Iran is next ?
 

the new yorker magazine has reported information which it believes is true in that US forces have been infiltrating Iran since last summer to specify targets of nuclear and chemical dumps within the country.

seymour hersh who writes for the newspaper and previosuly uncovered the human rights abuses at abu ghraib states that missions have taken place with 'commando' operations within Iran.

pakistan is helping the US as the country has had dealings with the Iranian scientists in finding the sources of any nuclear or biological technology.

source: yahoo news

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...a_newyorker_dc

certainly food for thought.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

Well I guess it could be worse, but my concern right now is N Korea, they are unstable, makes me wonder about there cheap cars, what the money is funding over there. Certainly aint going on the people :erm: .

Re: Iran is next ?
 

i find it quite amsuing that the US is tip toeing around over the north korean situation.

they would not dare go in all guns blazing.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

I hate the way the US think it's their responsibility to "sort out" states that in their opinion are a "problem".

It really galls because if they minded their own business more they would be less of a target to terrorists.

And as Blair seems willing to pander to the wishes of the US- it makes us a target as well.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

cant put it better myself :tu: :clap:

Re: Iran is next ?
 

I agree I just dont trust the Tories at all not after the last time they was in power, they caused some ups and some major downs.

As for America well in some ways they are right, but in others wrong, but as with any campaign it takes time to get fixed out.

Sadly I am for America To clean this world. As if they didnt?? who would.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

Iran next? I hope so.

If you imagine the world is like a school playground, with the US as the big kid, NK is the smaller kid that secretly goes round telling everyone that he could have the big kid, but never does. I don't think NK would attack anyway, especially the US. It would rather just continually bitch about the US instead. Iran though probably would though. I seem to remember some 'stray' munitions found its way across the border into Iraq

Plus the fact that a lot of Iranians, especially the younger set, resent the opressive theocracy they have, and North Koreans are pretty happy being in there totally delusion/brainwashed mind set.

The trouble is, 3rd Islamic country in a row? Will breed hatred even with the people that dislike Iran. Going after Iran probably isn't the smartest move right now, but in in a perfect world, it would be nice to.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

Accidental droppage of a satellite from space onto Iranian land....whoops..we so never spotted it..

*shredding of pc read outs warning the goverment of a reentry of a 2mile wide lump of metal"

Re: Iran is next ?
 

If someones a problem go for it i say

Re: Iran is next ?
 

Surely in a perfect world (depending on how you see perfection) there would be no need to 'go after' Iran? ;)

Re: Iran is next ?
 

America won't go for North Korea because North Korea put's the wind up Bush. America is not the big kid in the playground, it's the bully. Bush thinks he's picking countries that in comparison can only offer up a feeble defense.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

Excuse me, you're not confusing North Korea with South Korea at all? I haven't seen many North Korean cars on sale, even in London, where they'd probably be fashionable ('Darling, I've got this wonderful three-cylinder paraffin powered 4x4 from Pyong-Yang Motors, it's quite the in-thing on the school run'). Anyway, we don't invade places that actually have WMDs, it'd be far too dangerous.

Invading Iran would be a great idea, we've already f-ed off the Sunni Muslims by invading Iraq and are about to deny them the vote while giving it to the Shias (resulting in Shia-domination* and shortly afterwards civil war), so lets annoy the Shias as well and have both sides horning into Iraq attacking us. I'd like to say it was impossible but the ignorance and lunacy of the Bush regime have yet to display any boundaries of common sense.

Mind you, what will stop them is lack of manpower. The US isn't big enough to fight two wars.

Pointless fact - al-Qaeda have no links to the Iranian theocracy, as they had no links to Saddam Hussein. In fact they hate Iran as much as they hated Saddam.

*Iranian links to the people likely to win the Iraqi half-election are fairly well known, I hink.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

SOunds like the world is one big school playground, and Bush is the bully, and Tony is the bully's follower.

So who is the teacher who has them all on reigns?

Re: Iran is next ?
 

Oh hush, you know what I mean! :)

With Iran though you don't need to invade it for a regime change. There seems to be so much public dissent in the country, that it only needs minor outside support for it to work. They have overthrown themselves before without much help.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

Damn right! Have a green rep.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

And if someone didnt try to clean up the world, what would Iran do?? I mean yes I see the well why do we have to do it...but who else will do it. And by doing it I mean clean up these countries who are making powerful weapons like Iran, and those countries who are making alot of money, yet abusing there people like Iraq.

Sure we may have made a balls up in Iraq but in the end I am sure we shall get there, as for Iran its a known factor they have WMD, and are almost of not already got Nuclear and Biological Intercontinental ballisitic missiles. I know I feel better knowing things are going on rather then knowing a country run by MR someone who knows nothing, has Nuclear and Biological weapons or suicide bombs and does not like the UK for some weird reason.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

Oh come on. 'Picking on countries that have a feeble defense'? Iran is a danger, they are (by their own admission) trying to make (or already have made) WMD. America isnt going out to find weak countrys for the sake of a war.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

No offense but I think N korea are okay and not a issue ( yet ) as for Iran its likely that it is in 2005 the single most likely threat to the West.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

How do you come to that conclusion? The fact that more and more nations are pushing to join the 'not so exclusive' nuclear club, really isnt much of a worry. If some nutter in Iran decided to throw a nuke at America (and I dont believe for a second they have the technology for ICBM's), the yanks would detect the launch in very quickly, and then respond in kind. Lets face it, every country knows the yanks would drop the 'big one' again in responce to and nuclear attack. Theres nothing like having to live underground for 250,000 years to make political leaders pause for thought these days.

IMHO, the country that poses the greatest threat to global stability is China. They are a nuclear wild-card, who believe the rest of the world to be uncivilised barbarians, especially 'us' white folks in the west. They hate the west for addicting hugh numbers of chinese people to opiates, and then ripping of their country.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

China a threat...knowing what I have had of there stuff ,the bomb will explode on launch.

I take China as a okay country personally I would be more worried about Japan after Hiroshima, they may have a excuse to retaliate even all these years later.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

personally Israel worries me more but is not often mentioned. They have the most developed system of them all - and if push comes to shove .........???

Re: Iran is next ?
 

Ahem - this would be the same Iran in which moderate, democratic voices (viz. ones who don't want to establish Islamic theocracies everywhere) were beginning to be heard until a certain theocratic fundamentalist in the White House started banging on about Axes of Evil, at which point the moderates in Tehran no longer had a leg to stand on and got drowned out by those who now had evidence to support their previously nonsensical claim that the US were bent on restarting the Crusades.

It's instructive to note that the population of Iran voted (as in democratically voted, which isn't mentioned much by Bush as he tries to force democracy down the throats of the Iraqis with generous helpings of lead) overwhelmingly for the moderate Khatami as President (twice, in 1997 and 2001). He's been effectively on our side, he wants reform, democracy, better rights for women and less power for the mad mullahs, who are putting up a hell of a fight. We're not making his job any easier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Khatami

I think we're a far bigger threat to Iran than Iran is to us. Are you so short-memoried that you've forgotten about al-Qaeda, who after all have had rather a good 2004 and show no signs of going away? What do you base this bald assertion on, anyway? The same sources that gave you the inside gen on the North Korean car industry?

Re: Iran is next ?
 

Is it???

AFAIK, there is still no evidence that they actually have any nuclear weapons (the only true WMD), although they probably are trying to develop them.

As for missiles, I very much doubt they already have N/B/C ICBMs. Probably have missiles which could reach their neighbours (but whether they have anything non-conventional to tip them with though)...., but ICBMs?


In their position, wouldn't you want nukes? Look around the area....Israel has nukes, plus you've got Iraq & Afghanistan either side of you - full of US forces, etc etc.

And one lesson which could be learnt from the action on Iraq & the non-action on N Korea is that the US only attack if you *don't* have anything to threaten them with.


And would Iran really use anything against us? Doubt it. The UK & Europe have been trying to engage the Iranian government, & had been doing fairly well. We're not friends, but I can't see them attacking us, especially as if they did nuke the UK etc., they would be utterly & completely wiped from the face of the Earth in retaliation (standard US & UK policy for any WMD attack on US/UK soil, or bases, or allies, is to respond with nuclear weapons).


I would be more worried about India & Pakistan kick starting a nuclear war.


I'd also be more worried about just who else Abdul Qadeer Khan sold info & technology to (he's the father of Pakistan's nuke programme, & was also head of the biggest international nuclear technology smuggling scheme ever). If he sold stuff to Iran...OK, not great, but I don't really think they're a major threat to us. If he sold stuff to Al Qaeda or other terrorists....not so good, to put it mildly (& remember the origins of Al Qaeda, or who used to strongly support it? Pakistan....)


Iraq


Iraq

N Korea are OK? Why?

It is probably the most repressive regime in the world, it's run by an utter nut-job, it has biological & chemical weapons & the means to launch them at S Korea & Japan, it is thought (well, by the CIA...) to already have material for at least a few nukes, & it has missiles which could reach some parts of the US.

Although hopefully Kim Jong-il isn't so stupid that he'd ever attack the US etc, as he must surely know that he wouldn't last long if he did.


Iran is a threat to the West? Why?


As EoB said, if Iran nuked the West, the US et al would respond in kind...several times. And as BBK said, surely Al Qaeda are more of a threat than Iran or anyone else at the moment.





I see your point.


IIRC, Wolfowitz & co see China as the real threat. Think it was even mentioned in the PNAC document.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

:tu: , you only have to look at the way they are growing in stature :disturbd: , why is the price of steel going thru the roof ????????? , the chinese are buying it and raw materials up like there is no tomorrow :erm:

Re: Iran is next ?
 

good job we don't make much steel, anymore, then :rolleyes:

you know, if we could all sit down & plan for the next 50 years, instead of just tomorrow & 'the devil take the hindmost', then I am sure a lot of our problems could be solved.

- not all of them, but 'a lot' would be a good start ;)

Re: Iran is next ?
 

To be honest, I think the 50 year view on global geo-politics is gonna disapear along with large tracts of low-lying costal land.

@ Russ - Funnily I dont see India and Pakistan kicking of a nuclear exchange. I remember reading an article about China, and who it considers possible aggressors in the 21st centurary, and India topped the list. Weird.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

The biggest threat to the western world is whichever one George Bush picks at the time. They've not even finished the job in Iraq (or Afghanistan) properly yet (typical Americans, no change there, leave the Brits to mop their mess up yet again) and there's already rumours of them invading yet ANOTHER country. Like I said, they won't invade someone who can put up a reasonable fight, The N. Koreans might kick their asses just like the Vietcong and the Japanese did ;)

Re: Iran is next ?
 

I think you put a few too many words in there. Shouldn't it read "The biggest threat to the western world is George Bush"?! :D

Re: Iran is next ?
 

Having an Indian in the team (we insource from India round our way) I've been having a crash course in Indian politics, and there was a little known war between India and China in the eastern part of India in 1962. China has territorial claims over bits of India and vice versa and as each side still has hundreds of thousands troops on the ground, so it's not surprising that they're fairly high up the list. India is of course the only realistic military and economic rival to China in the area, being the only other country in the world with > 10^9 people living there.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...o-prc_1962.htm

Re: Iran is next ?
 

As if the US didn't have thier own hidden WMD labs & hidden nuclear weapon silo's etc.... I think they'd soon get peed off if someone insisted on searching through thier country for them.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

Interesting item on the bbc news site at the moment:
BBC News
Bluffing or not?

Re: Iran is next ?
 

Either way I dont like them, they are shifty, and if its just to make electricity then why are they so secretive..sadly I think we have to intervene. And if they launch at us. The may heavens have mercy and our children forgive us :erm:.

Re: Iran is next ?
 

typically of me I am going to write a long rambling post, so get ready :)

When we invaded Iraq, and remember we invaded on the exact same day the US did becasue we are their bed buddies, I was devastated. I wondered whether this was an act of war or whether it was an act of terrorism masquerading as war to gain votes for Bush. AS has been seen by the hysterical victory of Bush in the last US election, something I hope the US is ashamed of, it was just in my opinion, a vote gaining exercise.

There were and are no WMD's in Iraq. Some of you may think well ok we went to war and got rid of a dictator. But what risk did he actually pose to us ? Was it as huge as the now flawed intelligence led us to believe. I don't think so. Saddam Hussein was a dictator who did horrendous things within the scope of his capabilities. That did not include 9/11. In fact 9/11 was caused by al-qaeda who have most of their roots in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.

So what did we do for Afghanistan. Well we let them get away with it and built a huge gas pipe through their country so that we could harvest profits from them. We then left them to their own devices and now they are ingrained with poverty and disease. Something that its never reported on TV or in the press as it does not make worthy headlines.

What have we done for Saudi? Nothing. We continue as the free world in the west to purchase oil from them and sustain one of the richest "buracracies" in the world.

SO what are we going to do for Iran. Well a few months ago it was reported that Iran had WMD's so some wepaons inspectors went over there and found um nothing to write home about. America is pursuing a war against its own demons. Due to its conservative and evangelical approach people fall into the war first, talk later cycle. Iran is a poor country too. Yes there are happenings that we in the West would fail to understand because Iran is doctrined in fundemental Islamic customs. I highly doubt however, that this includes war on a nation that is far bigger an more poweful than they are. Especially when they can see the devastation left in Iraq. They probably hate the Americans and the British too. Who could fail to when they see the most bizarre errors being made by so called developed countries?

If America does go to war with Iran on their own heads be it. I pray that the UK doesn't blindly follow.

Sian

Re: Iran is next ?
 

I agree - I don't really fancy another midlle eastern holiday ;)

but seriously, I think that George W is now suffering from the same thing as Ronald Reagan did when he was coming to the end of his term, he believes everything his advisors tell him, and as such, may make such a stupid decision.

I don't think Tony Blair would risk a second bout of political suicide, but we are so dependant on the US for our own defence, that he may have no choice..

Re: Iran is next ?
 

I didnt have a problem with invading Iraq based on the intelligence presented by the politicians that Iraq had WMD.

As they have not been able to follow up with proof of these WMD I'm surprised there has been no accountability and/or falling on swords. An apology would be a start. To us lot and the Iraqi people.

Perhaps someone like Mr Blair should address the Iraqi people and explain that the basis for war was a mistake and explain the reasons why and appologise and then follow on to say that we can not change the error of invading based on a false mandate but plan to leave Iraq in a better position than when we entered it. Also this should be supported by a manifesto of key aims and targets the Allies plan for the Iraqi people.