Commentary

During his December 1, 1997 - November 30, 2009 tenure as IAEA director general, Mohamed ElBaradei concurred. He carefully avoided anti-Iranian rhetoric and baseless charges.

As a result, Washington and Western allies replaced him with Yukiya Amano, known to be more amenable to their interests. Six ballots and heavy pressure eliminated South Africa's Abdul Samad Minty.

Under his tenure since December 1, 2009, IAEA became a Western tool, providing conjecture, dubious intelligence, and fabricated allegations about an alleged Iranian nuclear weapons program. Despite no evidence proving one, Amano's report claims otherwise.

On November 8, New York Times writers David Sanger and William Broad headlined, "UN Finds Signs of Work by Iran Toward Nuclear Device," saying:

"United Nations weapons inspectors released a trove of new evidence Tuesday that they say makes a 'credible' case that 'Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear device,' and that the project may still be under way."

Based on forged, otherwise suspect, long ago discredited, discounted, or nonexistent documents, IAEA's report lacks credibility. Moreover, nothing new was revealed. Material from 2004 and earlier was manipulated to look current. It's not!

Based on identical information, US intelligence and ElBaradei produced completely opposite conclusions. Now they're politicized, fraudulently hyped, and regurgitated by major media liars, political Washington, Israeli hard-liners, and supportive Western leaders.

Obama so far said nothing.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said:

"We're going to study it. We are not prepared to speak about any next steps at this point."

Haaretz headlined, "IAEA report: Iran working to produce a nuclear bomb," saying:

Documents released show "a series of tests, acquisition of material, and technology that suggests Iran has continuously worked to produce a nuclear weapon since 2003."

IAEA said "The agency has serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program."

Fact check

Israel is nuclear armed and dangerous. So is America. Both have first-strike priorities if allegedly threatened, including against non-nuclear states.

IAEA inspectors haven't investigated or discussed their programs, let alone cited their dangers or condemned them. Only Iran is targeted. Why is at issue?

Since Iran's 1979 revolution and US hostage crisis, Washington's been spoiling for a fight. The Carter administration considered invading and seizing its oil fields.

Tensions remained tense. Washington sought regime change for years. Various confrontational tactics include on and off saber rattling, sanctions, and direct meddling in Iran's internal affairs, perhaps including covert US Special Forces and CIA operatives there causing trouble.

Its leaders are accused of state sponsored terrorism, including baseless charges of anti-US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Calling Iran a threat to world peace, Amano now accuses Tehran of concealing a nuclear weapons program.

Neither charge is credible. At issue is Iran's independence. Washington targets all nations it doesn't control. It was Saddam's undoing, Gaddafi's also, as well as others post-WW II, including democrats, despots and others in between.

Key also is Israel's quest for regional dominance. As its main rival, Iran is target one, not because of alleged threats, terrorism, or a supposed nuclear weapons program.

Amano claiming "credible" evidence is spurious. On November 8, Press TV said America gave him marching orders to produce it. Iranian and other experts discount it, calling its alleged evidence "indefensible."

Nothing new is revealed, just rehashed old information discounted as lacking credibility. Original documents haven't been released, just allegations of what they contain. ElBaradei repeatedly accused Washington of obstructing the agency's safeguards.

In 2007, Iran produced a 117-page assessment. IAEA has it. It proved documents from alleged studies and other sources were forged. Amano omitted mention of it from his report.

In other words, he skewed "facts" to fit Washington's policy. He also ignored Israel's Jericho-3 intercontinental ballistic missile test, capable of delivering a nuclear warhead up to 10,000 km away.

That's as good a scoundrel definition as any. Far better, in fact, when peace and regional stability hang in the balance. If Iran's attacked, he'll have blood on his hands for lying. Justifying war on Iraq followed the same pattern, claiming nonexistent WMDs.

Russia Today (RT.com) quoted Russian President Dmitry Medvedev saying:

"We understand how ramped up the passions in the Middle East are, the situations some countries face, and the fact that the peace process is stalled. If a militaristic tide is stirred in these circumstances, if threats are voiced, it may provoke very serious consequences."

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe also warned against attacking Iran. Restraint calls followed Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak demanding "crippling sanctions" on Iran. Otherwise a strike, not diplomacy, may follow.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad told IRNA news:

"If America wants to confront the Iranian nation, it will certainly regret (its) response."

Foreign affairs analyst Richard Heydarian said:

"The problem with the IAEA report is that it relies heavily on satellite images and data provided by Western intelligence agencies....The case of the Syrian Al-Hasakah Spinning Factory has proved that actually you cannot rely on satellite images. There is huge room for error."

He added that attacking Iran's nuclear facilities would be foolhardy, let alone lawless, saying:

"Its nuclear facilities are numerous. They are spread across the country. Some of them are highly protected and even bunker busters that the US has given to Israel might not take out many of them. Iran has learned from the example of Iraq and has a very sophisticated way of protecting its nuclear facilities."

At the same time, Iranian officials don't underestimate a possible US and/or Israeli attack, given Washington's permanent war policy and Israel's longstanding belligerence.

New lines in the sand were drawn, heightening the risk of war with potentially devastating consequences. Hopefully cooler heads on both sides will prevent it. The alternative is too dire to risk.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

War Winds Target Iran

War Winds Target Iran - by Stephen Lendman

Anti-Iranian rhetoric and saber rattling is one thing, baseless accusations another if serve as pretext for aggressive war.

Whether or not it's coming isn't known. Heated tensions are worrisome if boil over. Leaked information on an imminent IAEA report may or may not precipitate it even though what's coming lacks credibility.

During his tenure as IAEA director general (December 1, 1997 - November 30, 2009), Mohamed ElBaradei carefully avoided anti-Iranian rhetoric and baseless charges. Numerous times he discounted a potential threat with comments like:

People should stop claiming "Iran will be a threat from tomorrow and that we are faced right now with the issue of whether Iran should be bombed or allowed to have the bomb. We are not at all in that situation. Iran is a glaring example of how, in many cases, the use of force exacerbates the problem rather than (solves) it."

Referring to "extreme people (with) extreme views," he once said "you do not want to give additional argument to some of the 'new crazies' who want to say let us go and bomb Iran."

He said "Israel would be utterly crazy to attack Iran." The same holds for America, Britain, and/or France. Doing so would "turn the region into a ball of fire and put Iran on a crash course for nuclear weapons with the support of the whole Muslim world."

He believes nonproliferation "lost its legitimacy in the eyes of Arab public opinion because of the perceived double standard" on Israel, a known nuclear power.

He called claims about Iran developing nuclear weapons "overestimated. Some even play it up intentionally."

During and after his tenure, ElBaradei took lots of flack for his comments. Repeatedly he said no evidence suggests an Iranian nuclear weapons program.

As a result, Washington and Western allies replaced him with Yukiya Amano, known to be more amenable to their interests. Six ballots and heavy pressure eliminated South Africa's Abdul Samad Minty.

Amano hasn't disappointed, providing conjecture, dubious intelligence, and fabricated allegations about an alleged Iranian nuclear program. Suggesting one exists without evidence could "turn the region into a fireball" as ElBaradei warned.

Nonetheless, in February 2010, Amano issued dubious material suggesting "possible military dimensions" to Iran's nuclear program. No evidence proved it, just unsubstantiated conjecture and undocumented studies.

Many claims then and perhaps now were supposedly found on a laptop smuggled out of Iran. Whether it exists isn't known, or if "laptop" is code language for one or more unnamed sources. Alleged documents weren't made public. If they exist, their authenticity is very suspect.

On November 6, Washington Post writer Joby Warrick headlined, "IAEA says foreign expertise has brought Iran to the threshold of nuclear capability," saying:

Alleged intelligence "shows that Iran's government has mastered the critical steps needed to build a nuclear weapon, receiving assistance from foreign scientists to overcome key technical hurdles, according to (unnamed) Western diplomats and nuclear experts briefed on the findings."

Former Soviet nuclear expert Vyacheslav Danilenko "allegedly tutored Iranians over several years on building high-precision detonators of the kind used to trigger a nuclear chain reaction, the officials said." Pakistani and North Korean involvement was also claimed.

Danilenko acknowledged assisting in civilian engineering projects unrelated to weapons development. Unsubstantiated allegations suggest otherwise.

Other "secret" sources were also cited, disputing evidence a previous article provided as follows:

In December 2007, America's National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) said:

"We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program; (perhaps it never had one); we also assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Tehran at a minimum is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons..."

True or not, dozens of nations may consider them, for defense, not offense, in a hostile world. American and Israeli nuclear arsenals and other destructive weapons pose enormous threats - less because they exist; mostly because of stated intentions to use them.

The NIE also said:

"We assess with moderate confidence Tehran had not restarted its nuclear program as of mid-2007, but we do not know whether it currently intends to develop (them)."

"Tehran's decision to halt its nuclear weapons program suggests it is less determined to develop (them) than we have been judging since 2005."

In February 2010, America's Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said:

"We do not know....if Iran will eventually decide to build nuclear weapons." No evidence of an ongoing program was presented.

In March 2011, the US Intelligence Community Worldwide Threat Assessment for the Senate Armed Services Committee said precisely the same thing. Nothing new suggested an Iranian nuclear weapons program.

Nonetheless, baseless IAEA allegations claim "secret intelligence....reinforce(s) concerns" about Iranian nuclear weapons development. Views pro and con are circulating. Some US arms control groups cautioned about exaggerating an unknown risk.

Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's Foreign Minister and former top nuclear official, said IAEA's agenda is "100 percent political." It's "under pressure from foreign powers" to target Iran.

Its alleged intelligence and other sources aren't named. That alone makes them suspect.

On November 6, New York Times writers David Sanger and William Broad headlined, "US Hangs Back as Inspectors Prepare Report on Iran's Nuclear Program, " saying:

Making "the case is hardly conclusive....And however suggestive the evidence about what (IAEA) calls 'possible military dimensions' of Iran's program turns out to be, the only sure bet is that the mix of sleuthing, logic and intuition by nuclear investigators will be endlessly compared with American intelligence agencies' huge mistake" about Iraq's WMDs.

Unmentioned was Times writer Judith Miller's lead role, hyping them daily in front page features. She functioned duplicitously as a Pentagon press agent, and never apologized for lying.

On November 7, Press TV said senior Iranian cleric Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami called IAEA head Amano a spineless US tool. Publishing fabricated documents about an alleged Iranian nuclear threat undermines the agency's credibility. Under Amano, it has none.

Appearing Sunday on ABC's "This Week," former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Washington should consider tougher penalties against Iran's government and do "everything we can to bring it down."

Russia Today (RT.com) reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned against attacking Iran, saying:

Military solutions won't solve international conflicts. "We get evidence to that every day when we see how problems around Iran are being solved: whether it's in Iraq or Afghanistan or what is happening in other countries of that region."

University of Tehran Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi told RT that Israel's hostile rhetoric "is to put pressure on Iran and also (on) other countries - independent (ones) like China, Russia and others - to agree with new sanctions by sort of portraying (Iran) as a mad dog, attack dog that needs to be somehow controlled, so that if they agree to new sanctions, something bad will be prevented from happening."

There's a "general trend to corner Iran." IAEA's report lacks credibility. It's "based on forged documents. There is absolutely nothing new in (them). All the documents (are) from 2004 and before. And (former IAEA head) ElBaradei's assessment was completely" opposite what Yamano says based on the same information. "All these documents have been refuted in the past."

Yet political Washington, Israeli hard-liners, and complicit media scoundrels hype them. They also bogusly claim Iranian President Armadinejad wants Israel "wiped off the map."

He, in fact, believes Israel's belligerence is self-destructive. Others share that view, including about America. Countries living by sword sooner or later die by it.

At issue now is cooling tensions to prevent what no one but crazed militarists want - destabilizing the entire region and risking general war by attacking Iran and/or Syria. Preventing it is crucial.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Israel Assaults Freedom Waves to Gaza Activists

Israel Assaults Freedom Waves to Gaza Activists - by Stephen Lendman

A previous article explained the following:

On November 2, two vessels blocked last summer from reaching Gaza sailed again from Fethiye, Turkey.

Canada's Tahrir and Ireland's Soairse (Freedom) comprise the Freedom Waves to Gaza mission. On board were 27 international activists, journalists, and crew.

According to a participating Press TV correspondent, "Israeli warplanes and naval vessels" shadowed them in international waters. "Eight Israeli warships made radio contact," demanding they change course.

They refused. They didn't sail to turn back. They dedicated their mission "to challenge Israel's ongoing criminal blockade."

Israeli ships interdicted them. General Gaby Ahkenazi ordered them seized and impounded. Both vessels were severely damaged, taken to Ashdod, and remain held.

On November 5, Canadian Boat to Gaza headlined, "Freedom Wave riders beaten, denied access to family; organizers demand accountability," saying:

Israel arrested 27 activists on board. Communication with them was lost. They're illegally detained. Contact with family members was denied. Roughed up participants got no medical treatment.

"We have heard indirectly from our governments' ministries of foreign affairs (in Canada and Ireland), but that is simply not good enough. We want to speak with our people directly," said Wendy Goldsmith, Canada Boat to Gaza organizer.

"Why will our governments not demand the delegates be able to speak to their families? We do not trust the Canadian government on this - as they have shown time and again that they are complicit in Israel's violations of international law and gross human rights abuses."

The last communication gotten was a 10:08PM Irish boat text message, saying:

"Kidnapped, being held against our will by Israeli Army in international waters. Boat nearly destroyed. Need government to press for immediate release."

The phone then went dead. Israeli Arab participant, Majd Kayal, aboard the Canadian boat confirmed that Israeli commandos boarded both vessels violently. Video evidence showed water cannons fired at them in rough waters, endangering those on board.

Activists offered no resistance. Professor David Heap aboard the Canadian boat "was particularly badly beaten. Israeli prison authorities are continuing to prevent (his) family from contacting him by phone."

Participants are held at Givon Prison. Providing legal aid, international Solidarity Movement (ISM) co-founder Huwaida Arraf said 20 of the 27 remain in custody.

Through his lawyer, David Heap sent a message saying:

"Although I was tasered during the assault on the Tahrir, and bruised during forcible removal dockside, I am basically OK." He's "slightly limping," he added, explaining that he and fellow activist Michael Coleman, an Australian national, were taken to Givon Prison in handcuffs and leg shackles.

"We are neither criminals nor illegal immigrants, but rather political prisoners of the apartheid state of Israel."

"All political incarceration is unjust, but let me stress that in duration and conditions, our situation pales in comparison to the plight of thousands of Palestinian political prisoners and to the open air prison of Gaza. We must get Tahrir back and hope Freedom Waves continue."

Others on board were also treated violently. Prison guards assaulted John Mallon. Women and men both are at Givon in separate cells.

Israel demanded participants sign voluntary deportation waivers. Most refused. Doing so would lie. They were kidnapped in international waters. Document language claimed they lawlessly entered Israel and won't again try to breach Gaza's siege.

The whereabouts of Press TV's Hassan Ghani is unknown. Most others remain incarcerated.

They'll face judicial proceedings and forcible deportations. Majd Kayyal said Israel stole his money and phone. Personal possessions of others were taken. Activists on previous interdicted missions had their property stolen and not returned.

Gaza-based journalist Omar Ghraeib said:

"The whole of Gaza went to the port to receive the Freedom Waves boats. But we were expecting the outcome and were very concerned. We appreciate every move to break the siege, and we appreciate how these activist endangered themselves for us."

YNet News said Israeli authorities found no weapons or humanitarian aid on board. Participants were unarmed and nonviolent. Cargo aboard both ships included $30,000 of vitally needed medicines. Israeli authorities lied about no humanitarian aid found. They stole it to prevent Gazans from getting it.

On November 5, the State Department said US participants may face consequences for challenging Israel's blockade.

On November 7, the International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC) said 21 activists remain imprisoned. Passengers were "unlawfully arrested, and the ships confiscated, along with all the humanitarian aid."

Participants were "hit, pushed, choked and hosed down...." Israeli commandos "stormed" both vessels. They also forced them "to crash into each other by pressuring (them) towards one another in a collision course." As a result, they were severely damaged and nearly sank.

On November 6, Fintan Lane, Ireland's detained MV Saoirse national coordinator communicated the following to the Irish Ship to Gaza team in Dublin:

Israel's interdiction was violent, and "dangerous to human life." Both vessels nearly sank. Participants were abducted and forcibly taken to Israel. IDF commandos wanted both boats abandoned at sea. Activists refused, fearing they'd be sunk.

"All belongings of the passengers and crew were taken from them and they still do not know if and what they will get back."

Fourteen Irish prisoners are at Givon. Irish Ship to Gaza spokesperson Claudia Saba said:

Finton's account "flatly contradicts the Israeli narrative," claiming "every precaution necessary (was taken) to ensure the safety" of those on board. "It is a small miracle that no one was seriously injured during this obviously very violent boarding of the Freedom Waves boats."

Tahrir's captain confirmed Israeli violence, including harsh interrogation procedures he endured. Canadian boat lawyers were denied proper access to their clients. Canada's "land team" said:

"They kicked the lawyers out" after three hours, "and today they have not been responding to any calls (either on the main line or the cell number of one of the prison officials) to coordinate a visit or arrange phone contact with the detainees."

Fact Check on Besieged Gaza and Israeli Interdictions

Under international law, Gaza's blockade is illegal. It's also an act of war, defined as:

surrounding a nation or objective with hostile forces;

measures to isolate an enemy;

encirclement and besieging;

preventing the passage in or out of supplies, military forces or aid in time of or as an act of war; and

an act of naval warfare to block access to an enemy's coastline and deny entry to all vessels and aircraft.

Israeli interdictions in international waters also constitute piracy. It violates the 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas and 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Under UNCLOS' Article 101, maritime piracy includes "any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation....against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State (and) any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating (such) an act."

Under customary maritime law, ships have "innocent passage" rights through all international and coastal area waters, subject to certain restrictions.

UNCLOS defines "innocent passage" as expeditious, continuous passage through waters in ways not "prejudicial to the peace, good order or the security" of a coastal state.

America's Defense Department defines it as:

"The right of all ships to engage in continuous and expeditious surface passage through the territorial sea and archipelagic water of foreign coastal states in a manner not prejudicial to its peace, good order, or security."

In September 2010, an independent UN Human Rights Council (HRC) fact-finding mission held Israel culpable for massacring Mavi Marmara activists in May. It called assaulting them brutal and disproportionate. Based on eye witness testimonies, forensic evidence, video footage, and other photographic material, it:

"concluded that a series of violations of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, were committed by the Israeli forces during the interception of the flotilla and during the detention of passengers in Israel prior to deportation....The preponderance of evidence from impeccable sources is far too overwhelming to come to a contrary opinion."

A Final Comment

For decades, Israel repeatedly and willfully violated international law with impunity. Interdicting Freedom Waves to Gaza adds more shame to its record. Except in self-defense, belligerence is lawless, from high-seas piracy to war. Getting away with murder has shelf life limits. Hopefully, Israel's expiration date approaches.

Activists are committed to help. Further flotillas won't stop coming until Gaza's siege ends.

The whole world's watching. Word now spreads fast. Every Israeli move is monitored and reported. Independent web sites, publications, and broadcasters feature it. Everyone soon will know. Pariah states end the same way. Israel's turn is coming. It's just a matter of time.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Spoiling for Another Fight?

Spoiling for Another Fight? - by Stephen Lendman

American foreign policy is defined by rage to ravage. Lunatics run the asylum. Washington's criminal class is bipartisan.

People have no say. Wealth and power alone matter. It's always been that way, today more than ever. Post-WW II, America lurched from one war to another.

Today they're waged in multiples. A queue perhaps includes Syria and Iran topping the list. Ongoing for months, Western intervention incited Syrian violence.

At issue is regime change, eliminating an Israeli rival, and advancing America's imperium. Libya's insurgency began the same way before NATO attacked last March. Will Syria follow the same pattern, then Iran?

So far, heated rhetoric alone is heard. On and off before it echoed. Media scoundrels regurgitate it. Is something different this time? Time alone will tell. Israel often makes baseless accusations. President Shimon Peres warned there's "not much time left" to act.

Israel, of course, is the sole regional threat, nuclear armed and dangerous. A serial aggressor, it endangers Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran with potential attacks.

In contrast, Syria and Iran threaten no one. Rhetoric, of course, belies it. Warrior leaders like France's Sarkozy whetted his killing appetite in Ivory Coast and Libya.

Despite overwhelming homeland opposition ahead of next year's presidential election, he accused Iran of an "obsessional desire to acquire nuclear (weapons) in violation of all international rules....If Israel's existence were threatened, France would not stand idly by."

No evidence whatever suggests Iran's developing nuclear weapons. Plenty shows Israel and France are nuclear armed and dangerous. So are axis of evil partners America and Britain. Whether or not attacking Iran is planned isn't known.

The Islamic Republic's taking no chances. On November 5, Press TV reported on "Iranophobia in what observers see as a political red herring to engage in a catastrophic war in the Middle East."

Washington, Israel, Britain and France are up to their old tricks, inventing new threats to intervene. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi expressed concern, saying:

"The US has unfortunately lost wisdom and prudence in dealing with international issues. It depends only on power. They have lost rationality; we are prepared for the worst but we hope they will think twice before they put themselves on a collision course with Iran."

Allegations, of course, are baseless. Iran's prepared to defend itself and respond if attacked. In August, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Ali Shadmani discussed counter measures. Press TV reported them as follows:

"1. As Israel is the USA's backyard, Iran will disturb peace there. (The absence of peace in Israel will certainly deny repose to the USA as well).

2. It would take full control of the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway where over 40 percent of all traded oil passes (thereby spiraling up oil prices to a confounding level and dealing a heavy blow to the already deteriorating global economy).

3. It would keep a close watch on all American military bases in Afghanistan and Iraq. In case of an attack, Iran will cripple the troops stationed in those bases and incapacitate them of any possible move."

Iran can't cripple America or Israel. However, its formidable military can inflict considerable damage if attacked.

Iran threatens no one. However, it'll respond forcefully in self-defense. International law permits it. All nations may legitimately retaliate if attacked. It's their right.

AIPAC's War Agenda

AIPAC's itching for a fight. Its web site drips with anti-Iranian diatribes. Spurious material includes memos citing:

Iran's grave overall threat;

its nuclear threat;

its "leading state sponsor of terrorism" role;

its "provocations demand(ing a) tough response;" and

stopping its "nuclear smuggling."

Two congressional bills were also discussed:

HR 1905: Iran Threat Reduction Act of 2011 "(t)o strengthen Iran sanctions law for the purpose of compelling Iran to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons and other threatening activities, and for other purposes."

Introduced on May 13, it was reported to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. So far, no further action was taken.

S. 1048: Iran, North Korea, and Syria Sanctions Consolidate Act of 2011 "to expand sanctions with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran, North Korea, and Syria, and for other purposes."

Introduced on May 23, it was referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on October 13. So far, no further action was taken.

Sanctions alone don't start wars. However, these bills edge closer. Provisions prohibit official and unofficial contact unless doing so harms US interests. Of course, laws don't deter actions, and these haven't yet passed.

America's 1917 Trading with the Enemy Act (TWEA) is still law. One of its provisions states that in times of war or national emergency, presidents may:

"investigate, regulate, direct and compel, nullify, void, prevent or prohibit, any acquisition, holding, withholding, use, transfer, withdrawal, transportation, importation or exportation of, or dealing in, or exercising any right, power, or privilege with respect to, or transactions involving, any property in which any foreign country or a national thereof has any interest by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States."

In other words, TWEA authorizes sanctions to prohibit commerce and other relations with enemies. Nonetheless, during WW II, major US corporations traded freely with Nazi Germany. Roosevelt officials knew it. Charles Higham documented it in his book titled, "Trading with the Enemy."

Among others, IBM, General Motors, Ford, DuPont, Standard Oil, Alcoa, Kodak, Coca-Cola, and Chase Bank (now JPMorgan Chase) traded with Nazi Germany during WW II - a real enemy, not a fabricated one like Iran.

Nonetheless, AIPAC's web site headlines, "Back Tougher Iran Sanctions.” Three spurious "key points" were listed:

Iran's alleged low-enriched uranium stockpile to produce three nuclear bombs, and advanced centrifuge testing "to triple its production of higher enriched uranium;"

sanctioning Iranian ports, airline, and energy sector applies extreme pressure and economic disruption; and

despite unprecedented sanctions in place, Iran's nuclear program continues.

Sanctions include travel restrictions, bans on selling electronic devices and related products, prohibiting or restricting trade with Iranian companies, embargoing its medical sector, and obstructing financial transactions. Some imposed hardships, others less so.

Energy starved nations value Iran's oil and gas reserves. China, Russia and other nations maintain relations, mindful of why sanctions were imposed, by whom, and who supports them.

AIPAC is an unregistered foreign agent operating lawlessly. Representing Israel gives it virtual veto power over war and peace, trade and investment, multi-billion dollar arms sales, enormous Israeli handouts, and all Middle East policies affecting the Jewish state under Democrat and Republican administrations alike.

Political Washington to the highest levels, media scoundrels, and others bow deferentially to its demands, even those harming America. Imagine if AIPAC convinces Obama to attack Iran. Whether or not it's coming isn't known.

With no reliable evidence, spurious allegations say Iran carried out final critical stage nuclear weaponization experiments. Alleged explosions and computer simulations thereof were included.

US intelligence reports through early 2011 cite no evidence whatever of an Iranian nuclear weapons program. IAEA's imminent one may spuriously claim one based on suppositions, not facts.

Along with previous and baseless charges, whether or not it provokes conflict later isn't known. However, tensions will heighten further. Media scoundrels will regurgitate them. War drums will beat.

Attacking Iran is insane. Doing so will engulf the entire region. General war could follow with potentially grave consequences for all parties.

Anything's possible, however, given Washington's permanent war agenda and Israel's penchant for it. Together with Britain and France, their belligerence threatens humanity.

Hopefully cooler heads will keep current actions from spinning out of control toward the abyss under conditions of all out war. The prospect should make all sides want it avoided at all costs. The alternative is too grim to allow.

Israeli Journalist Critical of His Government

Haaretz writer Gideon Levy discussed how "Insanity, not logic, guides Israel's leadership," saying:

Lunacy in Israel prevails. "(I)t is already as plain as day. Israel does not have rational leadership." Its policies defy logic, including settlement construction on stolen Palestinian land, on and off wars, imprisoning Palestinians lawlessly, and continuing its occupation that decades ago lost all legitimacy.

Threatening war on Iran defies rationality. Nonetheless, "(t)he risks of an Israeli attack are clear, and they are horrific. The danger of Iran using a nuclear weapon is nil" even with one. "Israel is playing with the fires of hell."

Israeli "megalomania" wants sole Middle East authority to "call the shots in the region as it sees fit. The mens' men who are threatening Iran now are the real cowards' cowards. The brave ones....are trying to thwart the insanity from former Mossad chief(s) Meir Dagan" and Ephraim Halevy, as well as "Interior Minister Eli Yishai."

They may need lots of allies, other US, UK and French ones, and public support to prevent what no one knowing the risks wants. Further updates will follow future prospects.

A Final Comment

Late Sunday, AP headlined, "IAEA: Iran Had Model of Nuclear Warhead," saying:

The IAEA "plans to reveal intelligence this week suggesting Iran made computer models of a nuclear warhead and other previously undisclosed details on alleged secret work by Tehran on nuclear arms."

As explained above and in detail earlier, US intelligence reports through early 2011 confirm no evidence of Iranian nuclear weapons development.

Responding on Middle East Online, Farhad Pouladi headlined, "Iran to IAEA: Go Ahead and Publish 'Counterfeit' Report,' " saying:

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Sahehi called IAEA claims "counterfeit," adding its alleged "documents lack authenticity. We have said repeatedly that their documents are baseless. Iran's nuclear issue (for IAEA) is not a technical or a legal issue but entirely a political one."

Its allegations smack of earlier Iraqi WMD ones. In fact, they were baseless lies. IAEA's Yukiya Amano serves Israeli and Western interests. Accept nothing he says at face value. Without evidence, what's coming exposes duplicitous suspicions, not facts. Discount them entirely.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

America's Imperial Arrogance

America's Imperial Arrogance - by Stephen Lendman

Already waging multiple direct and proxy wars, will Obama dare launch more? Views differ. Some believe budget constraints contain him. Others say imperial aims matter most.

Heading into an election year adds further complications for and against more war. Will presidential aspirants anger voters advocating it? Republican hawks aren't worried. Will Obama launch it when public sentiment wants current ones ended? Don't bet against it, whatever he says.

With growing rage against the system, changing the subject may work best distracting it. At issue is hoping fear resonates more than human need and grievances.

Fake threats provide pretexts for militarism, wars, occupations, higher defense budgets, domestic repression, and elevating national security state priorities above others.

America is a rogue terror state, an imperial predator. Unchallenged global dominance is planned. All nations it doesn't control are targeted. It was Saddam's undoing, Gaddafi's also as well as others post-WW II, including democrats, despots and others in between.

Since last winter, Syria was targeted. Externally generated violence rages. Regime change is planned. Whether or not successful, is Iran next? The fullness of time will tell.

One View from Britain

Commenting on UK reports about Britain preparing for war, London Guardian writer Simon Jenkins headlined, "America's itch to brawl has a new target - but bombs can't conquer Iran," saying:

What's suggested is "appalling." At risk is "armageddon engulfing the region." Iran poses no threat whatever. It's no "two-bit dictatorship" like Iraq, but neither was Libya and other past US targets.

Iran's "a nation of 70 million people, an ancient and proud civilization with a developed civil society (and) pluralist democracy.” Claiming belligerent nuclear ambitions is "massively overhyped." Absent evidence, it's entirely bogus.

Waging "war on Iran would be a catastrophe," aside from issues of international law and legitimacy to attack another nonbelligerent country.

Moreover, America's post-9/11 wars "have been a gigantic historic tragedy. They have not advanced western security one jot."

Of course, doing so wasn't intended. At issue is imperial dominance. Creating enemies further advances it. Ravaging the world one country at a time is planned. Iran's turn may come sooner or later. Conquering it is another matter, besides engulfing the entire region and threatening general war.

"A virus seems to be running through the upper echelons of Washington and London." Add Israel to the mix, a longstanding regional menace. Together they comprise a rogue axis. With France, they revel in war, mass destruction, human slaughter, and for what?

Britain's been there before, building, then losing its empire. America's turn is next. Imperial arrogance is self-defeating. The same dynamic doomed past empires. None survived. What can't go on forever, won't.

Britain knows its history but didn't learn. Now it plays Bonnie to America's Clyde, or maybe it's the other way around. Either way they're junior partners. Arrogant hegemons play back seat to no one.

Perishing by the sword follows living by it unless planet earth goes first. Don't discount it given America's preemptive nuclear first strike policy. Be scared. Be very scared, regardless of whether attacking Iran is planned.

Hostile State Department Rhetoric

Either way, inflammatory rhetoric on Iran is real. The State Department publishes annual Country Reports on Terrorism.

In August, its 2010 report omitted obvious choices never included: namely, America, Britain, France and Israel. Other rogue states also qualify, but these top the list.

Instead, four countries were named - Cuba, Sudan (now its North after balkanization divided the country), Syria and Iran, called "the most active state sponsor of terrorism in 2010" with no evidence whatever proving it and clear proof pointing fingers at top unnamed choices.

Nonetheless, the State Department bogusly claimed:

"Iran's financial, material, and logistic support for terrorist and militant groups throughout the Middle East and Central Asia had a direct impact on international efforts to promote peace, threatened economic stability in the Gulf, and undermined the growth of democracy."

Fact check

Rogue regimes beset Middle East countries. Iran's not one of them. Washington supports the worst of the bunch, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, other monarchies, and Israel the most threatening of all.

Most menacing is America's presence, its imperial policy, and decades of destructive direct and proxy wars killing millions. In contrast, nonbelligerent Iran threatens no one.

"In 2010, Iran remained the principal supporter of groups implacably opposed to the Middle East Peace Process. (Its) Oods Force....branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)....cultivate(s) and support(s) terrorists abroad."

Fact check

Iran supports peace and regional stability. America won't tolerate either. Permanent war defines its agenda. As a result, humanity is threatened.

"Iran provides weapons, training, and funding to Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups. (Iran) assisted Hizballah" rearm after Israel's 2006 Lebanon war. Its "Oods Force provided training (and weapons) to the Taliban in Afghanistan."

"Despite its pledge to support the stabilization of Iraq, (Iran) provide(d) lethal support, including weapons, training, funding, and guidance to Iraqi Shia militant groups that target US and Iraqi forces."

Fact check

For years, Washington spread the same canards with no evidence whatever proving them. Hamas is Palestine's legitimate government, not the US/Israeli-installed Fatah coup d'etat regime.

Misnamed Palestinian "terror" groups are heroic freedom fighters, struggling to liberate their homeland from Israel's lawless occupation.

In contrast, Washington's an imperial aggressor. Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan were ravaged, illegally occupied, and colonized. So were earlier targets.

America's the world's leading sponsor of state terrorism. Regional millions and others worldwide revile it. Heroic struggles challenge its imperial footprint everywhere. Rage against it grows internally.

Hopefully committed global resistance will continue until its scourge on humanity ends. Free people everywhere support it. The world can't wait and shouldn't have to.

Iran's Alleged Nuclear Weapons Program

No evidence suggests any. In contrast, America and Russia have 97% of the world's arsenal and sophisticated delivery systems. Russia threatens no one with theirs. America's post-9/11 policy is preemptive first strike, including against non-nuclear states.

Israel is nuclear armed and dangerous. It, too, threatens first strikes if endangered. No one challenges its menace.

In December 2007, America's National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) said:

The NIE also said:

"We assess with moderate confidence Tehran had not restarted its nuclear program as of mid-2007, but we do not know whether it currently intends to develop (them)."

"Tehran's decision to halt its nuclear weapons program suggests it is less determined to develop (them) than we have been judging since 2005."

In February 2010, America's Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said:

"We do not know....if Iran will eventually decide to build nuclear weapons." No evidence of an ongoing program was presented.

Yet unsubstantiated accusations claim one. On November 5, Haaretz headlined, "UN report to reveal evidence of Iran's nuclear weapons program," saying:

The Western-controlled International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "plans to share with its 35 board members satellite imagery of what (it) believes is a large steel container used for nuclear arms-related high explosives tests...."

In other words, with no idea what's inside an alleged structure, IAEA head Yukiya Amano may make unsubstantiated inflammatory claims, alleging a secret nuclear weapons program.

Unnamed "diplomats" cited "say they will reveal suspicions," not facts, at a time saber rattling intensifies dangerously.

Amano will also allege "experiments took place after 2003," despite the above US intelligence assessments presenting no evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program.

"The upcoming report is meant to ratchet up pressure on (Iran) to stop four years of stonewalling IAEA experts seeking to follow up intelligence of such secret weapons-related experiments."

In fact, Iran's been more than cooperative in contrast to Israel and America. Both countries prohibit IAEA or other inspections of their longstanding nuclear programs and arsenals. World leaders, IAEA heads, and their officials don't object or comment.

Clearly, their new Iranian assessment lacks credibility. Reports suggest releasing it is imminent, perhaps early next week. What follows isn't known. Expect continued hostile rhetoric.

A November 4 Haaretz editorial noted IAEA's assessment will contain:

"partial information (and) disputed statements, reliance on anonymous sources - meaning there's no way to know what interests motivate them....But none of this obviates the (clear) need for (open, truthful) discussion" of an important issue.

Conjecture, baseless allegations, and hostile rhetoric have no place in it. Nor do threats of war or targeted strikes begging retaliation.

On November 4, Ynet News headlined "Iran far from posing existential threat," saying:

"Former Mossad Chief Ephraim Halevy warned against an Israeli strike on iran, saying....confrontation could be devastating for the Middle East."

Israel can't be destroyed, he said. However, attacking Iran "could affect not only Israel, but the entire region for 100 years."

Worry more about internal Haredi radicals, he added, citing "ultra-Orthodox extremism (that) darkened our lives."

MK Dan Meridor calls public discussion on Iran "scandalous....(a) devil's dance" because of what may follow.

Haaretz added that "bombing Iran's nuclear facilities is effectively equivalent to starting a war. The implications of (doing so will have) dramatic and painful (repercussions) for the entire Israeli public" and others throughout the region.

The possibility should frighten everyone. So far, only hostile rhetoric and saber rattling continue. Similar episodes occurred earlier, then subsided, hopefully, again this time. Stay tuned. Nothing's so far resolved.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Washington and Israel: Rogue State Partners

Washington and Israel: Rogue State Partners - by Stephen Lendman

This articles follows another about both countries' state terror partnership. Their agenda includes waging belligerent, political, economic, social, and repressive wars on humanity at home and abroad.

Money and power alone matter. Human welfare is sacrificed for more of both. Equity, justice, freedom, and other democratic values are non-starters. Humanity's survival is threatened.

In recent weeks, Western and Israeli anti-Iranian rhetoric intensified.

Attending the Cannes, France G-20 summit, Obama stressed "the need to maintain unprecedented international pressure on Iran to meet its obligations."

If only America and Israel met theirs. No evidence suggests Iran threatens anyone. Bogus accusations claim otherwise, including calling Iran "the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism."

In fact, Washington, Israel, Britain and France hold that distinction, ravaging the world one country at a time. Iran hasn't attacked another nation in over 200 years.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen expressed "no intention whatsoever" of intervening in Iran. Like Obama, Netanyahu, Britain's Cameron and France's Sarkozy, he's notorious for serial lying, notably on Libya.

On November 2, London Guardian writer Nick Hopkins headlined, "UK military steps up plans for Iran attack amid fresh nuclear fears," saying:

Defense Ministry officials believe Washington "may decide to fast-forward plans for targeted missile strikes at some key Iranian facilities."

If so, Britain wants involvement. Perhaps Israel as well. Comments suggest all options being considered. In preparation, UK military planners may deploy "Royal Navy ships and submarines equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles over the coming months as part of what would be an air and sea campaign."

Acting before Iran shifts key uranium technology underground near Qom was mentioned, as well as avoiding more conflict close to America's 2012 elections.

Israel claims little time remains to act, despite no threatening evidence whatever. At issue is controlling Iran's vast oil and gas reserves, replacing its government with a subservient Western one, and elevating Israel closer to regional hegemony.

In other words, imperial interests are clear, not bogus pretexts claimed. Lies precede all conflicts. Truth is the first casualty. Major media scoundrels partner in state crimes. Disinformation and agitprop is their stock-in-trade. Managed news substitutes for the real thing.

America plans unchalleged Mediterranean Basin dominance to Russia's borders. Multiple wars rage for it. Others against Syria and Iran may follow. Still more later on. Britain, France, and Israel may participate.

As a result, potential general war may engulf the entire region disastrously. Concern for their own interests may encourage Russian and Chinese involvement to protect them. Anything ahead is possible. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail. Given past history, don't bet on it.

Evidence of US State Terror

On November 3, Press TV said Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Saeed Jalili "will release a number of documents detailing US involvement in acts of terror against the Islamic Republic."

Longstanding covert operations include cyberterrorism, commercial and other sabotage, targeted assassinations, kidnappings, subversion, and other regime change destabilization schemes.

Iran's Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said:

"We have undeniable documents which show America was behind the curtain of terror in Iran and the region. By presenting....100 documents, we will disgrace America in the world."

In fact, Washington does it well on its own, exposing itself as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. Its lawlessness is unrivaled. Permanent war defines its agenda.

So does imperial arrogance, police state oppression, class war, political corruption, grand theft, corporate favoritism, rigged elections, internal spying, racism, suppressing truth, targeting dissent, and other crimes against humanity.

November 4 marked the 32nd anniversary of America's Tehran embassy storming. At the time, seized documents confirmed Iranian regime change schemes. Others showed US officials were spies. It's standard US practice virtually everywhere.

Israel partners in America's crimes. Netanyahu's government exceeds the worst of Ariel Sharon. Both are world class war criminals. So are hardline cabinet ministers and complicit Knesset members.

Three Assessments of Israel's Extremist Government

Haaretz's November 3 editorial headlined "Israel led by a right-wing, myopic government," saying:

Shortly after Israel's prisoner release and Gilad Shalit's freedom, "eight senior ministers....embark(ed) on a campaign to punish the PA leadership."

Efforts to "undermine Abbas' position" include accelerating settlement construction, suspending tax revenue transfers pending whether to stop them altogether, and revoking VIP privileges for Palestinian officials to pass freely through military checkpoints.

Other measures include maintaining an oppressive occupation, stealing more land, opposing UN membership, and punishing UNESCO for admitting Palestine by banning future Israeli missions and cutting off funding.

UN regional envoy, Robert Serry, said "perpetuation of the status quo will lead to the dismantling of the PA and to 'throwing the keys back to Israel.' "

IDF commanders expressed concern. Cabinet minister extremists are dismissive. "Netanyahu is following the path of (Foreign Minister Avigdor) Lieberman, who is calling for the severing of ties with the PA."

Eliminating PA authority may let Netanyahu aggressively expand settlements, seize all valued Judea and Summaria land, entirely Judaize East Jerusalem, and ignore negotiating peace based on 1967 borders.

Palestinians will respond. Conflict will intensify. The West Bank may replicate Gaza. Netanyahu will oppressively crack down. Israel will be further isolated, its security jeopardized.

"If Israel had a sober and responsible, peace-seeking leadership, it would welcome the PA's membership in UNESCO" and full de jure UN membership. "Unfortunately, and distressingly, (it's) being led by a right-wing, myopic government," pursuing hugely destructive policies.

Gideon Levy's November 3 article headlined, "Israeli leaders' price tag against the Palestinians," saying:

What's wrong with UNESCO admitting Palestine or granting it UN membership? Responsible Israeli leaders would support it. "We're talking about nothing less than a friendly step, the best way to ensure Israel's future...."

Instead, Israel and Washington inflict punishment. So do complicit European states.

"This might be (a rare example of an) occupied country punished (for) its justified and nonviolent struggle" for freedom, "while the violent occupier....continues its settlement enterprise and control by force (and) wins" Western support for it. Who said crime doesn't pay?

"What's left for Mahmoud Abbas to do?" What can occupied Palestinians believe? They've tried negotiations, Intifadas, and other ways to be free. Nothing worked. They've got no one to talk to "and nothing to talk about."

They've tried it, but no one listens. They seek world support, but for what in return. Promises turn out empty. Gaza's still besieged. Brutal occupation continues. So does daily oppression. Palestinians suffer out of sight and mind.

Their land is stolen, their residents dispossessed. On October 31, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions headlined, "No Home, No Homeland: East Jerusalem Ethnic Displacement," saying:

Israel's East Jerusalem policy "violates international law and may constitute a war crime." Israel willfully denies Palestinians "adequate housing, development, and self-determination, as well as violating the prohibition on residency revocation."

Destroying Palestinian homes, limiting or preventing legal building, revoking legitimate residency status, and forced migration constitute crimes of war and against humanity. International law forbids them. Israel's High Court ignores it. It disregards Palestinian rights. So do Israeli leaders, especially current hardline ones.

Levy calls them a "gang of thugs," referring to eight senior ministers. Their "price tag" replicates extremist settlers, terrorizing Palestinians with impunity.

They're "violent, uncontrolled and (seek) vengeance. So settlers, you can continue with your price tag because your country is doing the same thing, and in broad daylight."

Do influential world leaders care? Do any offer help? Alone for over six decades, Palestinians struggle for freedom not so far won.

They're committed no matter how long it takes. Don't ever count them out or others wanting out from under America's imperial boot.

A Final Comment

On November 2, two vessels from last summer's Freedom Flotilla II prevented from reaching Gaza again sailed from Fethiye, Turkey.

Called Freedom Waves to Gaza, they include the Canadian Tahir and Irish Soairse (Freedom). On board were 27 international activists and journalists.

They refused. They didn't sail to turn back. They dedicated their mission "to challenge Israel's ongoing criminal blockade."

Israeli ships intercepted them. Their vessels will be impounded, their cargo stolen, and likely their personal possessions.

Passengers will be detained, interrogated and deported. Israeli ruthlessness prevented vital medicines from reaching Gaza. Millions worldwide know it.

Activists plan many future missions until Gaza's siege ends. They're coming, regardless of Israel's intention to block them.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Target Iran

Target Iran - by Stephen Lendman

In the past five years, Iran faced four harsh rounds of sanctions. At issue is its alleged nuclear threat. No evidence proves it.

Last May, its Bushehr nuclear plant began operating. In September, it began supplying the national grid with 60 megawatts of electricity, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) spokesman Khadem Qaemi said operations were at 40% of capacity.

Earlier in 2011, the IAEA said no information suggests "possible military dimensions" to its plans.

For years, Tehran's insisted its intentions are entirely commercial and peaceful. It's emphatic claiming no interest in producing nuclear weapons. It hopes Bushehr will become one of a network of commercial reactors supplying electricity. If so, it will reduce Iran's fossil fuel reliance. Other nations do it for the same reason despite the hazards of nuclear power in all forms.

It also says only low level uranium enrichment suitable for power plant fuel or medical and agricultural uses are pursued.

Iran joined dozens of other nuclear club nations. Only ITS program is questioned with no evidence to suggest it's other than what Iran claims.

For years, however, Washington's fabricated numerous Iranian threats. Last July, newly confirmed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta denounced claimed Iranian support for Shia militia groups in Iraq, saying:

"We are very concerned about Iran and the weapons they are providing to extremists in Iraq. We're seeing more of those weapons going in from Iran, and they've really hurt us. We cannot sit back and simply allow this to continue to happen. This is not something we're going to walk away from. It's something we're going to take on head-on."

Days earlier, Joint Chiefs chairman Admiral Mike Mullen accused Iran of "directly supporting extremist Shiite groups, which are killing our troops. There is no question they are shipping high-tech weapons in there that are killing our people. And the forensics prove that."

One of many State Department Iranian reports alleges:

"Iran's Quds Force provided training to the Taliban in Afghanistan on small unit tactics, small arms, explosives and indirect fire weapons."

"Since at least 2006, Iran has arranged arms shipments to select Taliban members, including small arms and associated ammunition, rocket propelled grenades, mortar rounds, 107 mm rockets and plastic explosives."

Other claims accuse Iran of using front companies to pay Taliban fighters $1,000 for each American killed and $6,000 for each US vehicle destroyed.

For years, we've heard these and similar accusations. All are suspect or clear lies. Alleged "forensics" are bogus. Slapping "made in Iran" labels on munitions proves nothing except America's duplicity in all dealings and allegations. Nothing from official Washington is credible. It's common knowledge and should be rejected out of hand.

America is a rogue terror state, an imperial predator. All nations outside its sphere of influence are targeted. It was Saddam's undoing, Gaddafi's also as well as others post-WW II, including democrats, despots and others in between.

On October 11, Washington bogusly accused Iran of plotting to murder Saudi Arabia's US ambassador (Adel al-Jubeir) in a bizarre scheme sounding more like a B film script.

Also allegedly involved were plans to bomb Israel's Washington embassy and Saudi and Israeli embassies in Argentina.

Nothing progressed was explained. In fact, accusations were entirely baseless to further heighten US/Iranian tensions and get hawkish congressional members to call for direct confrontation.

It takes little urging to do it, given the intellect and morality of many in political Washington from both parties. Hillary Clinton, in fact, said "a very concerted diplomatic outreach to many capitals" was initiated, adding that the issue has "potential for international reaction that will further isolate Iran."

She stopped short of calling for direct confrontation. Perhaps later belligerence is planned. Washington's always spoiling for a fight. So far, only sanctions, saber rattling, and hostile rhetoric have been used.

October 25 added another element. A Justice Department press release headlined, "Five Individuals Indicted in a Fraud Conspiracy Involving Exports to Iran of US Components Later Found in Bombs in Iraq," saying:

Five individuals and four companies were charged with "a conspiracy to defraud the United States that allegedly caused thousands of radio frequency modules to be illegally exported from the United States to Iran, at least 16 of which were later found in unexploded improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq."

Another conspiracy was also charged, involving military antenna exports to Singapore and Hong Kong.

As a result, Singapore authorities arrested Wong Yuh Lan (Wong), Lim Yong Nam (Nam), Lim Kow Seng (Seng), and Hai Soo Gan Benson (Hai), all Singaporean citizens.

Washington wants them extradited for District of Columbia trials. Hossein Larijani is also charged, an Iranian citizen still at large.

Accusations include defrauding America, smuggling, illegally exporting US goods to Iran, illegally exporting defense products, making false statements and obstructing justice. Other charges may be added later to assure enough stick to convict.

Like many dozens of past bogus cases related to America's war on Islam and Iran, charges likely lack credibility. As a result, innocent victims may be hung out to dry to beat up on Iran fraudulently. It's how America does business. Even some in Congress understand.

On April 5, 2006, Congressman Ron Paul addressed fellow House members saying:

Iran may be America's "next neocon target....It's been three years since the US launched its war against Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction."

"Of course, now almost everybody knows" there were none, "and Saddam Hussein posed no threat to the United States."

"The significant question we must ask ourselves is: What have we learned from three years in Iraq? With plans now being laid for regime change in Iran, it appears we have learned absolutely nothing."

Over five years later, Paul's comments still apply and then some as Obama continues Bush's imperial wars, added multiple ones of his own, and threatens more.

At the February 2007 43rd annual Munich Conference on Security Policy, then Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply criticized US foreign policy, calling it:

"very dangerous (in its) uncontained hyper-use of force - military force - in international relations, force that is plunging the world into an abyss of permanent conflicts." US imperialism, he stressed, "overstepped its national borders in every way."

"(U)nilateral illegal actions have not resolved any single problem. They have become a hotbed of further conflicts....We are seeing increasing disregard for the fundamental principles of international law....No one feels safe! Because no one can feel that international law is like a stone wall that will protect them."

"Of course, such a policy stimulates an arms race. The dominance of force inevitably encourages a number of countries to acquire weapons of mass destruction."

Putin also addressed a "unipolar world," calling it one "in which there is one master, one sovereign. And at the end of the day, this is pernicious not only for all those within this system, but also for the sovereign itself because it destroys itself from within."

He added that "We are constantly being taught about democracy. But for some reason those who teach us do not want to learn themselves."

America never practiced democratic principles at home or abroad and doesn't now.

Whether or not attacking Iran is planned remains unknown. Western intervention targeted Syria for months. At issue is regime change. Perhaps Iran's next. Covert operations have been ongoing for years, including cyber attacks, political assassinations, sabotage, false accusations, and other destabilizing tactics.

A Bush administration Finding authorized $400 million for covert mischief and intelligence collection. CIA operatives were given carte blanche authority to commit sabotage, recruit anti-regime insurgents, coordinate propaganda, spread malicious lies about Iran, manipulate its currency, and conduct other lawless acts.

Iran's nuclear program was specifically targeted. Regime change plans were prepared long ago. Washington favors a "Greater Baluchistan," integrating Pakistani and Iranian Baluch areas under puppet officials subservient to America. In other words, balkanizing both countries for easier control.

With America tied down waging multiple lost wars, will one or more others be launched?

Given powerful extremists in Washington, Obama's propensity for conflict, and America's permanent war agenda, no nation anywhere is safe. Iran, Syria, and others take note.

A Final Comment

Israel's longstanding Iranian hostility is palpable. At issue is regional rivalry. Israel wants unchallenged Middle East dominance.

On October 31, Haaretz headlined, "Netanyahu: a nuclear Iran poses a serious, direct threat to Israel," saying:

Netanyahu racketed up tensions with bogus claims about Iranian plans to develop nuclear weapons. Never mentioned is Israel's longstanding preemptive policy to use nuclear weapons if threatened. It's well known that it's nuclear armed and dangerous.

At the same time, cooler heads argue against attacking Iran. Perhaps Defense Minister Ehud Barak is one. He recently told Israeli Radio that diplomatic pressure and sanctions are top options, adding that Israelis shouldn't be concerned about an Iranian threat. Other Israelis agree.

Why does Washington beat up on Iran? Perhaps it's to divert attention from OWS protests and America's mainstream Depression. Electoral politics always matter. Cold War tactics dictated not looking soft on communism.

War on terror rhetoric today is key. Iran's falsely called a regional menace to incite fear, gain votes, and prevent opposition candidates from making "too soft" accusations.

Nonetheless, will Obama pursue confrontation with Iran to look tough? Voters want current wars ended. Will starting another assuage them? Perhaps, some believe, if fear's effectively generated. Voters are notoriously gullible and mindless about earlier deceptions.

Repeat big lies often enough and most people believe them. At the same time, burgeoning deficits constrain spending even though defense budgets rise annually.

In addition, attacking Iran entails huge risks. Policy experts know doing so will enflame the entire region. General war may follow involving Russia and China defending their interests.

Moreover, nonbelligerent nations won't always put up with Washington and Israel. Both lost considerable influence but not enough to deter them.

However, ravaging the world one country at a time is no way to win friends and allies. Hopefully more world leaders will choose better ones than rogue states. Hopefully humanity will survive long enough to see them do it.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Israel Called Biggest Threat to World Peace

Israel Called Biggest Threat to World Peace - by Stephen Lendman

America easily takes top honors, followed by Israel, Britain, and France, the real axis of evil.

In Israel's case, it's easy to see why. It's been top regional rogue state for decades. No other Middle East nation matches it.

Johnny 2012 or Bust

Johnny for President 2012, because we
really don't have any other choices.
Forward this concern to anyone as
your own, please. Thanks.

911 - Ten Years Later - What Have We Learned
http://www.multiupload.com/KYLBD6K6UR

US chief prosecutor calls for prosecution of Bush
http://weeklyintercept.blogspot.com

YES YES YES YES. Now, what honorable
cop is going to stand in our ways?
Only the bushite nazi grunter, who
wills to rape, rob, and mass murder
as the enemy al-Qeada in 'hiding'.

http://rt.com/usa/news/homeless-gaydos-swat-palm-441/

Florida SWAT back from Iraq shoots
homeless man on church grounds in
the face multiple times to murder,
then sells they magically do not
warrant immediate death sentences
in this land of the 'lawless'
bushite nazi grunter.

Washington and Israel: Partners in State Terror

Washington and Israel: Partners in State Terror - by Stephen Lendman

State terror embraces many forms of lawlessness, duplicity and depravity. They include violence; war; conquest; colonization; plunder; targeted killings; torture; financial, political and social terrorism, and more.

Washington and Israel fine-tuned it. Both nations redefined the degeneracy of Western societies. They and others benefit from death, destruction, exploitation, and human misery.

Their policies spurn core democratic values, including life, liberty, equity, justice, truth, and government of, for and by the people. All are non-starters.

Ordinary people are exploited, not served. Only wealth and power matter, regardless of the body count to accumulate maximum amounts and secure more of both.

Wickedness has no bounds. Practitioners seek new ways to do malevolent things to more people. Nothing is off limits. Rhetoric masks sinister destructive agendas.

Gandhi was asked what he thought of Western civilization. "I think it would be a good idea," he responded. Maybe he had Washington and Israel in mind. Both give new meaning to rogue state depravity.

An October 16 Haaretz editorial headlined, "Free press in Israel is in danger," saying:

Extremist MKs allied with Netanhayu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman want "to destroy the democratic component of Israel's definition as a 'Jewish and democratic state....' "

Their "new target: Silencing the free press through the threat of libel suits that would jeopardize the economic foundations of the media outlets."

The Knesset Law and Justice Committee approved a first reading for legislation to raise libel compensation six-fold "with no need to prove actual damage."

It could increase another five-fold if complainant responses aren't published in full. Opponents of free expression call for protecting people from "the great power of the media."

At issue is suppressing dissent, truth, and controlling the message. America faces similar threats with congressional extremists wanting Internet freedom curtailed.

If reactionary elements in both countries succeed, press freedom's last frontier may disappear, and with it fragile free societies in America, Israel and elsewhere.

Israel's latest injustice involves journalist Anat Kamm. At issue is prosecuting whistleblowers. She like Bradley Manning exposed criminal wrongdoing. He awaits trial. Kamm was just sentenced.

Originally accused of espionage, Tel Aviv's District Court gave her 54 months imprisonment plus another 18 months suspended sentence on charges of collecting, holding and passing on classified material without authorization.

Prior to being convicted, she spent two years under house arrest. Like Manning, she obtained documents while on active military duty. Some were marked "top secret." They involved approved targeted Palestinian assassinations. Ordering them violated international law and Israel's High Court.

Kamm's information gave Haaretz writer Uri Blau material to expose Israel's "license to kill." Two Palestinians were targeted. Israel's then Central Command head, General Yair Naveh, and IDF Chief of Staff, Gabi Ashkenazi, were involved.

On December 14, 2006, High Court President, Justice Aharon Barak, ruled no one should be assassinated or harmed in lieu of nonviolent workable alternatives. "In other words," he said, "a person should not be assassinated if it is possible to arrest him, interrogate and indict him."

Israeli General Yair Naveh was quoted saying, "Don't bother me with High Court orders." In other words, rule of law inviolability and Supreme Court rulings don't matter.

America is much the same. Preemptive war against nonbelligerent countries is official policy. So is torture and targeted killings. Everyone, including US citizens, is at risk. In Israel, exposing classified material means up to 15 years in prison. Holding it alone can bring seven.

Imprisoned awaiting trial, Manning's been brutalized in solitary confinement. If convicted on all or most serious charges, possible life in prison may follow for exposing state crimes.

He and Kamm are heros. America and Israel call them criminals. The malevolence of both nations knows no bounds.

UNESCO Punished for Doing the Right Thing

Another issue involves UNESCO members voting overwhelmingly for full Palestinian membership despite intense US and Israeli opposition.

Israel called it a "tragedy." Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said it was "a big diplomatic car crash." Israeli ambassador Nimrod Barkan claimed UNESCO performed "a great disservice."

Ahead of the vote, Washington called admitting Palestine "counterproductive (and) premature." Retaliatory measures followed, America's usual response.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said America's $60 million contribution (22% of UNESCO's budget) won't be paid this month.

Members supported Palestine anyway. US 1990 and 1994 laws mandate defunding UN agencies granting Palestine full membership.

Legislation passed in 1990 prohibits funds "for the United Nations or any specialized agency thereof which accords the Palestinian Liberation Organization the same standing as a member state."

The 1994 law bars funding "any affiliated organization of the United Nations which grants full membership as a state to any organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood."

Palestine's had them for over six decades. Nonetheless, full recognition's been denied. Israel (through its Lobby) pressured Congress for both laws.

Washington's subservience to Israel is longstanding and pernicious, especially since the 1960s. Whatever Israel wants, it gets, even when US interests are harmed. Both dance together destructively, living by the sword. One day perhaps they'll perish by it.

From 1984 to 2003, Washington boycotted UNESCO, claiming the organization was corrupt, anti-Israel, anti-Western, and critical of major media sources.

A previous article said lawless extremists infest Congress like crabgrass besets lawns. Rep. Eleana Ros-Lehtinen (R. FL) is one of the worst. She called UNESCO's vote "reckless," "anti-Israel", and "anti-peace."

She and other bipartisan extremists defiantly support wrong over right. Discussions now include new legislation to restrict overall UN funding, cut off Palestinian aid entirely, and punish nations voting for Palestinian membership.

Nonetheless, cheers erupted at UNESCO's General Assembly after the vote. One delegated shouted "Long live Palestine!" in French. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki called membership:

"the beginning of a road that is difficult, but will lead to the freedom of our land and people from occupation," adding it "help(s) erase a tiny part of the injustice done to the Palestinian people."

A significant symbolic victory was achieved. Others perhaps will follow.

On November 2, Haaretz said Palestine seeks membership in 16 more UN agencies, including the World Health Organization, International Labor Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization, International Telecommunication Union, and 12 others.

Hopefully full de jure UN membership will follow. It's decades overdue.

A Final Comment

On November 1, the International Middle East Media Center said Israel may impose sanctions on Palestine following admittance to UNESCO, saying:

"....Netanyahu decided to convene with his 'cabinet of eight' on Tuesday to discuss a series of sanctions against the Palestinian Authority (PA)...."

An unnamed Israeli official said punishments may include canceling VIP privileges for senior PA officials, additional settlement construction, and halting tax revenue transfers due Palestine.

Also under consideration is suspending future cooperation with UNESCO.

Israeli and US governance is so out-of control perhaps declaring war is next. Why not. Both countries thrive on it. America's agenda embraces permanent war. Israel is a modern-day Sparta.

Together with like-minded partners they plan world conquest and dominance. Why worry about UNESCO with those goals in mind.

Neither tolerates embarrassment. Anything ahead is possible. None of it will be humanitarian or socially beneficial. Expect new broadsides any time when least expected. That's how rogue states operate.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.