Iran

Pre-Election (2008) News About Obama from Mark Levin

Published by Papa Giorgio

Via PJ Media (h/t to Gateway):

…During his first presidential campaign in 2008, Mr. Obama used a secret back channel to Tehran to assure the mullahs that he was a friend of the Islamic Republic, and that they would be very happy with his policies.  The secret channel was Ambassador William G. Miller, who served in Iran during the shah’s rule, as chief of staff for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and as ambassador to Ukraine.  Ambassador Miller has confirmed to me his conversations with Iranian leaders during the 2008 campaign.

Ever since, President Obama’s quest for an alliance with Iran has been conducted through at least four channels:  Iraq, Switzerland (the official U.S. representative to Tehran), Oman and a variety of American intermediaries, the most notable of whom is probably Valerie Jarrett, his closest adviser.  In recent months, Middle Eastern leaders reported personal visits from Ms. Jarrett, who briefed them on her efforts to manage the Iranian relationship.  This was confirmed to me by a former high-ranking American official who says he was so informed by several Middle Eastern leaders….

`Peace in Our Time` ~ Iran and the American Left

Published by Papa Giorgio

Below is an interview of Michael Rubin by Hugh Hewitt. Some frank discussion about the Iran deal occurs by a historian on such negotiations. I believe we have our own Chamberlain moment… brought to you by the kind people on the American Left.

Michael Rubin's Input

…It appears Iran has not made any deal that would curtail its nuclear ambition. As described, the framework upon which U.S. and Iranian negotiators appear to agree fails to resolve those issues of most concern to regional states. Obama has unilaterally waived Security Council resolutions demanding a complete enrichment cessation. There may be some enrichment suspension at key sites but, as Rouhani bragged in 2009, he used an early suspension to install new and better centrifuges. And while Iran might convert some more highly enriched uranium to less usable fuel rods, it has backtracked its own earlier proposals to ship fissile material abroad.

Of even more strategic concern, the deal does not address Arak. On Thursday, a German court sentenced four businessmen who sold components to Iran for that plutonium-producing plant. When Arak becomes operational within a year, it can produce enough plutonium for two bombs per year. Nor has Iran made any concession on Parchin, where Iran conducted weapons research. In short, Kerry can arrive back from Geneva and declare triumphantly, “I have in my hand a paper signed by Mohammad Javad Zarif,” but the agreement does not stop Iran from assembling the material or know-how needed to make a bomb. There is no truth and reconciliation component to the deal: Iran needs not come clean on its previous activities. If the regime had truly has a change of heart, such transparency should not be an issue.

Diplomats may celebrate a deal, but a bad deal can be worse than no deal. Sometimes, the hangover is not worth the celebration.

~Rubin

Besides Debka calling these secret meetings to the public’s attention back in 2012, they also note some glaring loop-holes in the deal:

Debkafile’s intelligence and military sources list seven of the most glaring loopholes in the first-step accord:

1. Parchin: This long-suspected facility remains out of UN oversight. President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry boasted after the signing that daily IAEA inspections will take place at Fordo and Natanz. However, cameras are already fixed at both those facilities without an agreement, whereas Tehran’s consistent denial of IAEA access to Parchin is not addressed.

2. Secret nuclear locations: Under the heading “Possible Military Dimensions,” the last IAEA report noted: “Since 2002, the Agency has become increasingly concerned about the possible existence in Iran of undisclosed nuclear related organizations, including activities related to the development of a payload for a missile.”

The watchdog has received information indicating activities “relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device.” This was further corroborated by new information obtained since November 2011.

Tehran’s non-cooperation for investigating these findings is not mentioned in the Geneva interim accord, nor was it addressed in the negotiations.

3. Dirty bombs: Iran doesn’t need a full-scale nuclear bomb or missile warhead for attacking Israel. For decades, Tehran has been working on perfecting hundreds of dirty bombs as part of its nuclear program, by adding plutonium or enriched uranium to conventional bombs. These weapons are easy to make and easy to use. In the hands of Hizballah or other Shiite terrorist organizations in Syria or Iraq, for instance, they could be used to strike Israel without leaving a trail to Tehran.

This peril too was ignored by the six powers in Geneva.

4. Rollback. While President Obama has presented the deal as a first step toward freezing or even rolling back “key aspects” of Iran’s nuclear program. The fact remains that, so long as Iran is permitted to enrich uranium, even though this is restricted to a low 5 percent grade, it is free to produce as much fissile material as it wants, whenever it wants. This seems more like roll forward than roll back.

5. Enrichment. Obama and Kerry said the new deal does not recognize Iran’s right to enrich uranium. They were contradicted by the Iranian president and senior negotiator as well as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. So what is the truth? If Iran won recognition for this right, it blows the bottom out of the Non-Proliferating Treaty because, in no time, all the signatories may start enriching uranium with permission from the big powers. Neither is there any point in making Iran join the NPT’s Additional Protocol for snap inspections.

6. Centrifuges. Iran has undertaken not to add new centrifuges to its enrichment facilities, according to President Obama, but there is nothing to stop it from keeping up their production. In the six-month interregnum for negotiating a comprehensive nuclear deal, Tehran wins time to turn out enough centrifuges to substantially expand its production of enriched uranium.

7. A leap to breakout: Far from being static or in freeze, as the Americans claim, Iran is free to step up centrifuge production and boost its stock of 3.5 percent enriched uranium, thereby accumulating enough material to enhance its capacity for producing enough weapons-grade uranium to break through to a nuclear bomb rapidly enough to defy detection by the IAEA or Western intelligence until it is too late.

The first loophole appeared hours after the new accord was signed:

Iran’s lead negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, announced that his country’s enrichment rights had been recognized in the negotiations, after which Iranian President Hassan Rouhani praised the supreme leader’s guidelines for achieving world power recognition of Tehran’s “nuclear rights.”

However, Secretary of State John Kerry in his first appearance after the signing denied this concession had been made. He said: “The first step, let me be clear, does not say that Iran has a right to enrich uranium.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov lined up solidly behind the Iranian version of the accord, confirming world recognition had been extended for Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy, including the right for enrichment.

…read more…

Supports the Muslim Brotherhood, Rejects the Green Revolution ~ New Partners? Iran (Looking Forward to 2016)

Published by Papa Giorgio

This comes via Gay Patriot

So, over the weekend, the Obama Regime came to an agreement with the gay-killing, terrorist-supporting Iranian regime. The agreement is that sanctions will be lifted, and Iran will be allowed to continue to enrich uranium. And in return, the Obama Regime gets a distraction from the Obamacare debacle and the predictable adulation of their sycophants in the press.

The agreement is strikingly similar to the deal Jimmy Carter negotiated with the Norks in 1994. And we all know what a brilliant success that was.

Obama is happily willing not only to negotiate with the gay-killing, terrorist supporting regime in Iran, but eagerly grants them major concessions. But he will not negotiate with Congressional Republicans.

Our Secretary of State Lied on TV This Morning

Published by Papa Giorgio

Gateway Pundit has this:

Obama Secretary of State John Kelly lied to George Stephanopoulos on This Week that Israel supported the nuclear deal with Iran.

“Actually Israel and the United States share the same goal here. There’s no daylight between us in respect to what we want to achieve at this point. We both want to make it certain Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and Iran cannot be in a place where they can break out… Israel will actually gain.”

The Obama administration did not contact Israel before the agreement was signed with Iran.

[….]

Iran Unveils New Stealth Fighter ~ LOL (LiveLeak Commentary)

Published by Papa Giorgio

A Joke, some commentary from The Aviationist:

The canopy material is at least odd (based on its transparency, it looks like plexiglass or something like that).

The cockpit seems to be basic (a bit too much for a modern plane – note the lack of wiring behind the front panel and the presence of few instruments, some of those similar to those equipping small private planes…).

The nose section is so small almost no radar could fit in it.

The air intakes are extremely small (they remind those of current drones/unmanned combat aerial vehicles) whereas the engine section lacks any kind of nozzle: engine afterburners could melt the entire jet.

And, above all, the aircraft is way to small.

Look at the following image showing an Iranian officer sitting on the ejection seat in the cockpit. It looks like this pilot is in a miniature plane.

Summing up: the shape is interesting with some innovative features but the Q-313 displayed on Feb. 1, 2013, seems to be nothing more than a large mock up model (not properly sized to accommodate a real pilot….).

Update

There is a video allegedly showing the Q-313 in the air. Here it is.

Even if it is not the first flight of the aircraft as some of The Aviationist readers say, the way the depicted plane flies is suspect. It seems a radio-controlled scale model more than a modern fighter jet.

 ———————————————————————

I have to share the many comments on the above found at LiveLeak:

  • A lot of people have been taken in by this. The large plane is a fiberglass model, which is very clear in closeup photos. The news footage of it “flying” actually shows a small RC version with jet sounds overdubbed. The Iranians have even admitted it’s a model in the news footage. I just can’t imagine living in a country where the government and air force fly an RC model on the main news, in the hope it’ll trick people into believing it’s real. Bizarre doesn’t begin to describe it. ~ FishandChips
  • I used to ride in one of those when I was a kid. They had them at the supermarket, you put a quarter in and they would buzz and shake around a bit. Fun! ~ Frogfish ////////// @Frogfish lucky bastard, my supermarket only had a helicopter : ) ~ TheFusser
  • that`s for real a stealth fighter jet, i can confirm…in fact, it`s so stealthy you wont see it in any fight ever ~ vly
  • manufactured in the lego factory ~ NZKiwi
  • a spitfire or P-51 mustang would knock the shit out of this thing ~ seanofthedead
  • 313… same number as Donald’s Ducks car that kept breaking down. ~ DewMe
  • does it have a 72 virgins button? ~ mohawkwarrior27
  • Barely large enough to be an unmanned drone, but a fighter? Who flies this? Hobbits? ~ Delta Epsilon
  • If one of these ever crashes DON’T GO NEAR IT. You’ll get splinters. ~ JohnA
  • Unveiled ha? even planes have more rights than women. ~ gurzang
  • why does it look like a toy!? ~ Ginny ////////// @Ginny because it is a toy… ~ oso1983
  • Undetectable to air radar, because it will never leave the ground. ~ Nothingisfree
  • Runs on Windows 95. ~ KPD
  • its a replica, used to be a toyota mr2. ~ synthien
  • The monkey showed up to fly it ~ Megadeth
  • The Yugo’s of stealth fighters. ~ Jarrod38
  • The planes name is SNACKBARA when it was UNVEILED it was stoned to death due to Islamic law ~ critterchops
  • The primary weapon system on the Snackbara Queer-313 is a spring loaded ejection seat, where the radio control operator tries to fly over the opposition, then using vr eyeglasses, the radio control pilot rolls the plane inverted, ejects the canopy, then a servo pulls a lever and the spring loaded ejection seat shoots a goat downwards, hoping to hit the target. ~ RealityChecker
  • Unveiled!!!… a tiny wooden mock up model (not even properly sized to accommodate a real pilot!)….its nothing short of ridiculous to publish these pictures in the vain hope of some serious recognition or credibility….Iran couldn’t design a stealth fighter if it wanted to…..i doubt any real or serious prototype will ever be built…these videos are hilarious! ~ DaveB123
  • Dam….the prizes in Cracker Jack boxes are getting good ~ CritterChops
  • I hope the chimp flying it survives when it’s shot down. ~ Die Humans
  • Not very Stealth when you can Smell it coming a mile away! ~ Roastbeefwithcheese
  • Look! A stealth Cessna 152! ~ aki009 /////////////// @aki009 How dare you insult the beloved C152! ~ WotWot
  • Looks like something from the model shop. The Japs made better special effect warplanes and ships in Godzilla movies. ~ Fred Garvin
  • This is such a joke. Second video at 0:22 you can see how the whole “Jet” bounces, while the pilot is moving slightly around. O’rly??? Hahahaha ~ Zeitgeist28
  • well, its obviously a fake, the pilot wiggled and the plan wiggled. Plus they forgot to stuff an engine in there to fill the obvious hole behind the pilot’s seat. ~ Assbite
  • it looks scary…. to fly ~ oso1983

The Evolution of Tyranny Against Women

Published by Papa Giorgio

Via LR:

From one comment from the video site:

From a young Iranian woman suffering from Islam rules in Iran to all my sisters in the world especially TUNESIAN AND EGYPTIAN : It’s not just about Hijab that would make you suffer, it starts with Hijab which is a tool to control you then comes other forms of restrictions and limitations, violating all your basic rights. The aim is to make a good society for men not women and children….

Iran Attempts To Show Military Strength by Threatening to Close Down the Strait of Hormuz

Published by Papa Giorgio

Debka, the best news on the Hormuz issue:

Tehran raised the pitch of its threats to the United States when Dep. Chief of the Revolutionary Guards Gen. Hossein Salami declared: “The United States is in no position to tell Tehran what to do in the Strait of Hormuz,” adding, “Any threat will be responded [to] by threat… We will not relinquish our strategic moves in Iran’s vital interests are undermined by any means.”

The Iranian general spoke after the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier and its strike group passed through the Strait of Hormuz to the Sea of Oman and into the area where the big Iranian naval war game Veleyati 90 is taking place.

At around the same time, Israel’s chief of staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz spoke of “the rising potential for a multi-arena event,” i.e. a comprehensive armed conflict. Facing in several directions as we are “between terrorist organizations and Iran’s progress toward a nuclear weapon… we can’t afford to stay on the defensive and must come up with offensive measures,” he said.

Earlier Thursday, Dec. 29, debkafile reported that an Iranian plan to mine the Strait of Hormuz had put US and NATO forces in the Persian Gulf on the alert.

US and NATO task forces in the Persian Gulf have been placed on alert after US intelligence warned that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are preparing Iranian marine commandos to sow mines in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The new deployment, debkafile’s military sources report, consists of USS Combined Task Force 52 (CTF 52), which is trained and equipped for dismantling marine mines and NATO Maritime Mine Counter measures Group 2 (SNMCMG2). The American group is led by the USS Arden mine countermeasures ship; NATO’s by the British HMS Pembroke minesweeper. Other vessels in the task forces are the Hunt-class destroyer HMS Middleton and the French mine warfare ships FS Croix du Sud and FS Var.

Also on the ready are several US Expeditionary Combat Readiness units of the US Fifth Fleet Bahrain command. Seventeen of these special marine units are attached to the Fifth Fleet as America’s answer to the Iranian Navy’s fast assault boats and marine units.

US military sources told debkafile Wednesday, Dec. 28, that United States has the countermeasures for sweeping the waterway of mines and making it safe for marine passage after no more than a 24-48 hour interruption.

…Read More…