Quote:

Israel's air force is expected to take delivery of advanced Arrow-2 missiles interceptors, capable of greater killing power against Iranian and Syrian ballistic missiles, over the next few weeks amid rising Middle East tensions.

Quote:

(Bloomberg) — Iran probably would attempt to block the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf only as a “last resort,” according to a Pentagon historian who’s written a new history of America’s 33-year shadow war with the Islamic Republic.


Iran has greatly improved its ability to disrupt shipping through the strategic waterway, the route for a fifth of the world’s traded oil, said historian David Crist. Still, the Islamic Republic’s economy also relies on shipping through the Strait, he said.


“Their prime means of exporting oil is through the Strait,” said Crist, author of “The Twilight War: The Secret History of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran” (Penguin Press, 656 pages, $36), in an interview. “If they mine, it means their oil is not coming out, either. So ultimately it either cuts off their nose to spite their face” or it would be an attempt to pressure the international community to resolve a crisis.


“I’ve always viewed that the Iranians see that as an option of last resort if all else fails,” Crist told an audience August 1 at the International Spy Museum in Washington.


Other U.S. officials are less sanguine, and in September the U.S. and 20 allies will stage a minesweeping exercise in the Persian Gulf that the U.S. Central Command said will be the largest ever.

Quote:

Aren't some kind of elections coming soon in Israel too?

Quote:

Israeli Officials To Election 2012: “So What?”

Question: Who do Israel's leaders really want to win the election? Answer: Whatevs.

Quote:

In addition to the more than 20 ships of the 5th Fleet stationed in Bahrain, there will be another strike group headed to the Gulf led by the carrier USS John C. Stennis. On top of this, four additional minesweepers arrived in the region last month to ensure shipping lanes remained open and undisturbed. Those craft joined the refitted USS Ponce which is being used as a forward staging base.

To that end, 19 other countries will descend upon the Gulf September 16, with the U.S., to conduct an immense 11-day mine sweeping operation to practice mine countermeasures.

Quote:

IRAN ENVOY TELLS ASSAD THAT SYRIA IS ESSENTIAL PART OF "AXIS OF RESISTANCE" WHICH TEHRAN WILL NOT ALLOW TO BE BROKEN - SYRIA STATE TV

Quote:

S. Korea likely to resume imports of Iran crude next month

South Korea is likely to resume oil imports from Iran as early as next month, a government source said Wednesday, after imports were halted because of a European Union ban on insuring Iranian oil shipments due to Tehran's suspected nuclear program.

"The Iranian side and local oil refineries are discussing the measure of using Iranian oil tankers (for the imports)," the government source said on condition of anonymity. "The discussion is making progress."

Quote:

Israel fears UN chief's visit to Iran will undermine efforts to thwart nuclear program

UN Secretary General has yet to confirm, but sources claim he intends to attend upcoming Tehran summit of Non Aligned Movement.

Quote:

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran has a lot on his mind these days. Especially chicken.

The rising price of this food staple is the cause of such anxiety among Iranian officials that last month, Iran’s police chief, Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, urged the country’s TV stations not to broadcast images of people eating the birds. He was worried it could lead to social unrest.

Quote:

And anyway, basing future events on historical events?

Quote:

France’s Embassy in Israel Prepares Secret Plan for Naval Evacuation in Event of Massive Iranian Missile Counterattack

There have been new signs of a possible looming Israeli attack against Iran in recent days. Walla reports (Hebrew) that the French government has devised contingency plans for a mass evacuation of French citizens living in Israel in the event of war. They would gather at the Jaffa port and be transferred to French naval vessels stationed off the Israeli coast. The French embassy presented operational plans to a group of 50 French-Israeli citizens regarding a possible war scenario. The plans would involve several hundred thousand Israelis with dual nationality. Among the possibilities it foresees is a massive missile strike on Israel. In that eventuality, the French navy will offer refuge via its warships which will be standing offshore.

Quote:

Barak Confidant: Israel Has Decided to Attack

Former Labor party minister, Uzi Baram, wrote a column in Yisrael HaYom today that urges Israel’s leadership to tell the people clearly what lies in store when they execute an expected attack on Iran. What is most striking about the article is this:

Recently, I’ve come to believe that the leaders of the State have decided to act [attack Iran].

A trusted Israeli source tells me that Baram learned this from none other than a close confidant of Ehud Barak. In other words, Barak has begun to tell his closest friends that Israel is going to war. Before hearing this, I thought chances of an Israeli attack were 70-30. Now I believe they are 85-15.

Another interesting focus of Baram’s article is the economic fallout that such an attack will generate. Though he speaks in terms familiar to anyone who’s read Meir Dagan’s warnings on this subject, the columnist focuses specifically on economic issues. He warns a strike will bring an end to international investment in Israeli business and a halt to the flourishing tourism industry:

Every Israeli citizen should know that what has been will not be in the future…It will mean the end of today’s Israel.

…It’s no secret what will happen. If we attack, the Iranians will respond in kind. The western and Muslim world, including Iran’s allies and enemies, will tighten the “siege belt” around us.

Quote:

Reports Citing Intelligence on Iran Weapons Program Lack Credibility

These reports crop up using flimsy evidence from sketchy sources, but US intelligence still says Iran has no weapons program

Quote:

Iran threatens U.S. over Syrian abductions by Syrian rebels

Should any of the Iranians taken hostage by rebels in Syria be harmed, America should expect Iran’s intelligence agents to respond in kind, the Islamic regime has warned.

Quote:

Obama gets new U.S. NIE: Iran making surprising progress toward nuclear capability

National Intelligence Estimate backs Israel's view of surprising, significant progress; 2007 NIE report claimed Iran had suspended nuclear program.

Quote:

Rafael key to blocking Hezbollah missiles

In recent weeks, the Israelis have made much of upgrades for the high-altitude, long-range Arrow 2 missile that is the main defense against Iranian and Syrian ballistic missiles.

In May, the U.S. Congress approved almost $1 billion for Israel's planned four-tier missile defense shield, on top of the annual $3.1 billion in military aid, for fiscal 2013.

Iron Dome gets the lion's share with $680 million, on top of a $205 million U.S. appropriation in fiscal 2012.

Four Iron Dome batteries have been deployed since the system was certified operational in 2011. But military planners say at least 20 are needed to provide effective protection for the country.

The air force, which has charge of air defenses, is to take delivery of another two batteries, armed with extended-range interceptor missiles by the start of 2013.

Meantime, the air force is expecting to be supplied with extended-range interceptors for the existing batteries in the next few weeks.

Quote:

Turkey Warns Iran: 'You Cannot Threaten Us'

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salihi came to Ankara yesterday [August 8] to ask for help in freeing 48 Iranian pilgrims abducted in Syria, but was shocked by what he heard. As soon as Salihi landed in Ankara he was given the Turkish reaction to Iran's incessant statements. In their three-hour meeting Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Salihi that statements of Iranian officials accusing Turkey of being responsible for what is happening in Syria were not acceptable.

Salihi reportedly replied, “You should only consider our official statements,” and blamed news agencies for reporting the others.

Davutoglu was not satisfied by the Iranian minister's explanation and gave this message: “Nobody can threaten Turkey. We have been neighbors for so long. Don’t test us.”

Quote:

Barak: New U.S. intelligence report raises urgency over Iran's nuclear program

Defense Minister Ehud Barak confirms Haaretz's report that Obama recently received an NIE report which shares Israel's view on Iran's progress toward nuclear capability; Israel, U.S. positions on Iran now closer, says Barak.

Quote:

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012....
07 August 12

Iran has announced that all government ministries and state bodies will go offline from September 2012 to shield the country from an "untrustworthy" worldwide web that rests in the "hands of one or two specific countries".

Speaking at a conference at Tehran's Amir Kabir University, Iranian minister of communication and information technology Reza Taqipour confirmed that the step -- designed to protect the nation's intelligence form foreign powers -- was the first phase in moving the country away from a global internet and towards a national intranet by the end of 2013. Following in the footsteps of North Korea, where the Kwangmyong intranet is the only online platform citizens can use, Iran is abiding by plans announced in April 2011 to instate a heavily censored system that abides by Islamic law....

Quote:

US: Iran not on the verge of becoming nuclear

The US has announced that there has been no change in the intelligence assessment according to which Iran is not on the verge of becoming nuclear and that there is still time for diplomacy.

A senior US official said that contrary to reports in Israel, Washington maintains the view that Iran is not on the verge of obtaining nuclear capabilities.

Quote:

US: Iran not on the verge of becoming nuclear

The US has announced that there has been no change in the intelligence assessment according to which Iran is not on the verge of becoming nuclear and that there is still time for diplomacy.

A senior US official said that contrary to reports in Israel, Washington maintains the view that Iran is not on the verge of obtaining nuclear capabilities.

Quote:

Hey Vitchilo, I can understand and even support your feelings on this, however, don't expect us to just sit on our asses and wait for this to be a fait accompli. If we have to launch on our own, we will, and you will have to bear the brunt of whatever that means to your country. "It's a **** sandwich and everyone is going to have to take a bite."

Quote:

Hey Mazalo - study the history of the conflicts that Israel has had to endure since becoming a State.