OMNI
IRAN NEWSLETTER # 26, July
28, 2015.
COMPILED
BY DICK BENNETT FOR A CULTURE OF PEACE AND JUSTICE
(#11 Oct. 8, 2011; #12 Jan. 31, 2012; #13 Feb.
22, 2012; #14 Feb. 26, 2012; #15 March 17, 2012; #16 April 12, 2012; #17 May
21, 2012; #18, July 9, 2012; #19 August 13, 2012; #20 Sept. 10, 2012; #21, Dec.
14, 2012; #22 March 5, 2013; #23 Nov. 12, 2013; #24 March 5, 2014; #25 January
17, 2015.)
What’s at stake: A world
free of war and the threat of war. A nation
much abused by the USA, threatened with annihilation by US and Israeli nuclear
arms, is accused of seeking nuclear arms as did the other 8 nuclear nations,
signs agreement preventing it from having nuclear arms, but US Congress
threatens to block treaty.
Arkansas Leaders for Peace: What Would They
Say Today?
J. William Fulbright during the height of the Cold War attempted to extend his Exchange Program to the Soviet Union,
but his plan to acquire a part of WWII Lend Lease money the Russians were
repaying was scuttled by US Sovietphobes, esp. by Senator “Scoop” Jackson of
Washington State. See The Price of Empire. Another Arkansas
native, Betty Bumpers, wife of then
Senator Bumpers, created the women’s organization, Peace Links, to exchange
women from the US and Russia
As I write (July 28, 2015), CNN is reporting Congressional intention to
reject the nuclear agreement between the US and Iran, backed by a poll
indicating 52% of the US public oppose the agreement. This
is a time for all of us to speak up against war and in support of the Obama
administration, led by Sec’t. Kerry for diplomacy and peace. See below for actions today.
In the long run, “It has been a mainstay of this book that successful
antiwar movements are those that have been able to make direct links with those in the flight path of US aggression
and to bring their struggles and concerns directly into the US political
arena. Indeed, direct comprehension of
their urgent struggles has often been a radicalizing factor in antiwar
campaigns.”” Richard Seymour, American Insurgents: A Brief History of
American Anti-Imperialism (2012). p. 193.
After decades of unceasing hostility by the US toward Iran, finally our
government changed course and Sec’t. Kerrry negotiated a peace plan. But the long, irrational animosity (Iran has not harmed the US, but the
reverse is true) remains in the US public and their representatives. Do all you can to bring home the lives of the
people labeled our “enemy,” so that we can at last create amity between us.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OMNIPeaceDept
Here is the link to all the newsletters archived in
the OMNI web site.
http://www.omnicenter.org/newsletter-archive/ These newsletters offer information that
enables us to examine morality and judgment of our leaders and their policies,
of power. Here is the link to the
Index: http://www.omnicenter.org/omni-newsletter-general-index/
Contents: Iran Newsletter #25 at end.
Contents: Iran Newsletter #26
Join Arkansas WAND Today in Conversation
with White House
Israel Behind the Opposition to the
Agreement: 2 Essays
Iorio
and Naiman, Just Foreign Policy: Stop
Netanyahu’s War
Gareth
Porter: Tom Cotton and the Republicans’
Letter Against the Agreement
Additional Perspectives
Avnery, An
Israeli Point of View: Behind the Treaty
Lazare: Hawks
Fear-Monger Iraq War Against Iran
Dick: US Ships
in Strait of Ormuz
Opponents of
Iran Government Support the Agreement
India Armed But
Good, Iran Not Armed But Bad
And More
Organizations Supporting the Nuclear
Agreement
Veterans for
Peace
Council for a
Liveable World: Petition
Nuclear Age
Peace Foundation
Recent Related
OMNI Newsletters
Contact
President Obama and Your Representative
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We Can Stop Bibi's War
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3:58 PM (3 hours ago)
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Dear
Dick,
Congress shouldn't do Bibi's
bidding:
Oppose bills that would sabotage the Iran deal.
Oppose bills that would sabotage the Iran deal.
Over the
last few weeks, Just Foreign Policy activists have sent over 32,000
emails, made nearly 1700 calls, and delivered petitions to 20 local offices calling
on Members of Congress to skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
speech attacking the ongoing talks with Iran.
Our efforts paid off. When Netanyahu gave his address to Congress yesterday, at least 58 Members of Congress were absent — and even many of those present were not happy with what they heard. [1] House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called the speech “insulting to the intelligence of the United States.” [2] Sen. Dianne Feinstein called Netanyahu “arrogant” for claiming to speak for all Jews, summarizing his speech as “he simply said, there's nothing that we agree with here.” [3] [4] President Obama also responded to the address, saying “there was nothing new” in the speech, and that Netanyahu offered no "viable alternatives.” [5]
But Republicans in the Senate — backed by a few key Democrats — are moving quickly to do Bibi’s bidding and sabotage the Iran talks. Tell your Members of Congress to oppose these efforts TODAY:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/iran-deal-sabotage
Netanyahu’s ploy didn’t just backfire with Democratic leaders. The New York Times ran an editorial saying that Netanyahu “clearly doesn’t want negotiations.” [6] The piece ends by addressing Congress:
Our efforts paid off. When Netanyahu gave his address to Congress yesterday, at least 58 Members of Congress were absent — and even many of those present were not happy with what they heard. [1] House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called the speech “insulting to the intelligence of the United States.” [2] Sen. Dianne Feinstein called Netanyahu “arrogant” for claiming to speak for all Jews, summarizing his speech as “he simply said, there's nothing that we agree with here.” [3] [4] President Obama also responded to the address, saying “there was nothing new” in the speech, and that Netanyahu offered no "viable alternatives.” [5]
But Republicans in the Senate — backed by a few key Democrats — are moving quickly to do Bibi’s bidding and sabotage the Iran talks. Tell your Members of Congress to oppose these efforts TODAY:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/iran-deal-sabotage
Netanyahu’s ploy didn’t just backfire with Democratic leaders. The New York Times ran an editorial saying that Netanyahu “clearly doesn’t want negotiations.” [6] The piece ends by addressing Congress:
Congress must not forget that its responsibility is to make
choices that advance American security interests, and that would include a
strict and achievable agreement with Iran. If it sabotages the deal as Mr.
Netanyahu has demanded, it would bear the blame.
The sabotage being planned in Congress comes in the form of two
bills. The Kirk-Menendez bill would impose new sanctions on Iran — a measure
President Obama has vowed to veto. [7] The Corker-Graham bill would throw
impossible-to-meet procedural hurdles in the way of successfully completing an
agreement. [8]
The passage of either the Kirk-Menendez or Corker-Graham bill would blow up the talks. Urge your Members of Congress to oppose them by signing our petition at MoveOn:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/iran-deal-sabotage
Thanks for all you do to promote diplomacy,
Megan Iorio and Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
The passage of either the Kirk-Menendez or Corker-Graham bill would blow up the talks. Urge your Members of Congress to oppose them by signing our petition at MoveOn:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/iran-deal-sabotage
Thanks for all you do to promote diplomacy,
Megan Iorio and Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
Do you
like what we do? Help keep us going with a $15 tax-deductible donation.
We're funded by people like you, so if you value what we do, help us keep it going with a $15 tax-deductible donation.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate
References:
1. http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/26/politics/democrats-missing-netanyahu-whip-list/
2. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/nancy-pelosi-benjamin-netanyahu-speech-react-115701.html
3. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/fesinstein-netanyahu-speech
4. http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/01/politics/dianne-feinstein-netanyahu-arrogant/
5. http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015/03/03/obama-netanyahu-offers-no-viable-alternative-to-iran-talks
6. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/04/opinion/netanyahu-israel-unconvincing-iran-speech-to-congress.html
7. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/269
8. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/615
We're funded by people like you, so if you value what we do, help us keep it going with a $15 tax-deductible donation.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate
References:
1. http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/26/politics/democrats-missing-netanyahu-whip-list/
2. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/nancy-pelosi-benjamin-netanyahu-speech-react-115701.html
3. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/fesinstein-netanyahu-speech
4. http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/01/politics/dianne-feinstein-netanyahu-arrogant/
5. http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015/03/03/obama-netanyahu-offers-no-viable-alternative-to-iran-talks
6. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/04/opinion/netanyahu-israel-unconvincing-iran-speech-to-congress.html
7. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/269
8. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/615
The Real Story Behind the
Republicans’ Iran Letter
by Gareth Porter, March 17, 2015
This post first appeared at Middle
East Eye.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu waves after speaking before a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol
Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 3, 2015. In a speech that stirred political
intrigue in two countries, Netanyahu told Congress that negotiations underway
between Iran and the US would "all but guarantee" that Tehran will
get nuclear weapons, a step that the world must avoid at all costs. (AP
Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu waves after speaking before a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol
Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 3, 2015. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The “open letter” from Senator Tom
Cotton and 46 other Republican senators to the leadership of Iran, which even
Republicans themselves admit was aimed at encouraging Iranian opponents of the
nuclear negotiations to argue that the United States cannot be counted on to
keep the bargain, has created a new political firestorm. It has been harshly
denounced by Democratic loyalists as “stunning” and “appalling”, and critics
have accused the signers of the letter of being “treasonous” for allegedly
violating a law forbidding citizens from negotiating with a foreign power.
But the response to the letter has primarily
distracted public attention from the real issue it raises: how the big funders
of the Likud Party in Israel control Congressional actions on Iran.
http://billmoyers.com/2015/03/17/real-story-behind-republicans-iran-letter/
The infamous letter is a ham-handed effort by
Republican supporters of the Netanyahu government to blow up the nuclear
negotiations between the United States and Iran.
The idea was to encourage Iranians to conclude that the United States would not
actually carry out its obligations under the agreement – i.e. the lifting of
sanctions against Iran. Cotton and his colleagues were inviting inevitable
comparison with the 1968 conspiracy by Richard Nixon, through rightwing
campaign official Anna Chenault, to encourage the Vietnamese government of
President Nguyen Van Thieu to boycott peace talks in Paris.
But while Nixon was plotting secretly
to get Thieu to hold out for better terms under a Nixon administration, the 47
Republican Senators were making their effort to sabotage the Iran nuclear talks
in full public scrutiny. And the interest served by the letter was not that of
a possible future president but of the Israeli government.
The Cotton letter makes arguments that
are patently false. The letter suggested that any agreement that lacked
approval of Congress “is a mere executive agreement”, as though such agreements
are somehow of only marginal importance in US diplomatic history. In fact, the
agreements on withdrawal of US forces from both the wars in Vietnam and in Iraq
were not treaties but executive agreements.
Equally fatuous is the letter’s
assertion that “future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at
any time.” Congress can nullify the agreement by passing legislation that
contradicts it but can’t renegotiate it. And the claim that the next president
could “revoke the agreement with the stroke of a pen,” ignores the fact that
the Iran nuclear agreement, if signed, will become binding international law
through a United Nations Security Council resolution, as Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has pointed out.
The letter has provoked the charge of
“treason” against the signers and a demand for charges against them for
negotiating with a foreign government in violation of the Logan Act. In a
little over 24 hours, more than 200,000 people had signed a petition on the
White House website calling such charges to be filed.
But although that route may seem
satisfying at first thought, it is problematic for both legal and political
reasons. The Logan Act was passed in 1799, and has never been used successfully
to convict anyone, mainly because it was written more than a century before US
courts created legal standards for the protection of first amendment speech
rights. And it is unclear whether the Logan Act was even meant to apply to
members of Congress anyway.
AIPAC Marching Orders
The more serious problem with focusing
on the Logan Act, however, is that what Cotton and his Republican colleagues
were doing was not negotiating with a foreign government but trying to
influence the outcome of negotiations in the interest of a foreign government.
The premise of the Senate Republican reflected in the letter – that Iran must
not be allowed to have any enrichment capacity whatever – did not appear
spontaneously. The views that Cotton and the other Republicans have espoused on
Iran were the product of assiduous lobbying by Israeli agents of influence
using the inducement of promises of election funding and the threat of support
for the members’ opponents in future elections.
Those members of Congress don’t arrive
at their positions on issues related to Iran through discussion and debate
among themselves. They are given their marching orders by AIPAC lobbyists, and
time after time, they sign the letters and vote for legislation or resolution
that they are given, as former AIPAC lobbyist MJ Rosenberg has recalled. This
Israeli exercise of control over Congress on Iran and issues of concern to
Israel resembles the Soviet direction of its satellite regimes and loyal
Communist parties more than any democratic process, but with campaign
contributions replacing the inducements that kept its bloc allies in line.
Cotton’s Loyalty to Israel
Rosenberg has reasoned that AIPAC must
have drafted the letter and handed it to Senator Cotton. “Nothing happens on
Capitol Hill related to Israel,” he tweets, “unless and until Howard Kohr
(AIPAC chief) wants it to happen. Nothing.” AIPAC apparently supported the
letter, but there may be more to the story. Senator Cotton just happens to be a
protégé of neoconservative political kingpin Bill Kristol, whose Emergency
Committee on Israel gave him nearly a million dollars late in his 2014 Senate
campaign and guaranteed that Cotton would have the support of the four biggest
funders of major anti-Iran organizations.
Cotton proved his absolute fealty to
Likudist policy on Iran by sponsoring an amendment to the Nuclear Iran
Prevention Act of 2013 that would have punished violators of the sanctions
against Iran with prison sentences of up to 20 years and extended the
punishment to “a spouse and any relative, to the third degree” of the sanctions
violator. In presenting the amendment in the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
Cotton provided the useful clarification that it would have included “parents,
children, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, grandparents, great grandparents,
grandkids, great grandkids”.
That amendment, which he apparently
believed would best reflect his adoption of the Israeli view of how to cut Iran
down to size, was unsuccessful, but it established his reliability in the eyes
of the Republican Likudist kingmakers. Now Kristol is grooming him to be the
vice-presidential nominee in 2016.
So the real story behind the letter
from Cotton and his Republican colleagues is how the enforcers of Likudist
policy on Iran used an ambitious young Republican politician to try to provoke
a breakdown in the Iran nuclear negotiations. The issue it raises is a far more
serious issue than the Logan Act, but thus far major news organizations have
steered clear of that story.
The views expressed in this post are
the author’s alone, and presented here to offer a variety of perspectives to
our readers.
Gareth Porter, Middle East EyeGareth Porter
is an independent investigative journalist and winner of the 2012 Gellhorn
Prize for journalism. He is the author of the newly published Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the
Iran Nuclear Scare. You can follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter.
What's behind the US/Iran treaty?
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Jul 18, 2015 (1 day ago)
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Interesting and clear -
considering how unclear our understanding of events in the Middle East continue
to be - analysis of Iran/US/Saudi/Syrian/Israeli relations: who's after what
and who's doing what to whom. Written by
an Israeli in Gush Shalom (The primary aim of Gush Shalom is to influence
Israeli public opinion and lead it towards peace and reconciliation with the Palestinian
people - read more at http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/about/aims/ if
you're interested)
The
Treaty by Uri Avnery, Jul 18 2015
AND WHAT if the whole drama was only an exercise of deception?
What if the wily Persians did not even dream of building an atomic bomb, but used the threat to further their real aims?
What if Binyamin Netanyahu was duped to become unwittingly the main collaborator of Iranian ambitions?
What if the wily Persians did not even dream of building an atomic bomb, but used the threat to further their real aims?
What if Binyamin Netanyahu was duped to become unwittingly the main collaborator of Iranian ambitions?
Sounds
crazy? Not really. Let's have a look at the facts.
IRAN IS
one of the oldest powers in the world, with thousands of years of political
experience. Once they possessed an empire that spanned the civilized world,
including our little country. Their reputation for clever trade practices is
unequaled.
They are
much too clever to build a nuclear weapon. What for? It would devour huge
amounts of money. They know that they would never be able to use it. Same as
Israel, with its large stockpile.
Netanyahu's
nightmare of an Iranian nuclear attack on Israel is just that – a nightmare (or
daymare) of an ignorant dilettante. Israel is a nuclear power with a solid
second-strike capability. As we see, the Iranian leaders are hard-boiled
realists. Would they even dream of inviting an inevitable Israeli retaliation
that would wipe from the face of the earth their three-millennia-old
civilization?
(If this
capability is defective, Netanyahu should be charged and convicted for criminal
negligence.)
Even if
the Iranians did deceive the whole world and build a nuclear bomb, nothing
would happen except the creation of a "balance of terror", such as
saved the world at the height of the cold war between America and Russia.
The people
around Netanyahu pretend to believe that, unlike the then Soviets, the Iranian
mullahs are crazy people. There is absolutely no evidence for that. Since their
1979 revolution, the Iranian leadership has not made one single important step
that was not absolutely rational. Compared to American missteps in the region
(not to mention the Israeli ones), the Iranian leadership has been thoroughly
logical.
So perhaps
they traded their nonexistent nuclear designs for their very real political
design: to become the hegemon of the Muslim world.
If so,
they owe a lot to Netanyahu.
WHAT HAS
the Islamic Republic ever done in its 45 years of existence to harm Israel?
Sure.
Tehran crowds can be seen on television burning Israeli flags and shouting
"Death to Israel". They call us, not flatteringly, "the Little
Satan", as compared to the American "Great Satan".
Terrible.
But what else?
Not much.
Perhaps some support for Hezbollah and Hamas, which were not their creation.
Iran's real fight is against the powers that be in the Muslim world. They want
to turn the region's countries into Iranian vassals, as they were 2400 years
ago.
This has
very little to do with Islam. Iran uses Islam as Israel uses Zionism and the
Jewish Diaspora (and as Russia in the past used communism) as a tool for its
imperial ambitions.
What is
happening now in this region resembles the "religious wars" in 17th
century Europe. A dozen countries fought each other in the name of religion,
under the flags of Catholicism and Protestantism, but in reality using religion
to further their very earthly imperial designs.
The US,
led by a bunch of neocon fools, destroyed Iraq, which for many centuries had
served as the bulwark of the Arab world against Iranian expansion. Now, under
the banner of the Shia, Iran is expanding its power all over the Region.
Shiite Iraq
is now to a large extent an Iranian vassal (we'll come back to Daesh). The
leaders of Syria, a Sunni country ruled by a small semi-Shiite sect, depend on
Iran for their survival. In Lebanon, the Shiite Hezbollah is a close ally with
growing power and prestige. So is Hamas in Gaza, which is entirely Sunni. And
the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are Zaidis (a school of the Shia.)
The status
quo in the Arab world is defended by a corrupt bunch of dictators and medieval
sheiks, such as the rulers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Gulf oil potentates.
Clearly,
Iran and its allies are the wave of the future, Saudi Arabia and its allies
belong to the past.
That
leaves Daesh, the Sunni "Islamic State" in Syria and Iraq. That is
also a rising power. Unlike Iran, whose revolutionary élan long ago exhausted
itself, Daesh is radiating revolutionary fervor, attracting adherents from all
over the world.
Daesh is
the real enemy of Iran – and of Israel.
PRESIDENT
OBAMA and his advisors realized this some time ago. Their new alliance with
Iran is partly based on this reality.
With the
advent of Daesh, realities on the ground have changed completely. The shift
reaffirms the old British maxim that one's enemies in one war can well become
one's allies in the next, and vice versa. Far from being naïve, Obama is
building an alliance against the new and very dangerous enemy. This alliance
should logically include Bashar Assad's Syria, but Obama is still afraid of
saying so aloud.
Obama and
his advisors also believe that with the lifting of the crippling sanctions,
Iranians will concentrate on making money, lessening their nationalist and
religious fervor even more. That sounds reasonable enough.
(Netanyahu
thinks the American people are "naïve". Well, for a naïve nation the
US has done quite well in becoming the world's only super-power.)
One
by-product of the situation is that Israel is again at loggerheads with the
entire political world. The Vienna treaty was signed not just by the US, but by
all leading world powers. This seems to create the situation described by a
jolly popular Israeli song: "The whole world is against us / But we don't
give a damn…"
Unfortunately,
unlike Obama, Netanyahu is stuck in the past. He continues demonizing Iran,
instead of joining it in the fight against Daesh, which is far, far more
dangerous to Israel.
One does
not have to go back to Cyrus the Great (6th century B.C.) to realize that Iran
can be a close ally. In the relations between nations, geography trumps
religion. Not so long ago, Iran was Israel's closest ally in the region. We
even sent Khomeini arms to fight Iraq. The Mullahs hate Israel not so much
because of their religion, but because of our alliance with the Shah.
The
present Iranian regime has long since lost its revolutionary religious fervor.
It is acting according to its national interests. Geography still counts. A
wise Israeli government would use the next ten-or-more years of a guaranteed
nuclear-free Iran in order to renew the alliance – especially against Daesh.
This could
mean new relations with Assad's Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas too.
BUT SUCH
far-reaching considerations are far from the mind of Netanyahu, the son of a
historian, who is devoid of any historical knowledge or intuition.
The fight
is now going to Washington DC, where Netanyahu will be fully committed as a
mercenary of Sheldon Adelson, the owner of the Republican Party.
It is a
sorry sight: the State of Israel, which has always enjoyed the full unblinking
support of both American parties, has become an appendix of the reactionary
Republican leadership.
One victim
of this is the legend of the "invincible" pro-Israeli lobby. This
crucial asset has now been lost. From now on, AIPAC will be just one of the
many lobbies on Capitol Hill.
AN EVEN
sorrier sight is Israel's political and media elite on the morrow of the
signing of the Vienna treaty. It was almost incredible.
Almost all
political parties fell in line with Netanyahu's policy, competing with each
other in their demonstrations of abject loyalty. From the "leader of the
opposition", the pitiful Yitzhak Herzog, to the voluble Yair Lapid,
everybody rushed to support the Prime Minister at this crucial hour.
The media
were even worse. Almost all prominent commentators, left and right, ran amok
against the 'disastrous" treaty and heaped their uniform disgust and
contempt on poor Obama, as if reading from a prepared government "list of
arguments" (as indeed they were).
Not the
finest hour of Israeli democracy and the much lauded "Jewish brain".
Just a despicable example of all-too-common brain-washing. Some would call it
presstitution.
One of
Netanyahu's arguments is that the Iranians can and will cheat the naive
Americans and build the bomb. He is sure that this is possible. Well, he should
know. We did it, didn't we?
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How Hawks Are Using Iraq War
Talking Points to Stoke Fear Over Iran Deal
by Sarah Lazare There is no public evidence that Iran has a nuclear weapons program, but that is not stopping the pro-war hysteria. |
US ESCORTS SHIPS IN
STRAIT OF HORMUZ:
CONSTANT THREATENING
PRESSURE ON SURROUNDED IRAN, AS WITH CHINA AND RUSSIA. THE PATH TO PEACE?
GOOGLE SEARCH, MAY 10,
2015
www.navytimes.com/.../military/.../navy...iran...ships.../2664...
Navy Times
Apr 30, 2015 - Navy ships in the Persian Gulf are accompanying U.S.-flagged merchantvessels through the Strait
of Hormuz after Iran's recent seizure of one ...
hamptonroads.com › Home ›
Military
May 1, 2015 - A Navy official wouldn't say which ships would act as escorts, but three
Norfolk-based ships are in the region: the Theodore Roosevelt, the ...
www.militarytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/.../navy.../70892742/
4 days ago - The U.S. Navy has ended its week-old mission to accompany American- and
British-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian
...Iran claims it intervened
with the Maersk Tigris because the Maersk ..
So Iran’s or China’s
or Russia’s naval ships will accompany their and their allies’ ships in the
Gulf of Mexico? Of course not, because
they do not have the navy to do it. Only
the US has big stick 10 carrier battle groups roaming the seas. China is just now testing the seaworthiness
of its first carrier. Only the bully of
the seas can do such a hostile, risky thing.
And what is the
truth behind the threatening? Was there
a credible threat? The Iranian Navy in
the Strait of Hormuz at the mouith of the Persian Gulf detained a Marshall
Islands-flagged cargo ship. A quick
decision was made by U.S. Central Command (the US has covered the planet with
“Commands”), and then Secretary Ashton was briefed, and then President Obama,
when an anonymous official said that his administration “does not want the move
to be seen as provocative, given the delicate state of the Iran nuclear
agreement.” Not provocative, are they
kidding?
But the Iranians
provoked first by the detention? Iran claims it intervened
with the Maersk Tigris because the Maersk shipping line owes it money
awarded in a lawsuit. True? Did the US bother to inquire? Shoot first and ask questions later in a
crowded shipping lane with US warships, perhaps nuclear armed, stationed
nearby?
The accompaniment ended in a week. Someone rational got a grip on the US Central
Command, I trust. Dick
(By the way, I read the report in my state
newspaper 5-1-15, The Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette, entitled “Navy to Escort U.S. Ships Near Iran.”. At the end we are told the report was
“compiled by Democrat-Gazette Staff from Wire Reports.” This is a common practice by the newspaper,
and is surely reprehensible, since it makes it impossible for readers to know
who is accountable: Who originally wrote
the report? How much and how accurately
did the ADG staff revise it? I hope this practice ends. Perhaps it has an economic motive. The wire services reports are available to
readers, but they are captured by ADG purchase, revision, and new title, and the
ADG does not allow nonsubscribers to access its news reports.)
 |
|
The Nuclear Club: India
Welcomed, Iran Shunned
by Vijay Prashad. CommonDreams 3-4-15 Despite all the fine language about proliferation and international law, the nuclear scofflaw finds the door open while the country that has adopted the established pathway is denied. |
Here is Professor Chandra Muzaffar's article:
'The Iran Nuclear
Agreement: A Step in the Right Direction':
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=851852271546078
Is Iran a nuclear threat? Here is Bob Koehler's candid assessment: 'The
Real Nuclear Threat'
http://commonwonders.com/world/the-real-nuclear-threat/
And for Jonathan Power's thoughtful comments: 'Will Iran kill the
nuclear bomb deal?'
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/15-Apr-2015/will-iran-kill-the-nuclear-bomb-deal
Agreement: A Step in the Right Direction':
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=851852271546078
Is Iran a nuclear threat? Here is Bob Koehler's candid assessment: 'The
Real Nuclear Threat'
http://commonwonders.com/world/the-real-nuclear-threat/
And for Jonathan Power's thoughtful comments: 'Will Iran kill the
nuclear bomb deal?'
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/15-Apr-2015/will-iran-kill-the-nuclear-bomb-deal
Even Opponents of Iran
Support Agreement
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ORGANIZATIONS
SUPPORTING THE AGREEMENT
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Friday, July 17, 2015  Veterans For Peace applauds the work of six world powers - P5+1 (U.S., U.K.,
France, Russia, China and Germany) and Iran in reaching an agreement
concerning Iran’s nuclear program. It is in the best interest of the world to
reach a non-violent agreement rather than going down a track of possible
war.
We call on Congress to
support the agreement, paving the way for better relations between the U.S.
and Iran; allowing the two nations to work together in addressing the ever
growing humanitarian crisis in Syria, Iraq and across the
region. <Full Statement>
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STOP WAR WITH IRAN,
Council for a Liveable World
116,552 signatures
Add your name
I consent to the
information above being provided
to one or more
participating organizations.
This is the
final showdown to stop Republicans from starting a war with Iran.
The United
States, Iran and five other world powers announced a historic deal to
dramatically curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for easing international
sanctions on Iran.
Republicans are
trying to sabotage the deal, put us back on the path to confrontation with Iran
and start a war – but they can't do it unless Democrats help them.
We need to
build an impenetrable firewall in Congress to prevent Republicans from passing
any legislation to kill the deal and putting us back on the path to
confrontation and war. Tell Democrats to go on record in support of the deal.
We'll send your
message to your senators and member of Congress, as well as to House and Senate
Democratic leadership.
The petition
reads:
Republicans are
trying to take us to war by sabotaging the Iran nuclear deal. I urge you to
support the deal and stop the Republicans from starting another war of choice
in the Middle East.
©2015 CREDO and
partner orgs. Terms of Use.
IRAN: CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
Action Alert: Support Diplomacy,
Not War
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ARKANSAS SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES
None of the senators or representatives publishes his e-mail
address, but each can be contacted by filling in forms offered through his
website.
Senator John Boozman: (202)224-4843
Website Email: http://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
Senator Tom Cotton: (202)224-2353,
Website Email: http://www.cotton.senate.gov/content/contact-tom
Rep. Rick
Crawford, 1st District: (202)225-4076
Website Email: http://crawford.house.gov/contact/
Rep.
French Hill, 2nd District: (202)225-2506
Website Email: https://hill.house.gov/contact/email
Rep.
Steve Womack, 3rd District: (202)225-4301
Website Email: http://womack.house.gov/contact/
Rep.
Bruce Westerman, 4th District: (202) 225-3772
President Barack Obama: Comments: 202-456-1111, Switchboard: 202-456-1414
The
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Contents Iran Newsletter #25 January 17, 2014
US Hostility Today
Cole,
Republican Control of House and Senate, Disasters Ahead
Clifton and
Gharib, Iranophobic Lobbying Machine Dominates Congressional
Hearings
Hearings
Peace Action, Diplomacy Now
Council for a
Livable World, Support Kerry and Diplomacy
FCNL, Contact
Congress
Move On,
Berim: Contact Congress, Support
Diplomacy
Similar Public
Peace Efforts During Viet Nam War: Contact the “Enemy”
History of US/Iranian Relations: the
1953 Coup, After the Shah,
Reagan, Fear/Hate Mongers (see
preceding newsletters)
Abrahamian, The Coup: 1953, the CIA, and the Roots of
Modern U.S.-Iranian
Relations (rev. by Abouyoub in Monthly Review)
Relations (rev. by Abouyoub in Monthly Review)
Cole, CIA:
Embassy and Ambassador
Stockman, US
Started the Nuc Conflict During Reagan Admin.
Gareth Porter
Interviewed by Andrew Cockburn in Harper’s
Edward Herman,
rev. of Gareth Porter’s Manufactured
Crisis of Iran’s Nuclear
Scare
Scare
END IRAN NEWSLETTER #26, JULY 28, 2015
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