WarSclerotic

Britain to support oil embargo on Iran, say diplomatic sources – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News.

After Britain shut down Iran embassy in London, U.K. official says his country will support increased sanctions on Iran such as the French proposal for embargo.

By Reuters Tags: Iran Iran nuclear

Britain will support an embargo on Iranian oil imports following the deterioration of relations between the two countries, diplomatic sources told Reuters on Wednesday, as France tried to rally support for new sanctions within the EU.

Britain shut down the Iranian embassy in London and expelled its entire staff on Wednesday, saying the storming of the British diplomatic mission in Tehran could not have taken place without some degree of consent from Iranian authorities.

“Now that the U.K. has downgraded diplomatic relations with Iran, it will support increased sanctions … and would likely go ahead with those sanctions unilaterally or with France and Germany,” said a diplomatic source, referring to the ban on Iranian crude oil imports.

A British government source said Britain was “broadly supportive” of further energy sanctions on Iran when asked about the proposal for an Iran embargo.

Britain imposed sanctions on Iran’s central bank last week after a report by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency suggested Iran may have worked on developing a nuclear arsenal.

U.S. sanctions already forbid imports from the OPEC member and the European Union is considering new sanctions against Iran – which may include oil – to press Tehran to abandon its nuclear activity.

But diplomats said earlier this week that the French proposal for an embargo is being met with resistance from some EU capitals, which could shrink the pool of backers.
Britain has not recently imported Iranian oil but France and Germany have, according to the International Energy Agency.

About 450,000 barrels per day of Iranian oil is exported to European Union, where Italy is the biggest buyer with 183,000 bpd or 13 percent of its needs, Spain with 137,000 bpd (13 percent) and France with 49,000 bpd (4 percent), according to the latest U.S. data.

Industry sources told Reuters EU countries could negotiate with the world’s top oil exporter Saudi Arabia with the aim of replacing some of Iran’s main export grade Iranian Heavy with a similar grade Arab Light.

“Saudi Arabia would have to make up the deficit in supply because I really can’t see Greece being happy if the oil market goes to e130 to e150 per barrel,” said a senior trade source.

He said any decision on a ban could come with a three-month notice to allow refiners to switch to alternative suppliers.

China is seen as the most likely buyer of extra Iranian volumes in the event of a European ban, with discounting possible due to reduced competition for supplies.

‘UK embassy attack bolsters EU push for … JPost – International.

    BRUSSELS – The storming of the British embassy compound in Tehran could provide extra ammunition to European governments pushing for stronger sanctions against Iran, in particular a contentious embargo on Iranian oil, diplomats said on Wednesday.

EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Thursday to map out Europe’s response to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency in recent weeks that suggested Iran has worked on designing an atom bomb.
Much has already been agreed – the EU will add some 180 names to a list of people and entities targeted by pan-European sanctions – but a number of EU capitals have yet to decide exactly how much economic pressure the EU should apply on Iran over its nuclear program, which it says is peaceful.

Tuesday’s attack on the British embassy by dozens of students and protesters angry over Britain’s unilateral sanctions could go some way towards convincing them stronger action is needed, diplomats said.

“From a political point of view this (attack) cannot, I think, work in the direction of EU member states wanting to ease pressure on Iran,” the diplomat said. “On the contrary.”

“The whole question is do we go further and add a new set of sanctions apart from those adopted in the past.”

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said that following the embassy attack, Paris would push foreign ministers in Brussels to look at sanctions beyond what had already been agreed, especially proposals made by President Nicolas Sarkozy to freeze the central bank’s assets and to ban oil imports.

French sources say that Paris feels the attack has added to the already long list of factors playing against Tehran and those that have wavered will be more inclined to listen to the French proposals.

In the past week, some EU capitals have insisted it is too early to adopt them, concerned about the economic consequences of tighter restrictions on a big OPEC oil producer.

Experts says a European embargo could boost global crude prices at a time when Europe is teetering on the brink of recession and struggling with a mounting debt crisis.

Greece, in particular, has expressed reluctance, EU diplomats say. Traders say debt-strapped Athens has been relying on Iranian oil, which comes with an attractive financing offer at a time when banks are increasingly denying it credit.

Stern warning expected to be issued

In addition to discussing sanctions, EU governments are expected to issue a stern warning to Tehran over the attack on Britain’s interests, expressing their “outrage”, EU diplomats said, using a word seldom used in diplomat communiques.

Germany announced on Wednesday it would recall its ambassador from Tehran for consultations, and Britain has shut the Iranian embassy in London, although it has held back from taking any more dramatic steps at this stage.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe also said in an interview in a weekly news magazine that international measures against Tehran should be strong enough to paralyze the country.

Tehran has denied its nuclear work is aimed at building bombs and says it needs it to generate extra power to feed a growing demand for energy and for medical research purposes.

But the IAEA report appeared to offer evidence backing up Western concerns, prompting a wave of unilateral sanctions from the United States, Canada and Britain, announced this month.

The United States has taken steps designed to dissuade non-US banks from dealing with Iran. Washington blacklisted 11 entities suspected of aiding Iran’s nuclear programs, and expanded sanctions to target companies that aid its oil industry.

Britain banned all its financial institutions from doing business with Iran, including the Iranian central bank, and Canada said it would ban the export of all goods used in Iran’s petrochemical, oil and gas industries and “block virtually all transactions with Iran”, also including with the central bank.

Israel Hayom.

The rocket attacks on northern Israel on Monday night are an isolated incident and not the beginning of an escalation on the country’s northern border, defense officials believe. Residents of the western Galilee were awakened by the sound of explosions Monday night when at least three rockets fired from Lebanon struck the region. There were no reported injuries, while one rocket caused minor property damage. The Israel Defense Forces said it had shelled the launch sites in retaliation.

Following the incident, defense officials and the Northern Command on Tuesday conducted assessments on the security situation in the north. Based on conclusions that the rocket attacks were an isolated incident, the alert level in the northern sector was not raised. There has also been no change in the deployment or number of forces stationed along the northern border, but the IDF continues to be vigilant in the area.

The IDF said on Tuesday that it had no intelligence information about who was responsible for the rockets, even though the global, al-Qaida-affiliated Sunni terrorist organization Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility. Hezbollah has denied involvement in the attacks.

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The Lebanese Army confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that a rocket had been launched “into Israel from southern Lebanon.” The statement also said that two rocket launchers were found ready to be used in a house in the village of Aita al Shaab, near the Israeli border. The launchers have since been disabled.

According to reports coming out of Lebanon, a few houses in Aita al Shaab were damaged by IDF artillery fire on southern Lebanon in retaliation for the rocket attacks.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman condemned the rocket fire on Israel and said, “The attack disrupted southern Lebanon’s stability.”

Washington also condemned the attacks and urged both sides to exercise restraint. Deputy State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, “We condemn the firing of rockets from Lebanon toward Israel. This was a provocative act. It undermines the stability of Lebanon.”

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon echoed Toner’s comments and the U.N.’s Interim Force in Lebanon spokesman said, “The act is a serious violation of resolution 1701, and it was carried out with the clear intention of destabilizing the region.”

On, Tuesday, Northern District Police searching a forest near a residential community in the Western Galilee found the remains of a fourth rocket fired from Lebanon. The fragments were taken in for a laboratory inspection.

Towns in the western Galilee that were targets of the attacks responded to the rocket fire with indifference, focusing more on the damage that resulted. A chicken coop and a gas container were damaged.

“[The rocket attacks] were a reminder of less pleasant days, but we’re not afraid,” one of the chicken coop owners told Israel Hayom. “Some of the neighbors didn’t even wake up from the explosions and heard about the rocket attacks only in the morning.”

Despite the indifference conveyed by some northern residents, others complained about the siren systems not working before the rockets fell. “Communities near the Lebanese border have no sirens at all,” an official from the northern forum of communities in the line of fire told Israel Hayom. “In times of routine calm, the calibration of the siren systems is less sensitive and therefore the sirens did not work.”

Meanwhile, under the auspices of the Defense and Health Ministries, an “Orange Flame 6” exercise simulating a non-conventional terror attack will be conducted on Wednesday and Thursday in the northern cities of Afula, Tiberias, Nazareth and Nazareth Illit.

This is the sixth time such an exercise is set to be carried out, with this year’s drills having focused on “nonconventional biological incidents.”

During the exercise, the country’s Biological Institute will be asked, among other things, to determine what type of biological material was used against Israel in the simulation. In addition to the Defense and Health Ministries, bodies expected to participate in the drill include local hospitals, health funds, local councils, the police, Magen David Adom, firefighting services, the Environmental Protection Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and the Water Authority.

As part of the drill, treatment centers will be set up in the local authorities to provide imitation preventative treatment to citizens suspected of having been exposed to biological material released in a nonconventional terror attack. Each treatment center will practice treating 5,000 civilians daily for exposure to biological hazards. Hospitals will practice treating those who already have symptoms of the diseases.

Smallpox, plague and anthrax are considered to be the most hazardous diseases in any potential non-conventional terror attack on Israel, but the country is able to immunize large parts of the population and even quarantine vast areas with the aim of preventing the diseases from spreading. To date, as far as it known, no terrorist organizations possess such biological substances.

In coming months, another drill, simulating a nuclear bomb attack, is also expected to be conducted. The exercise will simulate a “dirty bomb” attack on Haifa.

front lines: Israel: ‘The Missiles May Have been a Warning of Things to Come’.

Katyusha Missile

Flash 90

Gabi Naaman, head of the Shlomi Local Council, warned on Tuesday that the Katyusha missile attack on northern Israel may be a warning sign that a new conflict is coming along the northern border.

No one was physically hurt as four Katyusha missiles fired from Lebanon at northern Israel exploded in the northern Galilee. Damage was caused to a chicken coop in one local community. The IDF retaliated and fired back at the location from which the missiles were launched.

Shlomi is a town located very close to the border with Lebanon and has been hit in the past by missiles. The four missiles fired overnight Monday landed very close to the town, and Naaman told Arutz Sheva that he hopes that there will be no need to activate the air raid sirens in the near future.

“Unfortunately, once in a while we get a reminder that we have enemies in the north,” he said. “For us this was a warning and all the heads of the local councils should be ready for further attacks, though we obviously hope such attacks won’t happen.”

Naaman called on residents of Israel’s north to be prepared and vigilant.

“I’m telling everybody: do not be complacent,” he said. “You must be ready to enter the bomb shelters and protected spaces. We must be prepared. This is a turbulent region. We need to continue with our routines and yet still be prepared.”

Naaman noted that currently the sirens are not going off in real time but said he fully trusts the security forces to change that procedure if it becomes necessary.

“For now the IDF has made a decision not to activate the sirens that detect missile attacks,” he explained. “This has proven itself during periods of calm because there is no reason to have the entire Galilee panic over a single missile, and sometimes there are false alarms.”

In a separate interview earlier on Tuesday, former Kiryat Shmona mayor Prosper Azran told Arutz Sheva that the latest Katushya attack is just the beginning.

“The terrorist hand has always been quick on the trigger because our deterrent power is forgotten and amounts to nothing,” Azran said. “We residents of Kiryat Shmona have faced this for decades. I’m afraid I have to report Israel’s government regularly neglects the security of some citizens.”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack on Tuesday, urging maximum restraint by all parties and calling them to respect UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah.

The Al-Qaeda affiliated Abdullah Azzam Shaheed Brigades in Lebanon has claimed responsibility for the attack.

‘Germany approves subsidized sale of military submarine to Israel’ – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News.

German official, speaking on condition of anonymity, says his country set aside $180 million to fund about a third of another Dolphin-type submarine.

By The Associated Press

A senior German official said Wednesday that the government has approved the subsidized sale of another Dolphin-type military submarine to Israel.

The official said Germany has set aside €135 million ($180 million) in next year’s budget to pay for about a third of its cost.

	A Dolphin submarine. A better option for strategic deterrence.
	Photo by: Reuters

Dolphin-class submarines are capable of carrying nuclear-tipped missiles, but there is no evidence that Israel has armed them with such weapons.

Israel already has three Dolphin submarines from Germany — one half-funded and two entirely funded by Berlin, a staunch Israeli ally.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Wednesday a 2005 agreement between the two nations included an option for another subsidized submarine which was now activated at Israel’s request.

Israpundit » Blog Archive » Loose Syrian Weapons Could Pose a Serious Threat.

Iran nuke threat close to crisis point | The Australian.

UK: All Iranian diplomats must leave Bri… JPost – International.

    UK Foreign Secretary William Hague told the British parliament Wednesday that he has ordered the Iranian Embassy in London to close. He added that Iranian diplomats will be given 48 hours to leave the country.

Earlier Wednesday the UK said it had withdrawn some diplomatic staff from Tehran after protesters stormed and ransacked its embassy in the Iranian capital.

The events came in response to Iran’s decision to expel the UK ambassador in response to economic sanctions imposed by Britain on Tehran.

Hague also told British parliamentarians that all UK-based British diplomatic staff had been evacuated from Iran prior to his announcement Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain was considering taking “very tough action” after protesters stormed the country’s embassy in Iran.

Cameron said his main concern was ensuring the safety of British embassy staff.

“After that we will consider taking some very tough action in response to this completely appalling and disgraceful behavior by the Iranians,” Cameron told parliament.

“The prime minister and foreign secretary have made clear that ensuring the safety of our staff and their families is our immediate priority,” the UK Foreign Office said in a statement.

“In light of yesterday’s events, and to ensure their ongoing safety, some staff are leaving Tehran,” it added.

Earlier, Western diplomatic sources in Tehran told Reuters that Britain had evacuated all its diplomatic staff from Iran.

The UN Security Council released a statement Tuesday condemning the protesters’ actions “in the strongest terms.” UNSC President Jose Filipe Moraes Cabral expressed the council members’ “deep concern over the attacks” and called on the “Iranian authorities to protect diplomatic and consular property and personnel.”

The speaker of Iran’s parliament Wednesday criticized the Security Council statement  and said it put global security at risk. “The hasty move in the Security Council in condemning the students’ actions was done to cover up previous crimes of America and Britain while the police did all they could to keep the peace,” Ali Larijani told parliament in an address broadcast live on state radio.

“This devious action will lead to instability in global security,” he said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron chaired a meeting of the government crisis committee Tuesday to discuss the attacks which he said were “outrageous and indefensible.”

“The failure of the Iranian government to defend British staff and property was a disgrace,” he said in a statement.

“The Iranian government must recognize that there will be serious consequences for failing to protect our staff. We will consider what these measures should be in the coming days.”

The United States, alongside the European Union and many of its member states also strongly condemned the attacks.

China also criticized the storming of the compounds in Tehran Wednesday, opening a rare public crack in outwardly amicable relations with Iran.

“China has always maintained that the safety and dignity of diplomatic personnel and properties must be ensured and protected,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing in Beijing, in answer to a question about the incident.

“The attacks in question were contrary to international law and rules, and they should be appropriately dealt with,” he said.

Who’s Blowing Up Iran? » Publications » Family Security Matters.

‘Iran is developing low-flying cruise missiles… JPost – Defense.

    Iran is developing an advanced low-flying cruise missile that could potentially carry a non-conventional warhead, Arieh Herzog, director of the Defense Ministry’s Homa Missile Defense Agency, said on Wednesday.

Herzog, who will step down from his post in the beginning of the year, spoke at the annual International Aerospace Conference in Jerusalem.
Satellite image shows damage to Iran missile base

Earlier this month, close to 20 Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps officers, including the architect of Iran’s long-range ballistic missile program, were killed in a mysterious explosion at a missile base near the city of Bid Kaneh. The officers were reportedly working on the development of a new missile when the explosion took place.

“The Iranians are developing a capability that within several years, they will have cruise missiles that can fly at low altitudes and carry non-conventional warheads,” Herzog said.

Herzog said that Israel’s missile defense capabilities were drawn from the Iranian’s development of missiles.

Israel currently has three Iron Dome counter rocket defense batteries deployed throughout the country in additional to two Arrow batteries to defend against long-range ballistic missiles.

In 2012, the Air Force plans to begin deploying the David’s Sling to protect against medium-range missiles. The David’s Sling is being developed to also intercept cruise missiles.

Herzog also referred to the development of the Arrow-3 missile defense system which will serve as the upper tier of Israel’s multi-layered missile defense program. The system is expected to become operational by 2015.

“The system is in an advanced development stage and due to its capabilities we will have a number of interception possibilities out of the atmosphere,” Herzog said.