Iran Escalates Military Rhetoric

[pampango]

Source: New York Times

"Iran warned Monday that it could easily close a critical Persian Gulf waterway for oil shipments and claimed possession of a new long-range naval weapon that could sink enemy ships nearly 200 miles away.

It was unclear what provoked the warning, made by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, but it followed the weekend expiration of an informal deadline for Iran to respond to incentives from world powers to curb its uranium enrichment activities.

Representatives of the six nations met with Iranian officials in Geneva on July 19, with a senior American official taking part for the first time. The talks seemed to produce no progress on the chief demand — that Iran stop uranium enrichment — but the six powers gave Iran two weeks to respond to their latest proposal before it would be withdrawn.

“We will take part in any negotiations and talk about any issue which consolidates our nuclear rights,” he said during a meeting with Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, according to the Iranian presidency Web site."

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/world/middleeast/05iran.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

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Oil prices must have declined by too much for some parties. Nothing like a little reminder of the ease with which the Strait of Hormuz can be closed to ratchet up concern and the price of oil.

Perhaps something was lost in the translation of the last quote - "We will take part in any negotiations..." It almost sounds like "We will take part in any negotiations that end with us getting what we want." But I suppose either side in any dispute can say the same thing. What either side may be willing to accept may be a different matter.

[Crazy Dave]

1. Iran is our new "Cold War"

Since we don't have the USSR to justify our bloated defense budgets on anymore

It's good for their politicians too, for the same reasons

[Bonobo]

2. Excuse me, but it is US that has kept them under the threat of BOMBING for the last few years.

So you will forgive me if I do not agree with the SLANT of that headline.

[High Plains]

3. Where are the "US, Israel escalate military rhetoric" headlines?

[pampango]

4. I think that George and Mahmoud are a tag team. This must be Mahmoud's week

to threaten death and destruction. It will be George's turn to be the "bad cop" next week and he'll make his threats of death and destruction. They have a symbiotic relationship. Each can use the other to scare their moderates (well, George is having less success at this than he used to. Not sure about how well the scare tactic works in Iran.)

And military threats work wonders to raise oil prices, which make both George and Mahmoud happy.

[ohio2007]

5. One in five Iranians live below poverty line

Must be time again to saber rattle those slumping oil prices....
its a very sharp double edge you know.


One in five Iranians live below poverty line

snip

The latest figures come amid increasing concern over soaring prices in Iran, which have hit the poor and state employees on low incomes particularly hard. Teachers, for example, earn less than 300 dollars a month.

snip

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=27234

[bemildred]

6. Hovering Above Poverty, Grasping for Middle Class

Low-wage workers in the United States are gripped by increasing financial insecurity as they inch along an economic tightrope made riskier by pervasive job losses and rising prices. Many struggle to pay for life's basics -- housing, food and health care -- and most report having virtually no financial cushion should they stumble.

Still, they remain inspired by the American dream, with most saying they are more apt to move up economically than slip backward even if they are frustrated now. Most also expect better for their children.

This complex picture of low-wage workers emerges from a survey conducted by The Washington Post, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University. The nationwide poll, conducted June 18 to July 7, included 1,350 randomly selected people between ages 18 and 64 who work at least 30 hours a week and earned no more than $27,000 last year.

These low-wage workers account for nearly one-quarter of all U.S. adults. They care for the elderly in nursing homes or for the very young in day-care centers. They stock store shelves, do administrative work in offices, staff reception desks in hospitals and man assembly lines in factories. Not only do they receive low pay, but their jobs frequently come with no health-care coverage, vacations or even sick days. Yet, the vast majority said they like or even love their jobs and they believe in the power of hard work to transform lives. financial cushion should they stumble.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/08/02/ST2008080201740.html

[ohio2007]

7. Darkness over Iran ( BBC vid )

power outages lasting four hors every day in the city
inflation over 25%
record oil revenue that doesn't trickle down
A French energy company left Iran citing lack of confidence in the fourth lagerst oil exporter's economy.


elections comming up in Iran.
gotta whip that boogie man, the great satan and little satan, and distract the shrinking middle class.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=jeD3OBBz1xg&eurl=http://williamamos.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/darkness-decends-over-iran/

[Hardrada]

8. Useful link. Thanks.

[ohio2007]

9. Iran executes journalist convicted of terrorism ( rhetoric reasoning )

CAIRO, Egypt - An Iranian journalist sentenced to death on terrorism charges has been executed in what a human rights group on Tuesday called a "state-sanctioned murder" carried out after a secret trial.

Yaghoob Mirnehad was executed Monday in the city of Zahedan after being convicted and sentenced to death earlier this year, said Iran's judiciary spokesman, Ali Reza Jamshidi.


snip


Taking up arms against the government is considered a crime punishable by death in Iran. The country has executed nearly 200 people so far this year, according to the International Campaign.

After China, Iran executes more people than any other country, even though its population is 18 times smaller than China's, the group said Tuesday.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080805/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_execution;_ylt=AmmFSdw0oHXT8dVYkpgM3wZvaA8F

The last time they ratcheted up the military rhetoric, it was "digging 158,000 graves to bury the invaders". What have they been filling them with or is it not fair to speculate over old military rhetoric that falls off the back pages ?

[unkachuck]

10. in regards....

....to nuclear energy, is Iran doing anything illegal under international law?

"The talks seemed to produce no progress on the chief demand — that Iran stop uranium enrichment..."

....if Iran is doing something illegal, isn't it time to show us the irrefutable evidence before we start dropping those corporate profit-making bombs?....

[Zhade]

11. No, but that doesn't stop some low-information posters from hating on Iranians en masse.

NT!