Defusing the Iran Crisis
Reports that Iran and Russia have reached an agreement on a plan for the joint enrichment of Iran's uranium in Russia have eased fears of a major international confrontation over Iran's nuclear plans. But this danger has by no means been eliminated. Without a permanent resolution of the dispute agreeable to both the United States and Iran, the prospect of an armed clash will grow increasingly severe. Such a clash might not entail full-scale war, but it could trigger an uncontrollable explosion of sectarian and religious strife throughout the Middle East. Preventing such a clash is among the most pressing tasks facing the international community today.
At heart this dispute revolves around Iranian efforts to enrich natural uranium (i.e., increase its content of fissionable U-235) in its own facilities--either for use as a fuel in civilian power plants, as claimed by Tehran, or as the core of nuclear bombs, as claimed by Washington. Enrichment activities of this sort aren't prohibited by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which Iran signed in 1968, but would constitute a breach if the highly enriched uranium was used for military purposes.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Dubai ports takeover linked to Iran attack?
Is the Bush administration's recent deal to allow the Dubai government effectively to take over control of container and stevedore operations in 22 U.S. ports part of a secret plan to launch a military strike on Iran?
Maybe the Dubai Ports World, or DPW, deal is the quid pro quo, the pay-off, for Dubai allowing us to use military facilities in the United Arab Emirates as staging points for a planned Iran attack?
Maybe the Bush administration is turning a blind eye to the extensive flight of capital and people from Iran to Iraq because the U.S. wants to protect those Iranians who can flee to Dubai (as well as the capital they bring with them) before a "shock and awe" military attack on Iran takes out the Ahmadinejad regime and all the mullahs who stay home with him? Strangely, the pieces begin to add up to these conclusions.
We have amply document that Dubai has been a welcome home for the capital flight from Iran as the mullahs and their cronies seek to find a safe haven for the billions they have stolen from the Iranian people. Dubai calculates that by the end of 2006, some $300 billion will have been moved from Iran to Dubai by over 400,000 Iranians. Over 7,000 Iranian companies operate in Dubai, and some 300,000 to 400,000 wealthy Iranians make Dubai their home some or all of the year. Billionaire former President Akbar Hashami Rafsanjani owns vacation resorts on Dubai's world-class beaches.
Meanwhile, Iran announced last week that 10 centrifuges have now gone operational at their uranium enrichment plant at Natanz. In meetings with leaders of Hamas, Iran agreed to fund the terrorist organization, making up the shortfall caused by the decision of the United States and Israel to withhold funds. Yet, in meetings with officials of the United Arab Emirates this week, there is no suggestion that Secretary Rice insisted that the UAE could face sanctions for continuing to support Iran.
Under pressure over the DPW deal, President Bush decided to emphasize how important the UAE was to the United States military, allowing us to us UAE military bases and ports for our troops, Air Force, and Navy warships, as well as for American military personnel on R&R from Iraq or Afghanistan. Suddenly we're told that Dubai has "turned around," reversing the previous open door policy to al-Qaida operatives and their money.
Maybe the secret agenda is that the United States needs the UAE bases to attack Iran successfully.
As a payoff for allowing the U.S. to use the UAE as a staging point in the Iran attack, the Bush administration agrees to push the DPW deal through in a "hush-hush" manner. Next, the government of Dubai raises $7 billion in government-guaranteed international debt so DPW, the government of Dubai's front company, does not have to use any equity capital to make the purchase. Then Dubai makes decades of huge profits by operating the container and stevedore activities in 22 East Coast and Gulf ports.
To allow Dubai to make money from all sides, the U.S. will allow UAE to function as an escape hatch for as many of the mullahs and their cronies that can get out of Iran before the war starts. Maybe it is all a "wink-wink" game where Dubai is involved, as long as we get to use Dubai bases in the planned attack on Iran.
No wonder Dubai is one of the wealthiest Arab states in the Middle East. As we "follow the money" on the DPW deal, how much more of America does the Bush administration plan to sell to our friends in Dubai?
Is the Bush administration's recent deal to allow the Dubai government effectively to take over control of container and stevedore operations in 22 U.S. ports part of a secret plan to launch a military strike on Iran?
Maybe the Dubai Ports World, or DPW, deal is the quid pro quo, the pay-off, for Dubai allowing us to use military facilities in the United Arab Emirates as staging points for a planned Iran attack?
Maybe the Bush administration is turning a blind eye to the extensive flight of capital and people from Iran to Iraq because the U.S. wants to protect those Iranians who can flee to Dubai (as well as the capital they bring with them) before a "shock and awe" military attack on Iran takes out the Ahmadinejad regime and all the mullahs who stay home with him? Strangely, the pieces begin to add up to these conclusions.
We have amply document that Dubai has been a welcome home for the capital flight from Iran as the mullahs and their cronies seek to find a safe haven for the billions they have stolen from the Iranian people. Dubai calculates that by the end of 2006, some $300 billion will have been moved from Iran to Dubai by over 400,000 Iranians. Over 7,000 Iranian companies operate in Dubai, and some 300,000 to 400,000 wealthy Iranians make Dubai their home some or all of the year. Billionaire former President Akbar Hashami Rafsanjani owns vacation resorts on Dubai's world-class beaches.
Meanwhile, Iran announced last week that 10 centrifuges have now gone operational at their uranium enrichment plant at Natanz. In meetings with leaders of Hamas, Iran agreed to fund the terrorist organization, making up the shortfall caused by the decision of the United States and Israel to withhold funds. Yet, in meetings with officials of the United Arab Emirates this week, there is no suggestion that Secretary Rice insisted that the UAE could face sanctions for continuing to support Iran.
Under pressure over the DPW deal, President Bush decided to emphasize how important the UAE was to the United States military, allowing us to us UAE military bases and ports for our troops, Air Force, and Navy warships, as well as for American military personnel on R&R from Iraq or Afghanistan. Suddenly we're told that Dubai has "turned around," reversing the previous open door policy to al-Qaida operatives and their money.
Maybe the secret agenda is that the United States needs the UAE bases to attack Iran successfully.
As a payoff for allowing the U.S. to use the UAE as a staging point in the Iran attack, the Bush administration agrees to push the DPW deal through in a "hush-hush" manner. Next, the government of Dubai raises $7 billion in government-guaranteed international debt so DPW, the government of Dubai's front company, does not have to use any equity capital to make the purchase. Then Dubai makes decades of huge profits by operating the container and stevedore activities in 22 East Coast and Gulf ports.
To allow Dubai to make money from all sides, the U.S. will allow UAE to function as an escape hatch for as many of the mullahs and their cronies that can get out of Iran before the war starts. Maybe it is all a "wink-wink" game where Dubai is involved, as long as we get to use Dubai bases in the planned attack on Iran.
No wonder Dubai is one of the wealthiest Arab states in the Middle East. As we "follow the money" on the DPW deal, how much more of America does the Bush administration plan to sell to our friends in Dubai?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)