Tuesday Iran Talking Points

from LobeLog: News and Views Relevant to U.S.-Iran relations for September 21st, 2010:

Reuters: In a special report, Louis Charbonneau writes Turkey, among other U.S. allies, allows Iranian banks with links to Iran’s alleged nuclear program to do business within their borders. “The fact that Turkey is allowing itself to be used as a conduit for Iranian activity via Turkish banks and the Turkish lira is making it possible for Iranian funds in Turkish guise to make their way into Europe,” said an intelligence report provided to Reuters by “a diplomat.” Charbonneau acknowledges that “much of the trade is legitimate” but “if Turkey becomes a virtual safe haven for Iranian banking activities, it will be easier for Tehran to dodge sanctions, according to diplomats.” (Neoconservatives, such as Michael Rubin, have been quick to question Turkey’s commitment to sanctions. Dr. Serkan Zorba wrote on LobeLog yesterday about the misinformation surrounding claims that Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received $25 million from Iran.)

McClatchy: James Rosen reports on comments made by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Monday, when Graham said the U.S. must be prepared to use military force to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. “If you use military force against Iran, you’ve opened up Pandora’s box,” Graham told the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute in Washington. “If you allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon, you’ve emptied Pandora’s box. I’d rather open up Pandora’s box than empty it.” He continued, “From my point of view, if we engage in military operations as a last resort, the United States should have in mind the goal of changing the regime.” “Not by invading (Iran), but by launching a military strike by air and sea,” advised Graham.

National Review: For the October 4 print edition of the right-wing magazine, former George W. Bush National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism, Juan Zarate, writes that sanctions against Iran are “biting, but it isn’t enough.” Zarate calls for further isolation to slow Iran’s nuclear program, support for internal dissent, and “build[ing] other forms of leverage.” The latter refers to the “military option.” Zarate supports his bullet-point recommendations by citing, in part, the neocon-written report Jim Lobe refers to as a “roadmap to war with Iran”: “Maintain a credible military option, as the Bipartisan Policy Center has recently recommended. This will keep the possibility of force in the mind of the Iranian regime and reassure our allies […] — and perhaps ask the Israelis not to attack Iranian nuclear sites.”

Weekly Standard: On the magazine’s blog, the Standard’s co-founder and editor Bill Kristol reproduces in full remarks made around Washington by Michael Oren, Israeli ambassador to the United States. Kristol picks out “key passages” which focus on what Oren calls “radical, genocidal Iran.” When speaking at synagogues, Oren asks congregants to put themselves in the shoes of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu in order to “stand with [Israel] as we resist Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons,” and to “respect the decisions we take.” Kristol appears to interpret this as softening up a sympathetic U.S. audience for an Israeli attack on Iran: “It would seem that if President Obama does not act to stop Iran, Prime Minister Netanyahu will.”

Author: Eli Clifton

Visit Lobelog.com for the latest news analysis and commentary from Inter Press News Service's Washington bureau chief Jim Lobe.

4 thoughts on “Tuesday Iran Talking Points”

  1. Someone should put the three stooges' (Lindsey, Zarate, Kristol) heads together: they'd make a fine castanet.

  2. 30岁女人需牢记的9条法则

    一、 30岁的女人:千万不要假装出二十几岁的清纯,假纯不但危险,过度使用还会遭人唾弃。如果岁数到了,也别忌讳,有人问到年龄实说也无妨。
      二、 30岁的女人:你那三十年的皮肤已经挂不住额外的折腾和重量了。千万别再去做什么整容隆胸,买点好的护肤品,平常多注意保养方法,其实如果买护肤品也用不了多少钱,在淘宝导购网(http://mytao.xd55.cn)就有很多专柜正品化妆品,而且价格又很实惠,比去专柜买能省一大笔。而且上面有很多保养方法,可以学习一下.
      三、 30岁的女人:就别为浪漫而感动了,再为谁送你一盒巧克力或者一束鲜花而彻夜难眠只能让男人觉得你很平庸,容易摆平。
      四、 30岁的女人:如果去卡拉OK,请不要唱那首”不要长大”,除去这尴尬的、要不要都已经长大的年龄外,其它那些你想长大的地方也长不大了。
      五、30岁的女人:如果还没有结婚,那就不妨再多等两年。千万不要看到身边的人都结婚生子而匆忙促销打折、跳楼甩卖。嫁个不合适的,还不是又投身到浩浩荡荡的离婚大军里去了。
      六、30岁的女人:请不要在出入公共场合前吃小葱大蒜,若非吃不可,切记随身携带口香糖,要注意举止。走路的时候不要蹦蹦跳跳,坐着的时候不要千姿百态,吃东西的时候要慢嚼慢咽,说话的时候要从容不迫。条件允许最好早晚各洗一次澡,每顿饭后如果不能刷牙至少漱口。
      七、 30岁的女人:相貌和身材这些都是天意,无须自暴自弃、也不要责怪父母。气质却是可以通过后天努力换来的。功底差的常去看看电影,做做瑜珈,听听音乐,看看时尚杂志。学历高低与智商无关,素质欠缺就有碍仪表了。要注意修炼气质。有潜质的可以多读读书,弹弹琴,或者选修些课程,提高提高学历。
      八、。30岁的女人:如果身材允许,可以去淘宝导购网(http://mytao.xd55.cn)买一些衣服适当得打扮的俏丽一些,但请不要失去庄重。过分暴露的衣服只会让女人心生醋意,男人心生歹念,得体的展现才会令同性尊重、异性自重。
      九、 30岁的女人:虔诚的信仰不但能洗涤肉体,更能净化灵魂。有必要去追求一种信仰,那种信仰与爱情、婚姻、男人、事业无关。无论是佛教、基督教、天主教还是印度教,找一个超脱尘世万物的崇高信仰将有助于克服人生很多困难。

  3. Why does such a cute little Chihuahua like Sen Lindsey Graham think he should growl like a pit bull?

  4. Insanity, doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome. Didn't Western meddling in 1953 cause many of today's problems? What will the bill be for this round of subverting Persian autonomy?

  5. Piss on Bill Kristol, that neocon chickenhawk, and piss on the Weekly Substandard, that neocon rag.

  6. Persian autonomy ??? Gimme a break . Even Fidel Castro knows the score . I'm glad IF and WHEN the times come , if the US doesn't have the kahones ….. Israel Does .

  7. I am to a great extent impressed with the article I have just read interesting very good.I read the Blog Nice site I found and I bookmarked the site… Plan on coming back later to spend a little time there.

  8. I am concerned that this blog has a very long period of time, gain a lot of inspiration at the same time learned a lot of valuable and meaningful knowledge and information. And I hope to get little more updates over it.

  9. These Kind of sites are really very rare to find and i wonder how i found it so soon and i need few more updates on this reports. Can anybody suggest some more through comments or Pm me!

  10. This is extraordinarily one altogether the foremost effective diary that I even have red. This diary gave Maine full insight regarding the topic. Great job. i am anticipating sequent article.

Comments are closed.