Encircling Iran

Leaked Cable Confirms Israeli-Saudi Coordination To Provoke War

"The classified embassy cable, written in Hebrew, constitutes the first formal evidence proving that the Saudis and Israelis are deliberately coordinating to escalate the situation in the Middle East. As is already well-known, the Saudi and Israeli common cause against perceived Iranian influence and expansion in places like Syria, Lebanon and Iraq of late has led the historic bitter enemies down a pragmatic path of unspoken cooperation as both seem to have placed the break up of the so-called 'Shia crescent' as their primary policy goal in the region."

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Future of Iran Deal In Hands of GOP Billionaire Iran Hawks

"Trump’s decision to decertify the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), appears to have fallen in line with the views espoused by several of his top donors. These funders believe that Iran poses an apocalyptic threat only addressable through military action, including the use of nuclear weapons."

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Trump Makes First Step To Revoke Iran Nuclear Deal

"U.S. President Donald Trump dealt a blow to the Iran nuclear deal on Friday, as he announced that he would not certify that Iran is in compliance with the agreement. While the unravelling of the deal is neither automatic nor certain, Trump’s announcement will have clear implications for the agreement – and for U.S. diplomacy. Going forward, two key things to watch will be how Congress and international businesses will react to the Trump administration’s moves."

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The Deep State’s Bogus ‘Iranian Threat’

"It originated in the early 1990s when the neocons in the George HW Bush administration realized that with the Cold War's end, the Warfare State was in grave danger of massive demobilization like the US had done after every war until 1945. So among many other invented two-bit threats, the Iranian regime was demonized in order to keep the Imperial City in thrall to its purported national security threat and in support of the vast global armada of military forces, bases and occupations needed to contain it (including the Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf and US bases throughout the region)."

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How Donald Trump’s travel ban has hit Iran’s tourism renaissance

"For visitors the lure is the culture and history of a sophisticated civilisation, with no fewer than 19 Unesco heritage sites, which had been inaccessible for decades when Iran was shunned as a pariah state. Now the country is also viewed as safe in comparison with other states offering similar attractions in the region – Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, Libya – places which have become no-go areas due to the varying degrees of threats from terrorism or civil war. Mr Trump’s repeated threat to withdraw the US from the nuclear agreement, achieved through years of painstaking negotiations, is creating concern that Iran will be pushed back towards isolation."

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Forget Terrorism: The Real Reason Behind The Qatar Crisis Is Natural Gas

"Bloomberg also debunks the 'official narrative' behind the Gulf crisis and suggests that Saudi Arabia’s isolation of Qatar, 'and the dispute’s long past and likely lingering future are best explained by natural gas.' The reasons for nat gas as the source of discord are numerous and start in 1995 'when the tiny desert peninsula was about to make its first shipment of liquid natural gas from the world’s largest reservoir. The offshore North Field, which provides virtually all of Qatar’s gas, is shared with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s hated rival.'" Continue reading →

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Bitcoin helps Iranian shoe store overcome international trade sanctions

"The business is Persian Shoes, an over 70-year-old business selling handmade footwear. It is located inIsfahan, the third-largest city in Iran. The owners are happy to ship anywhere, but paying them is a problem. The usual e-commerce channels are blocked. Trade sanctions against the entire country of Iran by the United Nations, United States, European Union and others mean Western Union and major credit card companies will not deal with Iranian businesses, even those in the fashion world. The only way to pay someone in Iran is with cash carried in your pocket – or some easily transferrable, mostly unregulated, digital currency." Continue reading →

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Lindsey Graham Should Have Visited Iran

"Has Senator Graham examined the continuing tragedy of Fallujah and its people in order to understand what one of his previous wars has wrought? Or he is an ignorant man? Or has he turned a blind eye? Or doesn’t he care? Or is he so full of himself, so distant from common people, and so taken up with abstractions of power that he is living in another world? If he’d visit Iran, he’d find that its people are going about their business much as in America. Their degree of 'control' over Iran is not much different from what an American can claim is his control over America. Here are some establishments selling confections in Iran." Continue reading →

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Lindsey’s Plan for War on Iran

"By equating Iran’s 'nuclear program' with a 'nuclear bomb' program, Graham reveals that his bottom line is not Obama’s bottom line, but Benjamin Netanyahu’s. Obama has said only that Iran must not be allowed to build a bomb. Bibi says Iran must not have a nuclear program. Yet, make no mistake. The goal of Graham, the neocons, Israel and Saudi Arabia is not a negotiated solution permitting a peaceful nuclear program in Iran. The goal is a U.S. war to smash Iran. On Nov. 10, 2010, Graham let it all out: 'Instead of a surgical strike on their nuclear infrastructure, I think we’re to the point now that you have to really neuter the regime’s ability to wage war against us and our allies.'" Continue reading →

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Sen. Lindsey Graham to seek authorization for U.S. attack on Iran

"Graham now says he will work with a bipartisan group of senators to craft a resolution authorizing the president to use military force -- not against the Syrian regime but against Iran. In an appearance on Fox News' Huckabee program over the weekend, Graham argued that such a resolution is essential, because American inaction in Syria will encourage Iran to go forward with its nuclear weapon program, eventually leading toward a Mideast conflagration if the U.S. doesn't intervene." Continue reading →

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