Missiles before talks — what’s the message from Iran?
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Everyone has their own way of broaching subjects they don’t like.
Iran has decided the best prelude to upcoming talks with Western powers that are inevitably going to end up in a finger-pointing session over Tehran’s nuclear program, is to test fire a bunch of missiles.
The United States has made clear it will focus on Iran’s nuclear program at the meeting Thursday in Geneva. Let’s see if the traditional neutrality of the Swiss venue makes a difference in keeping tempers in check (chocolates anyone?).
So what’s Iran trying to say with the missile launches which come inbetween last week’s disclosure that Tehran is building a second uranium enrichment plant and this week’s rare meeting between Iran and six major powers including the United States, China and Russia.
“It’s entirely unsurprising that the Iranians would pop off some short- and medium-range missiles in the run-up to talks,” a U.S. counterproliferation official tells Reuters. 
“They could be doing this for domestic reasons as a show of strength to their own people before sitting down with the major powers,” the official says.
“Of course, it’s also possible that they conducted these tests to deflect attention away from getting caught with their hands in the nuclear cookie jar,” the offical says.
What do you think the missile test message is all about? How do you think these talks will go? Will the threat of more sanctions on Tehran have any impact?
Photo Credit: Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann (swiss chocolates), Reuters/stringer (Iranian long range missile test-fired)
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IRAN ( MUST NOT ) BE ALLOWED TO DEMONSTRAIT THEIR ABILITY. THIS WILL ALLOW OTHER COUNTRIES TO TAKE ON THE UNITED STATES. THE END RESULT — THE UNITED STATES WILL REDUCE THEM TO A BURNED OUT CINDER.
Id bet that Tehran is sending any incriminating evidence that might incrimate them, into space before anybody gets a chance to get a look ..There getting rid of it !!!
They’re setting the tone for the meetings and responding to threats made by Obama Brown and Sarkozy in advance of the meeting.
Iran is not going to back down, nor should it. The sooner the Iranians develop nuclear weapons, and missiles to deliver them, the sooner the balance of power in the region will be restored and the safer everyone will be.
It’s all hype! Don’t buy it, there is no threat from Iran. it’s all alot of show by a weak regime. No need to be scared people. Those rockets don’t stand a chance to anything we have built. Business as usual, have a nice day.
The question is, whether you can apply a country’s past behavior and an analysis of their current situation toward predicting their future actions. And if your prediction indicates they are some kind of threat.. What action can you take to mitigate that threat? We simply know the world history of Iran, no different than we know the world history of Germany. Will Iran be a threat to themselves and to others in the region? Perhaps. But in any case you’ve got to be ready. We know they’ve supplied materials to terrorists and have not shied down from the prospects of suicidal intervention. Allowing them to proliferate nuclear material and then sit back and pretend like they were peaceful is not an option. We will no longer pay tribute for the false promise of peace.
Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister said “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” This is exactly the maxim being adopted by Israeli leaders who are spreading lies, disinformation and half-truths about Iran in order to get the madman in Washington D.C. and his gang of neocons and war criminals to attack another Muslim country on Israel’s behalf.
U.S. & Western officials never speak about the Israeli nuclear threat to Muslim nations because, according to their view, Arab and Muslim nations do no have the right to live in security. Only Israel and the West do.
this has really been a turn of events for Obama.First he cancels the missile shield to try to appease Iran, hoping that ahmadinejad will agree to a joint meeting at the UN summit.Then when he finds that they still have a”clenched fist” he decides to revert to plan B which is to reveal the secret plants which Gates admitted they have known about.He has really lowed himself and America trying to making himself available to these tin pot dictators who are aware of how naive he is trying appease them to placate his left wing supporters back home.
Iran’s ballistic missiles are useless in modern war.
They cannot be used against mobilised troops, because the information will never be up to date.
Iran can launch all the missiles it likes, but this will not stop American cruise missiles and bombs from taking out all their military and economic targets. Nor will Iran’s missiles be able to infict anything near proportional damage to US interests.
Leaving only two possibilities:
1. Iran is planning on launching these missiles at civilian targets, which would represent use of indiscriminate force, or
2. Iran is planning to have nuclear tips on those missiles which means their civilian nuclear program is a lie.
Iran has more important things to do then develop missiles. Like try to figure out how their militia-based army is going to defend the nation against missile and bombing assaults from the US.
Are they going to shoot the planes and missiles out of the sky with rifles? Or is their plan to starve to death when Iran’s infrastructure and military collapse from total bombardment?
And now economic sanctions are beginning. Just like Iraq a couple of years ago. Sorry Tehran. Your days are numbered.
Get ready folks. We are going to war–probably before Christmas. Iran knows our country is on shaky economic ground, our president is young, inexperienced and weak on foreign policy, and our governmental houses strongly polarized. We have Venezuela to our south, cheering the socialization of our government because it kills any hope his own people have for freedom. Our troops are handling two fronts already. After multiple deployments–they are TIRED! National guard are being called up to fill the spots. There can be no better time for war. Even a child can see it. They are planning to take Israel back and demolish all our forces in the Middle East. Plant a big garden (hope you like potatoes) because we won’t be getting our food from California come next year.
IRAN has got the nukes and the long range missiles in the bag. It’s just a matter of how many years it will take them to deploy it and what size arsenal they choose to stockpile. The real question is: Is IRAN a western bound ally and future market, is this possible, probable, practical, or is it eastern bound and pro CHINA, Arab, etc. in which case what is its longevity as such regime and does it want to confront ISRAEL. I say the latter because Iran has not yet exhausted its cultural values potential.
Devices will never be the litmus for strength in a war. Let the focus be on the strength of the peoples’ will. By doing this the iranian leaders are re-focusing the agenda of their people. Soon or later you will see that the public opinions will change in favour of the leaders.The one big test for the western powers is to be clear on Israel, otherwise this is where the sticking-point is. Otherwise iran is fast becoming the darling of many peoples of the middle east not their goverments, which shuold be a case for the powers that be.
India have it, Pakistan have it, they were both sanctioned….SO THEY ARE GOING TO SANCTION IRAN TOO????
I’m with Dave on this, Iran is flexing it’s muscles, or missiles, they want something from the west and the only way to get it is to appear tougher than they are. This is how diplomacy works, we just don’t remember because for eight years there was very little diplomacy from the US. If Iran really wanted to develop and deliver a nuclear weapon they would be more stealthy about it.
eric this is not diplomacy,this is Chamberlain style appeasement.The French president is going crazy, Obama flatly refused to mention the secret plants when the world was tuned in at the UN.Then the Iranians tested long range missiles as a direct snub to Obama,and flatly refuse to not even talk about this issue in the planed meetings.Obama is becoming weaker by the hour.