Attack on Iran Imminent?
The New Statesman reports,
American military operations for a major conventional war with Iran could be implemented any day. They extend far beyond targeting suspect WMD facilities and will enable President Bush to destroy Iran’s military, political and economic infrastructure overnight using conventional weapons.[...]
The US army, navy, air force and marines have all prepared battle plans and spent four years building bases and training for “Operation Iranian Freedom”. Admiral Fallon, the new head of US Central Command, has inherited computerised plans under the name TIRANNT (Theatre Iran Near Term).
- Sy Hersh: The Pentagon has drafted an attack plan that could be put into operation within 24 hours of authorization.
- BBC: “US contingency plans for air strikes on Iran extend beyond nuclear sites and include most of the country’s military infrastructure.”
- Haaretz: “Three Arab states in the Persian Gulf would be willing to allow the Israel Air force to enter their airspace in order to reach Iran.”
- Telegraph: “Israel is negotiating with the United States for permission to fly over Iraq as part of a plan to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.”
- Reuters: Raid on Iran wouldn’t stop nuclear program.
- The Independent: “‘There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran,’ a source with close ties to British intelligence said.”
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Attacking Iran with all our current military commitments, would be unbelieveably stupid.
I’m going to give Bush the benefit of the doubt and say he wont actually sign off on this. I hope I’m right.
—shmuel · February 26th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Why would anyone give Bush the benefit of the doubt at this late date
—John Brown · February 26th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Cause I think maybe hes learned his lesson? I hope. Gevalt.
—shmuel · February 26th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Shmuel,
With all due respect, r u on crack? Bush is following the same pattern that he did with the Iraq war, just this time it’s a clear rupture in our constitutional system of government, impeachable, but that’s another story.
for folks who want to take a stand, here’s a petition: pol.moveon.org/pac/noescalationiniran/
What really counts is intense non-violent, massively disruptive civil disobedience. I know for a fact plans are being made on the scale of the February 15, 2003 marches (the largest global single protest – 15 mil), which was enough to start Dubya W1. W2 will force progressive Jews to decide whether to get off their arses.
weblogs.annenberg.edu/digipol/2007/01/washington_post_reports_bush_m.html
—Lewis · February 27th, 2007 at 1:23 am
I have no idea whether an attack on Iran is “imminent” or not (there have been articles proclaming this “imminence” for like two years already). But as to
“W2 will force progressive Jews to decide whether to get off their arses.”
I think a lot of progressive Jews realize that “progress” first depends on being alive. Being nuked is inconsistent with life, and living under the constant threat of being nuked by a less than fully rational dictator is inconsistent with progress of any sort.
In any event if something does happen in Iran it will not look anything like the invasion of Iraq. Different country. Different culture. Different objectives. Different terrain. Neither Bush nor the military are silly enough to go for an all out invasion + occupation of Iran. It would be entirely pointless. There’s just no need for it in light of the goals that the US would be aiming to accomplish.
—Eric · February 27th, 2007 at 9:48 pm