Encircling Iran

US to send missiles, troops to Turkey in bid to deter Syria

"Defense Secretary Leon Panetta signed an order Friday to send two Patriot missile batteries to Turkey to protect it from rounds crossing the border from Syria. The order includes 400 American personnel to operate the batteries. 'We are deploying two patriot batteries here to Turkey along with the troops that are necessary to man those batteries, so that we can help Turkey have the kind of missile defense it may very well need in dealing with threats that come out of Syria,' Panetta told the troops at Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey." Continue reading →

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Western diplomats report Israel behind bogus Iran nuclear data leak

"The leak's principal impact, a European diplomat told The Guardian, was that it compromised the UN nuclear watchdog's ongoing investigation. Despite increasingly heated rhetoric from Tel Aviv and Washington, the international community still lacks evidence that Iran has been working on nuclear weapons since 2003. However, the IAEA’s publication of summary intelligence on an alleged Iranian nuclear weapons program helped the US and EU to impose a new round of sanctions against Tehran. Now, the 'amateurish hoax' is said to threaten the position of the IAEA's inspectors." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWestern diplomats report Israel behind bogus Iran nuclear data leak

Glenn Greenwald: AP’s dangerous Iran hoax demands an accounting and explanation

"AP helped perpetrate a dangerous hoax, and owes an explanation and accounting for what took place, including identifying the 'officials from a country critical of Iran's atomic program' who made false claims about what this is. To begin with, the graph AP touted as reflecting some sort of nefarious, highly threatening and complex nuclear calculation is, in fact, widely available all over the Internet in the most innocuous places. At the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (BAS), Yousaf Butt and Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress on Wednesday night wrote: 'Graphs such as the one published by the Associated Press can be found in nuclear science textbooks and on the Internet.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: AP’s dangerous Iran hoax demands an accounting and explanation

Why Is The US Building A Secret $100 Million Underground Facility Outside Tel Aviv?

"A Request for Proposal construction project planned for Israel called Site 911 reveals that the oddly named project will cost up to $100 million, take more than two years to complete, and can only be built by workers from specific countries with proper security clearances. When complete the well-guarded compound will have five levels buried underground and six additional outbuildings on the above grounds, within the perimeter. At about 127,000 square feet, the first three floors will house classrooms, an auditorium, and a laboratory — all wedged behind shock resistant doors — with radiation protection and massive security." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy Is The US Building A Secret $100 Million Underground Facility Outside Tel Aviv?

U.S.-Approved Arms for Libya Rebels Fell Into Jihadis’ Hands

"The Obama administration secretly gave its blessing to arms shipments to Libyan rebels from Qatar last year, but American officials later grew alarmed as evidence grew that Qatar was turning some of the weapons over to Islamic militants, according to United States officials and foreign diplomats. The weapons and money from Qatar strengthened militant groups in Libya, allowing them to become a destabilizing force since the fall of the Qaddafi government. The experience in Libya has taken on new urgency as the administration considers whether to play a direct role in arming rebels in Syria." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S.-Approved Arms for Libya Rebels Fell Into Jihadis’ Hands

Thousands of US Troops Arrive Near Syrian Shore on USS Eisenhower

"The USS Eisenhower, an American aircraft carrier that holds eight fighter bomber squadrons and 8,000 men, arrived at the Syrian coast yesterday in the midst of a heavy storm, indicating US preparation for a potential ground intervention. While the Obama administration has not announced any sort of American-led military intervention in the war-torn country, the US is now ready to launch such action 'within days' if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad decides to use chemical weapons against the opposition, the Times reports." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThousands of US Troops Arrive Near Syrian Shore on USS Eisenhower

Thousands of US Troops Arrive Near Syrian Shore on USS Eisenhower

"The USS Eisenhower, an American aircraft carrier that holds eight fighter bomber squadrons and 8,000 men, arrived at the Syrian coast yesterday in the midst of a heavy storm, indicating US preparation for a potential ground intervention. While the Obama administration has not announced any sort of American-led military intervention in the war-torn country, the US is now ready to launch such action 'within days' if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad decides to use chemical weapons against the opposition, the Times reports." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThousands of US Troops Arrive Near Syrian Shore on USS Eisenhower

Tehran residents urged to flee ‘dangerous’ pollution

"Efforts by Tehran officials to boost public transport, including extending the subway lines and establishing lanes for buses only, have barely dented the problem because of the ever-growing number of cars, many of which are inefficient and old. Western sanctions on fuel imports to Iran have also forced the country to rely on its own production of petrol — of a lower grade, and therefore more polluting, than in many other countries." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTehran residents urged to flee ‘dangerous’ pollution

Tehran residents urged to flee ‘dangerous’ pollution

"Efforts by Tehran officials to boost public transport, including extending the subway lines and establishing lanes for buses only, have barely dented the problem because of the ever-growing number of cars, many of which are inefficient and old. Western sanctions on fuel imports to Iran have also forced the country to rely on its own production of petrol — of a lower grade, and therefore more polluting, than in many other countries." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTehran residents urged to flee ‘dangerous’ pollution

Bitcoin Not Bombs

"In the beginning I pretty much only used it to buy baklava. Now I’m buying gold and silver bullion with Bitcoin, and accepting it as payment for the various things that I sell. So, I have a pretty good sense of how the system works and I’m just starting to really get the economic ramifications of a digital peer-to-peer currency. I theoretically understand the impact it could have politically, at least domestically, but I’m just starting to get the first inkling of what the international political ramifications of Bitcoin might be. This rabbit hole begins with US sanctions against Iran." Continue reading →

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