sanctions, local media reported on Wednesday.

(Nothing is 'disputed'. Warmongers in Israel and the US are simply trying to start another war, and have created the illusion of this crisis to that end. But the evidence has refuted and exposed their LIES several times already.)

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert raised the idea of a naval blockade in talks with the Democratic speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, during her visit to Jerusalem, the Haaretz newspaper said.

"The present economic sanctions on Iran have exhausted themselves," Olmert was quoted as saying in the meeting Tuesday.

"The international community must impose tougher sanctions against Tehran."

(For what, exactly ... ?)

The UN Security Council has imposed three sets of sanctions on Iran aimed at pressuring it to halt uranium enrichment which Israel and many Western powers suspect will be used to develop an atomic bomb -- a charge Tehran denies.

(And the evidence refutes. Investigations are still underway into allegations that the US coerced states like India into supporting these resolutions, which violate Iran's NPT rights.)

Asked about the blockade report, Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev would say only: "We do not confirm this information."

Olmert also spoke about imposing air travel restrictions which he said would prevent Iranian business people "from landing anywhere in the world which would touch off pressure on the regime," according to Haaretz.

(Such as those which have virtually grounded War Criminals such as Don Rumsfeld, Ehud Barak, and others?)

Rafi Eitan, a member of Olmert's security cabinet, told public radio Wednesday that "a blockade of maritime and air routes against Iran is a good possibility."

Israel, which is believed to be the only, if undeclared, nuclear armed state in the Middle East, is also pushing for tougher sanctions against Tehran, especially from European countries.

(Highlighting the extreme irony at play here, and exposes this as a program solely created with starting war with Iran as its goal.)

"It is time that the European Union take quicker action and impose much more severe economic sanctions than those adopted by the United Nations," said foreign ministry spokesman Arye Mekel.

(They've seen the BS too ...)

Iran, OPEC's second biggest oil exporter, has refused to heed international demands to halt uranium enrichment, insisting it has a right to the process to make nuclear fuel to meet its increasing energy needs.

(Its 'insistence' is supported by the NPT.)

Highly enriched uranium can also make the fissile core of an atom bomb, but Tehran has vehemently denied it is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

(However, such a process would require a massive expansion of this small program, which would be easily visible to the myriad of eyes intently watching Iran's activities. It's irresponsible that the author omits this information.)

The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has been trying to determine the nature and extent of Iran's nuclear work.

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei is due to report in June on Iran's nuclear programme to the body's board of governors and the UN Security Council.

(But just yesterday, he stated that Iran is NOT seeking an atomic bomb.)

Israel says Iran is not only a major threat to the Jewish state but also the international community, pointing to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments that Israel should be wiped off the map.

(Which were NEVER made. Repeating this LIE is more irresponsibility on the part of this media outlet. The only real threat here is that these Extremists will launch yet another disastrous, illegal war, this time against Iran, as they've plotted for years.)

Still, Eitan told public radio: "There are voices, we hear, in Washington that indicate the military option remains open."

Political observers however said a blockade would be difficult to impose and would have major economic effects.

"The international community would have to accept a new spike in oil prices, without Iranian crude in the market," said Ephraim Kam, deputy director of the independent Institute for National Security Studies.

(I'm sure the oil-rich Bush family would just hate that ...)

"In addition the Iranians would not hesitate to block the exports of crude from all the countries in the Gulf," he added.

Iran on Wednesday indicated it was ready to enter "serious and targeted" negotiations with world powers on a wide range of issues, including nuclear energy, according to a translation of proposals posted on the Institute for Science and International Security website.

The ISIS also said in a study that Iran's nuclear drive could trigger a race to develop atomic weapons in the Middle East.

(Actually, it said it could trigger a race to develop nuclear energy ...)

"We take it for granted that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon," said ISIS expert Mark Fitzpatrick, adding that Tehran could theoretically produce enough uranium for a bomb by 2009.

(However, Iran is NOT trying to build a bomb. The Neo-Fascists are desperately trying to start another illegal war. Period.)

 http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080521/wl_mideast_afp/mideastisraelconflictiran_080521132921

Iran Will Cooperate with UN Probe into US/Israeli Allegations
 http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?13896S

Israel's Syrian Air Strike Was Aimed at Iran
 http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?8196S

The ME has had a Secretive Nuclear Power in its Midst for Years
 http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?8195S

Spooks Refuse to Toe Cheney's Line on Iran
 http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?8173S

IAEA Again Verifies Iranian Compliance
 http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?8130S

Israel Considering Strike on Iran Despite US Intelligence Report
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2224052,00.html

US intelligence report heightens danger of Israeli strike on Iran
 http://wsws.org/articles/2007/dec2007/isra-d06.shtml

'Laptop of Death': Revising the NIE on Iran
The entire claim that Iran was building nuclear weapons rests on a laptop provided by a single, dubious source.

www.antiwar.com /ips/akhavi.php?articleid=12028 www.antiwar.com /prather/?articleid=12025

Israeli Extremists Prep for Nuclear Strike on Iran
 http://www.israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/7903/index.php

Hersh: Israel Pressed me to Write Syrian Site was Nuclear
 http://www.rawstory.com/news/2008/Sy_Hersh_Israeli_raid_on_Syria_0208.html

Sy Hersh confirms: Syrian Facility Bombed by Israel Not Nuclear
 http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10935S

A Strike in the Dark - What did Israel bomb in Syria?
by Seymour M. Hersh
 http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/02/11/080211fa_fact_hersh/?printable=tr

War Clouds Over Mideast
 http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=108719&d=8&m=4&y=2008

Israel & The 'Clash of Civilizations'
 http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?11022S

The largest threat to the region doesn't come from Iran: it comes from Israel's success in having had the US "neutralize" countries which it believes to be an existential threat to it's existence. However, there's just one little problem with this approach concerning Iran. Russia's diplomats have stated unequivocally that any attack against Iran will be perceived as an attack on Russia.

UN Nuclear Watchdog in Milestone Iran Deal
 http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?14262S

Iran Dumps US Dollar in Oil Trading, US Preps War
 http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?14276S

Israel's Extremists STILL Beating Iran War Drums
 http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?14360S

Israel, US Joint Plotting Against Iran, Attack ElBaredei
 http://www.israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/7888/index.php llll


ElBaradei: Iran Not After Bomb
 https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/05/399278.html

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