This seems to be getting surprisingly little attention in the U.S. media, but the signal for Tehran is clear.
Israel has completed military rehearsals for a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear power facility at Bushehr, Israeli officials told the London-based Sunday Times.Such a strike is likely if Russia supplies Iran with fuel rods for enriching uranium. The rods, currently stored at a Russian port, are expected to be delivered late next year after a dispute over financial terms is resolved.
An Israeli defense source in Tel Aviv, who confirmed that the military rehearsals had taken place, told the paper: "Israel will on no account permit Iranian reactors - especially the one being built in Bushehr with Russian help - to go critical."
Tip via Blogs of War, including a photo of Bushehr.
Meanwhile, President Bush continues his policy of public ambiguity about Iran, even when asked about the support provided by Iran for the 9-11 hijackers.
We will continue to look and see if the Iranians were involved. I have long expressed my concerns about Iran. After all, it's a totalitarian society where free people are not allowed to exercise their rights as human beings. I have made it clear that if the Iranians would like to have better relations with the United States there are some things they must do.For example, they're harboring al Qaeda leadership there. And we've asked that they be turned over to their respective countries. Secondly, they've got a nuclear weapons program that they need to dismantle. We're working with other countries to encourage them to do so. Thirdly, they've got to stop funding terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah that create great dangers in parts of the world.
No, this has been an issue that I have been concerned about ever since I've been the President. As to direct connections with September the 11th, we're digging into the facts to determine if there was one.
An unwillingness to take a strong public stand against Iran, much less any direct action, has been more or less characteristic of every administration since Carter, with the exception of the foolhardy U.S. tilt towards Saddam Hussein during the Iraq-Iran war.
Amir Taheri says we just don't have a coherent Iran policy, but that maybe the election campaign will force the issue. Perhaps, but only if events accelerate even faster. Then it may be too late.
Because of its internal divisions, the Bush administration has not been able to develop a policy on Iran. While Bush has described the Islamic Republic as part of an "axis of evil," Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has praised Iran as "a sort of democracy" that the United States must accommodate.Posted by Alan at July 20, 2004 06:22 AMThe presidential campaign might force the Bush camp to dispel the mental fog that has shrouded its thinking on Iran for almost four years. And that, in turn, could compel the Kerry camp to come up with more realistic ideas of how best to deal with a regime that, regardless of its merits and demerits, cannot be ignored in one of the world's most sensitive regions.