And so it begins (Iran - US precursors to war) - Page 8 - Politics and Economics

1, sanctioning the sale of oil from Iran is possible
2, sanctioning the sale of popular civilian goods to Iran is possible
3, sanctioning the sale of military goods to Iran is possible
4, sanctioning the flow of people and information to and from Iran is possible
5, sanctioning the movement of troops and military operations through no fly zones and a general demilitarised zone buffer is possible

There are LOTS of ways Iran can be sanctioned including against the very thing you say they can do, namely selling oil to China. And yeah, drone strikes on military targets are plausible, but they just arent anywhere near that point right now and its complete ignorance to think you have to Go Directly To War (do not pass Go, do not collect $200).

So a Chinese oil tanker is heading for Iran to collect some black liquid gold.....you think the American gov is going to say "HEY COME TO A STOP OR WE BLOW U OUTTA THE WATER"?

The last thing the USA wants is to go up against a 2 million + army. It's got enough on it's plate atm trying beat a few goat herders in the mountains of Afghanistan.

10-17-2011 , 06:52 AM

#177

[Phill]

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 52,717

Err, you know sanctions on Iraq happened, right?

Also America would straight up bomb China back to the stone age within a week if they truly went to war, not that two nuclear powers ever would. Army numbers is an irrelevant figure.

10-17-2011 , 02:48 PM

#178

LastLife

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 4,593

Iran ready to consider the evidence in alleged assassination plot

Quote:

Tehran is willing to look at the evidence supporting U.S. claims that Iranian officials backed a foiled plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Monday.

10-18-2011 , 02:26 AM

#179

ShttsWeak

veteran

Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 2,090

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct...-plot-20111013

Iranian Leader Thought To Have Ok'd Plot

Quote:

"This is the kind of operation -- the assassination of a diplomat on foreign soil -- that would have been vetted at the highest levels of the Iranian government," said a senior U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about sensitive analyses. "We can't prove that, but we do not think it was a rogue operation in any way."

Anonymous US official with no proof and no doubts. These stories tilt the **** out of me.

Quote:

Khamenei has been in an increasingly tense power struggle with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who, U.S. analysts believe, has little control over large parts of the nation's security forces. Officials believe that Ahmadinejad and Iran's intelligence service were probably not briefed on the Saudi assassination plot, the officials said.

Basically Khamenei overruled Ahmadinejads firing of a cabinet member. Ahmadinejad went on strike to protest because he's supposed to have that authority. Analysts obviously know Ahmadinejad has no control over security forces.

Quote:

Iran experts outside the government have questioned whether the regime would have condoned what U.S. officials acknowledge was an amateurish plot, which allegedly began when the car salesman, Texas resident Manssor Arbabsiar, contacted the aunt of a man he thought might be a Mexican drug cartel operative. The alleged conspiracy, as detailed in a FBI criminal complaint, seemed surprisingly sloppy and risky for the Quds Force, which has a reputation for deadly competence, experts said.

Says nothing of questioning the logic behind blowing up a restaurant in the capital of the country itching to destroy your multibillion dollar nuclear infastructure.

10-18-2011 , 02:37 AM

#180

orestto

adept

Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,084

This ****** level plot is definitely working, taking a chunk of the public's attention off Fast and Furious while making it obvious no real war is going to happen with Iran. If it does, lol sorry, I wouldn't think they are serious.

10-18-2011 , 09:56 AM

#181

todd1007

banned

Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1,332

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gamblor

american jews are citizens of the united states and are no less influential on american policy than the "black" lobby, the left wing media, the corporate lobby, the religious lobby, etc. that's called democracy.

So, basically, you (and the source you cite) are complaining that americans have too much influence on the american government - but wait, you're really saying that they're not real americans, they're Joooos.

my point is that the government serves its citizens. if its citizens believe they are made better off by alliance with Israel, then the government must do that. to suggest 5 million Jews control the United States' foreign policy is no less racist and anti-semitic than saying they control the banks or media.

i'll help you figure out where your thinking went wrong: there is no "The Jews".

Stop wasting my time.

10-18-2011 , 09:58 AM

#182

2/325Falcon

Conehead

Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 21,907

The Jews love to waste people's time imo.

10-18-2011 , 10:49 AM

#183

UtzChips

veteran

Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 2,280

13 pages of conspiracy theorists spewing rhetoric about this being created by the American govt., yet they have failed to provide a thread of evidence.

10-18-2011 , 10:56 AM

#184

joeyDizzle

banned

Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,227

Quote:

Originally Posted by UtzChips

13 pages of conspiracy theorists spewing rhetoric about this being created by the American govt., yet they have failed to provide a thread of evidence.

so they have a lot in common with the govt then

10-18-2011 , 11:03 AM

#185

FourFins

grinder

Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 698

Quote:

13 pages of conspiracy theorists spewing rhetoric about this being created by the American govt., yet they have failed to provide a thread of evidence.

LOL at being on here for almost 5 years and having 15 posts per page.

Anyways, from a Reuters article:

Quote:

Iran’s supreme leader and the shadowy Quds Force covert operations unit were likely aware of an alleged plot to kill Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, but hard evidence of that is scant, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

The United States does not have solid information about “exactly how high it goes,” one official said. . . .The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said their confidence that at least some Iranian leaders were aware of the alleged plot was based largely on analyses and their understanding of how the Quds Force operates.

I would like to see a thread of evidence indicating the top of the Iranian government was involved. That above is the US admitting it is one huge ass assumption of a great Iranian terror plot that is probably greatly influenced by them wanting to increase pressure on Iran in the international community.

Arbabsiar is a doofus. I do not doubt he did what they say he did; but to say it is a huge Iranian governmental consipiracy, GTFO.

10-18-2011 , 06:07 PM

#186

Fedorfan

veteran

Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,928

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gamblor

You left off no less influential than the american palestinian lobby and american iranian lobby. lol.

10-18-2011 , 06:10 PM

#187

Regret$

burnt out

Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 12,124

Quote:

Originally Posted by FourFins

Quote:

The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity,

Sounds quite reliable to me! I take it all back, Iran definitely did it!

10-18-2011 , 06:12 PM

#188

Regret$

burnt out

Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 12,124

Also guys, there is no such thing as lobbying any more. It is all just legal multinational bribery. It has been this way for years and years (and likely forever before this).

10-18-2011 , 08:28 PM

#189

ShttsWeak

veteran

Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 2,090

Quote:

Originally Posted by UtzChips

13 pages of conspiracy theorists spewing rhetoric about this being created by the American govt., yet they have failed to provide a thread of evidence.

I certainly don't think it was created by the US government. I don't even know what kind of response this deserves.

10-18-2011 , 11:13 PM

#190

thomasdrool

journeyman

Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 350

Quote:

american jews are citizens of the united states and are no less influential on american policy than the "black" lobby, the left wing media, the corporate lobby, the religious lobby, etc. that's called democracy.

No one is questioning that.

Another warning sign. The UK have silenced the Iran side by banning PressTV so the only non-Neocon media we will be getting is the faint murmur of "Muslims are people too" by leftie pacifists.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/205296.html

10-18-2011 , 11:52 PM

#191

Niveous

adept

Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 981

"Screencapped for possible win."

10-18-2011 , 11:56 PM

#192

thomasdrool

journeyman

Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 350

Quote:

Originally Posted by LirvA

I bet those who gave it to him have been doing a bunch of

Obama doesn't have enough blood on his hands to deserve a Nobel Peace Prize. Nice pro-war acceptance speech, though.

10-23-2011 , 09:15 AM

#193

UtzChips

veteran

Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 2,280

Quote:

Originally Posted by todd1007

US accuses Iran of plot to assassinate Saudi ambassador to the US

Things will escalate until we end up invading Iran and doing Israel's dirty work for them.

The US sucks.

I haven't come across any evidence of things escalating so far. Have you?

I know that we have 2 carrier fleets off the coast of Iran, however, they were there b4 this went down.

Has anyone found any evidence that my google alert has failed to identify?

10-23-2011 , 10:42 AM

#194

Gamblor

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 14,746

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomasdrool

No one is questioning that.

maybe its the constant holocaust-denial and genocide-speech that comes from press tv that led to its ban. another perspective doesn't mean another valid perspective.

10-23-2011 , 10:48 AM

#195

[Phill]

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 52,717

Yeah, its not surprising at all that the official propaganda outlet of the Iranian regime has differing opinions to mainstream legitimate media sources.

10-23-2011 , 12:54 PM

#196

todd1007

banned

Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1,332

Quote:

Originally Posted by UtzChips

wait for it....

10-30-2011 , 10:09 PM

#197

longmissedblind

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 3,735

The people in this video don't seem to think this is amatuerish. Gen Keane keeps saying we need to (figuratively) "get our hands around the throat" of the Iranian regime, and the CIA and FBI guys are pretty much ok with the use of force as well. Levitt (FBI) says combined efforts including deadly force, and virtually everyone is concerned about the depth of Hezbollah forces/sympathizers in the western hemisphere.

The only semi-dissenter is Lawrence Korb, who kept bringing up that Iran was the 1st to denounce 9/11 and they helped to install Karzai in Kabul.

11-02-2011 , 10:08 AM

#198

todd1007

banned

Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1,332

Israel considering strike against Iran

11-03-2011 , 02:27 PM

#199

Gamblor

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 14,746

Quote:

Originally Posted by todd1007

Israel considering strike against Iran

todd1007's insistence on repeatedly bringing up Israeli and "zionist" influence, when the OP is absolutely unrelated to Israel, reminds me that the usual lesson here for jews and israelis still applies: the acceptance of jews internationally since WW2 is but mere tolerance and will always be tenuous, depending on who is in power. israel (as the only place a jew can be just a person and not jewish person) should give no quarter in its conflicts and rely in no way, shape, or form on the international community to act fairly in matters relating to its survival.