US Storm Over Iran Gathers Pace

[Purveyor]

By Marwan KabalanSpecial to Gulf News
Published: April 11, 2008, 01:00

After a short respite, following the last December report by the US intelligence agencies, which exonerated Iran from seeking nuclear weapons, tension seems to have risen again between the US and Iran.

Last week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defied the West by announcing that his country has begun installing 6,000 new centrifuges at its uranium enrichment plant.

Western nuclear analysts say around 1,500 such machines would be needed for Iran to manufacture the minimum amount of highly enriched uranium needed for one crude warhead. The Iranian move angered the Bush administration, which threatened more sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Furthermore, during a hearing before the US Senate Armed Services Committee, General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the American Ambassador to Baghdad, described the Iranian role in Iraq as destructive.

"The security situation in Iraq remained in flux in part because of the destructive role Iran has played with its backing of special groups of Shiite radicals that now poses the greatest immediate threat in Iraq," Petraeus told the influential Congressional Committee.

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Many observers believe that the US is preparing the stage to role Iran's influence back, by military force if necessary. The current dialogue between the two countries is believed to be nothing but an attempt by the US to buy more time for its military machine to get prepared to hit Iran.

The recent regional tour by US Vice-President, Dick Cheney, was seen as a last ditch attempt to bring Arab allies on board for a possible military attack against Iran. It is Cheney's fourth Middle Eastern tour in two years to garner support for US policy towards Iran.

Seymour Hersh, America's most celebrated investigative reporter, claims that in a national security discussion, Cheney made clear that "whatever the Democratic Congress might do to limit the President's authority - to hit Iran's nuclear facilities, the administration would always find a way to work around it".

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http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/region/10204633.html

[liberal N proud]

1. Iran is a bullet point on the list of tasks for Cheney and bu$h

They are doing everything they can to enable an attack on Iran so they can mark another task item complete. Late but complete.