Armageddon Knights: The Romney-Netanyahu Friendship

By LUIS R. MIRANDA | THE REAL AGENDA | APRIL 9, 2012

An old friendship that is rooted in 1976 could spell trouble for Iran. Mitt Romney, the leading presidential candidate for the Republican party in the United States has not been shy about his intentions to attack Iran in order to prevent that country from developing a nuclear weapon. In fact, Mr. Romney has been extremely critical of current US president Barack Obama, for not fully supporting an attack on Iranian nuclear sites. Is Tel Aviv, his old pal Benjamin Netanyahu thinks the same way. Opposing views to an attack on Iran, such as that of former Mossad chief Meir Dagan, warn that a pre-emptive Jewish attack on Iran will open the door for endless regional warfare between Israel and militia terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, that will work as Iran’s proxy armies.

In addition to Dagan’s warning, no intelligence agency in the world has been able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Iran is either seeking or fabricating a nuclear weapon. According to Dagan, western Iranian foes aren’t even sure how many nuclear sites Iran has and where are they exactly located. Dagan said that Israel and its western partners have at least three years to find common ground with Iran and with this, avoid a military confrontation. The former Israeli spy chief says that should war break out between Iran and Israel, he envisions a very difficult future for this country. He has called on Benjamin Netanyahu to call off any intent to attack Iran.

According to the New York Times, Romney’s friendship with Netanyahu began while both men worked as corporate advisers in Boston, Mass. Their shared work experience in the corporate world made their friendship a very cozy one. Now, these two men could find themselves in opposite sides of the world, holding two of the most powerful offices in the planet while sharing the same goal: attacking Iran. The likelihood of an American, Jewish or a joint attack on Iran is not less likely to happen under Obama, who has not send American troops into harms way due in part to the heavy opposition at home, his poor poll ratings and the bad shape the American economy is in right now. Launching a new war, most likely without the approval from Congress or the American people would mean certain defeat for Obama.

This is why, Mr. Obama publicly, although inadvertently told Benjamin Netanyahu that he — Obama — needed more time to launch the attack, perhaps after his reelection in November. Barack Obama was caught telling Netanyahu that once was elected, he would have more time to plan and work out events such as attack on the Iranians. The gaffe confirmed Obama’s intention to carry out an attack on Iran, just not now. In fact, American war ships have begun leaving the fiery Strait of Hormuz area to their previous homes. Analysts now believe that either Israel or the United States may launch a military strike during the summer of 2013.

According to the Times, the relationship between Romney and Netanyahu has been kept warm by multiple encounters between the men over the years, and even strengthened by numerous mutual friends. This, says the NYT “has resulted in an unusually frank exchange of advice and insights on topics like politics, economics and the Middle East.” Could this mean that these two men have already figured out how to deal with Iran themselves, without any help from allies or even the US government? What is certainly true is that if Mr. Romney becomes US president in November 2012, the Israeli Prime Minister will indeed have a stronger partner should he decide to carry out an attack on Iran. Their friendship has not devolved or faded, not even through the American political campaign, with Mr. Romney giving Netanyahu personal advice on who to talk to in the United States in order to achieve his goal to divest American monies from Iranian investments. Previously, Netanyahu had advised Romney on how to shrink the size of government while the Republican presidential candidate was the governor of Massachusetts.

“Only a few weeks ago, on Super Tuesday, Mr. Netanyahu delivered a personal briefing by telephone to Mr. Romney about the situation in Iran,” reports the NYT. This and any other intelligence reporting by Netanyahu may come in handy, given that unless a terrorist attack hits the US between now and the November election, it is very possible that Mitt Romney will be the next US president. “We can almost speak in shorthand,” Mr. Romney has said. “We share common experiences and have a perspective and underpinning which is similar.” At the very least, these two men have learned that they agree on how to do things and the methods they may or may not use to solve any problems. “… despite our very different backgrounds, my sense is that we employ similar methods in analyzing problems and coming up with solutions for them,” said Benjamin Netanyahu.

The New York Times implies that the relationship between Netanyahu and Romney stands out because of the unlikelihood that two men of different backgrounds share a friendship that is so strong as theirs, while both have achieved such a relevant political stature. An educated hunch would propose that given the past and vision they share it is very likely that these two men were groomed — as it always happened — once they entered the political arena, to carry out an agenda. Mr. Netanyahu has already achieved his pinnacle, which is to hold the most influential government position in Israel, while Mitt Romney is well on his way to getting into office. The aspect of their relationship that is most worrying is Mr. Romney’s past statements which seem to show a high degree of loyalty towards Benjamin Netanyahu. In multiple occasions, Romney expressed his view that he would not dare make plans for Israel without first consulting his old friend Netanyahu. A similar position was expressed by Barack Obama, who said that he would not wait for the US Congress to make the decisions. Instead, he would act unilaterally and under the authority vested on him by the United Nations.

What Obama’s but most decisively Mitt Romney’s position on Israel’s role in the Middle East could mean is uncertain to this point. However, something that is clearer than ever is that if Mr. Romney gets into the White House in November, the state of Israel would have every door of the White House wide open, perhaps more than ever before. This means that the two most influential men on the planet who share a long and strong friendship would be able to openly discuss what they want to do with Iran in the short term; and with other countries like Syria and Pakistan in the long term. This is the kind of scenario that the world would expect if Mitt Romney gets into office. Similar results are to be expected if Obama wins re-election.

Short of a brokered convention for the Republican ticket in November that results in Mitt Romney not being on the ballot, it seems that two business men will have the future of the Middle East and perhaps the world in their hands come 2013. It is difficult to see how Barack Obama will stay in office after November, unless, as we pointed out before, a false-flag attack on the United States, or a fabricated emergency enables the current US president to remain in office for longer. Either way, war against Iran is inevitable; it is just a matter of when. The timing is very important, because a government preparations for war are not as seen from outside by the public or the media. Many details are taken into account, then they’re finely tuned and finally carefully executed. An attack on Iran by the summer of 2013 seems a likely outcome with either Obama or Romney in the Oval Office. What we still must learn is what instrument or instruments will they use to spark the flame: faulty intelligence, false-flag terrorist attacks, proxy wars, assassinations… The menu is large and diverse.

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Russia Readies his Military in case of Iran Attack

WND | APRIL 9, 2012

The Russian military anticipates that an attack will occur on Iran by the summer and has developed an action plan to move Russian troops through neighboring Georgia to stage in Armenia, which borders on the Islamic republic, informed Russian sources say in a report in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

Russian Security Council head Viktor Ozerov said that Russian General Military Headquarters has prepared an action plan in the event of an attack on Iran.

Dmitry Rogozin, who recently was the Russian ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, warned against an attack on Iran.

“Iran is our neighbor,” Rogozin said. “If Iran is involved in any military action, it’s a direct threat to our security.” Rogozin now is the deputy Russian prime minister and is regarded as anti-Western. He oversees Russia’s defense sector.

Russian Defense Ministry sources say that the Russian military doesn’t believe that Israel has sufficient military assets to defeat Iranian defenses and further believes that U.S. military action will be necessary.

Russia’s purpose in moving its troops would be not only to protect its own vital regional interests but possibly to assist Iran in the event of an attack. Sources add that a Russian military buildup in the region could result in the Russian military potentially engaging Israeli forces, U.S. forces or both.

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Mossad & CIA: No Proof Iran is Producing Nuclear Weapon

RUSSIA TODAY | MARCH 18, 2012

Israel’s intelligence service Mossad has acknowledged, just like their American counterparts, there is no proof Tehran is carrying out a nuclear weapons program, a source in US intelligence told the New York Times.

­An unnamed former senior US intelligence official told the paper “Mossad does not disagree with the US on the [Iranian] weapons program.” The consensus among US spy agencies remains that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons research several years ago.

“There is not a lot of dispute between the US and Israeli intelligence communities on the facts,” the official continued.

Such recognition comes in stark contrast with Israeli politicians, who have continually insisted on an immediate military strike on Iran’s nuclear installations to prevent it from evolving into an “existential threat” to the Jewish state.

The assessment of the intelligence available is the key to the ongoing war or peace dilemma with Iran. US spy agencies have been searching around for years, trying to find proof Iran is developing a nuclear warhead and missiles to deliver it. For all of their troubles, this is what they’ve found: the program was shut down way back in 2003.

As of today, the intelligence data on Iran has not significantly changed.

“Iran is the hardest intelligence target there is. It is harder by far than North Korea,” another former intelligence officer confessed to the NYT. His explanation was simple: the US doesn’t have many agents on the ground to verify information.

There are reports the US use sensors implanted near Iranian nuclear facilities to monitor the situation.

But while intelligence circles might admit Iran is not close to obtaining nuclear weapons, the sanctions against Iran remain in place.  Meanwhile, neither Israeli nor American leaders make any bones of threatening Iran with a military solution to prevent the country’s frustrated nuclear ambitions from seeing the light of day.

Iran insists on the utterly peaceful character of its nuclear program and promises not to give it up at any cost.

‘Bombing Iran now is the Stupidest Idea I’ve ever Heard’

by Luis R. Miranda
The Real Agenda
March 12, 2012

It doesn’t get any clearer than that. “An attack on Iran without exploring all available options is not the right way how to do it.” These is the assessment of the former chief of Mossad, Meir Dagan, Israel’s top intelligence officer, an equivalent of the head of the CIA. Rumors about its opposition to an Israeli attack on Iran have circulated the media for a while now, but it is the first time Dagan goes on television to speak clearly about what he believes is a suicide mission for Israel, a mission that won’t stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon if they really wanted one.

Former Mossad Spy Chief Mier Dagan.

In his own words, Dagan makes it clear that there are at least 3 years left to use diplomacy and sanctions in order to prevent a nuclear Iran. The former spy chief who retired from Mossad — although many believe he was fired by current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — opposes Israel’s policy of pre-emptive strikes against Iran. In a fairly edited interview given to CBS, Dagan said that the Iranian regime is a very “rational” one that understands the consequences of creating or seeking a nuclear weapon. This level of rationality, says Dagan, is not the same than the people know in the western world, but he has no doubt that the Iranians are considering all the implications of their decisions.

When asked why couldn’t the world handle a nuclear Iran, the former intelligence chief resourced to a largely debunked idea; that Iran had the intention to wipe Israel off the map. His statement refers to a quote from Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who never said such a thing. What he said, as many alternative media reported, is that the Iranian leadership wished to wipe the Israeli Regime off the map, not the Jewish people. “I think the Iranians are masters of negotiation,” said Dagan. He added that he would be concerned if for example the Europeans decided to sit down with the Iranians while easing the sanctions as a condition to have such talks.

Meir Dagan ran Israel’s top intelligence agency for over 9 years. He and his colleagues were responsible for the murder of members of Hamas and others from the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). He and his teams ran programs to provide defective equipment to Iran in order to delay their plan to enrich materials to produce nuclear energy. They were also responsible for the murder of Iranian scientists who worked directly in the nuclear enrichment program.

Dagan said Iran has no interest in keeping oil prices low, because it is their main source of income and that a nuclear Iran would not guarantee stability in the Middle East. Perhaps a nuclear Iran would not make the prices of oil go down, but it would certainly help balance the power struggle between Israel and its western allies and countries like Iran, Pakistan, Russia and China. Iran’s allies seem to echo Dagan’s advice not to attack Iran. Russia has said that it will not allow an attack on Syria or Iran and so has China. Recently, prominent Chinese officials alerted their defense organizations to prepare for an open war against the United States, in the case the government led by Barack Obama decides to support an Israeli attack on Iran.

Both Pakistan and Russia spoke publicly about their opposition to attacking Iran or Syria. The Pakistani leaders have made it clear they will side with their neighbors if Israel or the US decide to attack them. Dagan went on to say that a nuclear Iran would have it easier to create the conditions to keep an unstable Middle East in order to keep the price of oil artificially high. The question is, haven’t the United States and Israel done exactly the same — keeping the Middle East unstable — by attacking Arab countries for no reason, basing those attacks on false intelligence which is often provided by Mossad or the CIA? One thing is certain, a nuclear Iran would not be a match neither for Israel, who has more than 300 nuclear weapons, nor for the United States for the same reason. Iran would have one nuclear weapon, or a few nuclear weapons that would not be able to match neither Israel’s nor the US’s arsenals. What a nuclear Iran would definitely do is bring more stability to the region as Israel and the United States — directly or through proxy governments — would perhaps think twice before attacking the country headed by Ahmadinejad.

The former intelligence chief said that one of the ways to bring about change in Iran is to do it through proxy organizations, such as opposition, student and minority groups. He, however, denied Mossad’s involvement in any action that directly or indirectly did exactly that. No need for explanations, though. There is plenty of evidence that Mossad has elements operating in Iran who are conducting secret destabilizing operations to influence Iran’s decisions. He did say that it was Mossad’s duty to help anyone who wanted to push for regime change in Iran. Dagan emphasized that an attack on Iran this year would be reckless, especially because a military intervention would not stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, which is what Israel supposedly fears the most. “It would only delay it,” says Dagan. He says preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is a very complicated task, because unlike what many people believe, Iran doesn’t have a handful of nuclear sites, but dozens.

Although publicly Barack Obama agrees with Dagan’s opinion, in practice the US government acts very differently. The US has sent several war ships to the Gulf region, specifically to the Strait of Hormuz, an area that Iran has threatened to seal off if it is attacked either by Israel or the US military forces. “A nuclear Iran is not an Israeli problem, it’s a global problem,” said the former Mossad chief. He added that if Israel did not militarily attack Iran, he would prefer the US to do it rather than anyone else. Israel is known for unilaterally and pre-emptively attacking sites in neighboring countries such as Iran and Syria. But this time Mr. Dagan believes things may happen differently. He said that an attack on Iran in the near future will ignite a regional war like never seen before, with rockets flying over and landing on Israeli territory from north and south. Perhaps that is why Israel has recently been training to destroy incoming rockets with their new land-based defense system.The country seems to be preparing for the kind of scenario that Dagan described on his interview. “It would be a devastating impact on our ability to continue with our daily life,” said Dagan about attacks from Hamas and Hezbollah, if Israel decides to bomb Iran. “I think Israel could be in a very serious situation for quite a time,” warned Meir Dagan.

“There wouldn’t be a military attack that would halt a nuclear Iran, it would only delay it,” clarified Dagan. Although he spent most of his life carrying out terrorist attacks against Arabs, Dagan says that for him there is no pleasure or joy in killing people. He himself has a bunch of paintings in his home, where he portrays Arabs, who he says he admires a lot. “I know it will sound anti-semitic if I say that some of my best friends are Arabs, but I truly, really admire some of the qualities of the Arabs.” Despite the CBS reporter glorification of Dagan’s killings by calling them “exquisitely executed” cover missions and assassinations, Dagan said it wasn’t such a thing. Most people believe that Meir Dagan’s demise from Mossad are a direct consequence of his opposition to attacking Iran as well as for the operation Mossad carried out in Dubai to kill Iranians inside a prominent hotel. It is believed that Benjamin Netanyahu did not offer him the job once again and that this is the reason why he is speaking out in public against any military action against Iran.

Meir Dagan denies he is looking for revenge by speaking out.

Iran Cuts Oil Supply to UK and France

Reuters
February 19, 2012

 Iran has stopped selling crude to British and French companies, the oil ministry said on Sunday, in a retaliatory measure against fresh EU sanctions on the Islamic state’s lifeblood, oil.

“Exporting crude to British and French companies has been stopped … we will sell our oil to new customers,” spokesman Alireza Nikzad was quoted as saying by the ministry of petroleum website.

The European Union in January decided to stop importing crude from Iran from July 1 over its disputed nuclear program, which the West says is aimed at building bombs. Iran denies this.

Iran’s oil minister said on February 4 that the Islamic state would cut its oil exports to “some” European countries.

The European Commission said last week that the bloc would not be short of oil if Iran stopped crude exports, as they have enough in stock to meet their needs for around 120 days.

Industry sources told Reuters on February 16 that Iran’s top oil buyers in Europe were making substantial cuts in supply months in advance of European Union sanctions, reducing flows to the continent in March by more than a third – or over 300,000 barrels daily.

France’s Total has already stopped buying Iran’s crude, which is subject to fresh EU embargoes. Market sources said Royal Dutch Shell has scaled back sharply.

Among European nations, debt-ridden Greece is most exposed to Iranian oil disruption.

Motor Oil Hellas of Greece was thought to have cut out Iranian crude altogether and compatriot Hellenic Petroleum along with Spain’s Cepsa and Repsol were curbing imports from Iran.

Iran was supplying more than 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) to the EU plus Turkey in 2011, industry sources said.

By the start of this year imports had sunk to about 650,000 bpd as some customers cut back in anticipation of an EU ban.

Saudi Arabia says it is prepared to supply extra oil either by topping up existing term contracts or by making rare spot market sales. Iran has criticized Riyadh for the offer.

Iran said the cut will have no impact on its crude sales, warning that any sanctions on its oil will raise international crude prices.

Brent crude oil prices were up $1 a barrel to $118.35 shortly after Iran’s state media announced last week that Tehran had cut oil exports to six European states. The report was denied shortly afterwards by Iranian officials.

“We have our own customers … The replacements for these companies have been considered by Iran,” Nikzad said.

EU’s new sanctions includes a range of extra restrictions on Iran that went well beyond U.N. sanctions agreed last month and included a ban on dealing with Iranian banks and insurance companies and steps to prevent investment in Tehran’s lucrative oil and gas sector, including refining.

The mounting sanctions are aimed at putting financial pressure on the world’s fifth largest crude oil exporter, which has little refining capacity and has to import about 40 percent of its gasoline needs for its domestic consumption.

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