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World powers signal openness to … JPost – Iranian Threat – News.

    WASHINGTON – Major powers seeking to negotiate an end to Iran’s suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons on Friday signaled their openness to renewed talks with Tehran but diplomats said the powers remain divided on their approach.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents the group, issued a statement making clear that a diplomatic path remains open to Iran despite tougher sanctions and fresh speculation of a military strike on its nuclear facilities.
The group, known as the P5+1 and as the EU3+3, includes Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

“The EU3+3 has always been clear about the validity of the dual track approach,” Ashton’s spokesperson said in a statement that included her Oct. 21 letter. “We are waiting for the Iranian reaction.”

The release of the statement and the letter itself appeared be an effort to demonstrate that the major powers are willing to talk to Iran, while reiterating their demands that Tehran must return to the table willing to talk about its nuclear program.

It also appeared to reflect frustration at recent Iranian statements hinting at a willingness to return to the table but Tehran’s failure to formally respond to the letter and commit to discussing the nuclear program in earnest.

One diplomat said Iran had been sending mixed signals on whether it might be willing to return to talks in the face of tighter US sanctions focused on its crude oil exports and the possibility of a European Union petroleum embargo.

“This is a way to ensure that our offer is absolutely clear,” said the diplomat, adding that the central point was to make clear that “we are prepared to sit down with you if you are prepared to demonstrate serious intent.”

There have been signals in recent weeks that Iran might be willing to hold a new round of talks about its nuclear program.

Major powers differ on negotiation strategy

Diplomats said that major powers are divided over what incentives to offer Iran if talks resume and whether to allow it to keep enriching uranium at lower levels.

If the Iranians were willing to sit down, the question would then become how the major powers, known as the P5+1 and as the EU3+3, might approach Iran during any such negotiations, notably on any “confidence-building measures.”

“There is no agreement inside the P5+1 on how such confidence-building measures should or should not be presented to the Iranians,” said one diplomat.

A central issue is whether the group might ask Iran to cease enriching uranium to the higher level of 20 percent but allow it, at least for a time, to continue enriching at lower levels – a stance partly at odds with the group’s past positions.

Uranium enrichment is a process that at low levels can yield fuel for nuclear power plants or, if carried out to much higher levels of purity, can generate fissile material for bombs.

Multiple UN Security Council resolutions have called on Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment and related activities and the P5+1 has taken the view that it must suspend such activities during any serious negotiation.

To permit Iran, even for a period, to enrich at lower levels would be something of a concession by the P5+1, although it has previously offered a temporary “freeze-for-freeze” in which Iran would halt expansion of its nuclear program and the major powers would not pursue additional sanctions.

Asked why some members of the group might be willing to let Iran continue to enrich at lower levels, at least for a period, one diplomat said it reflected a desire to give diplomacy every possible chance to succeed.

“That really is the crux of it. You want to be able to say that you pursued every option diplomatically to try to get Iran to halt its program,” he said.

A senior Obama administration official told Reuters that if talks were to resume, the group would have a common stance.

“If the Iranians accept the offer of the P5+1 to have talks on the basis of High Representative Ashton’s October letter, we fully expect a unified P5+1 approach to the talks,” the official said.

Major powers to say terms for Iran’s return to talks; IAEA chief says Tehran ‘key priority’ for 2012.

Friday, 20 January 2012

Iran denies seeking atomic weapons, saying its program is peaceful. (Illustration by Amarjit Sidhu)

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Report: Hizbullah Got Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missiles from Syria — Naharnet.

USS Abraham Lincoln sails into waters off Iran – CNN.com.

(CNN) — The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Arabian Sea on Thursday, Navy officials said, a likely prelude to testing Iran’s recent warning against sending a U.S. carrier through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Lincoln joins the USS Carl Vinson, already in the region, returning the U.S. Navy its standard two-carrier presence there. The carrier USS John Stennis left in the past few days and is now traveling back through the western Pacific.

The Lincoln’s arrival puts into place all the elements for a U.S. carrier to travel back into the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since recent tensions with Iran escalated.

U.S. military officials have told CNN the United States will continue its long-standing military commitment to having an aircraft carrier in the Gulf, but will not say when the transit will take place in light of security concerns about Iran.

Several weeks ago, as the Stennis left the Gulf, Iranian officials warned the United States not to send in another carrier. In recent years, the United States has kept one carrier in the Gulf and one in the North Arabian Sea for much of the time.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that the U.S. naval and military presence in the region will not change and the current level is sufficient to deal with any situation that could arise.

“We have always maintained a very strong presence in that region,” Panetta said Wednesday. “We have a Navy fleet located there. We have a military presence in that region. And … we have continually maintained a strong presence in the region to make very clear that we were going to do everything possible to help secure the peace in that part of the world.”

A senior U.S. official acknowledged the Pentagon continues to see the Iranian naval forces controlled by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps inside the Persian Gulf as more aggressive than regular naval forces.

U.S. military intelligence has been tracking the record of Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders in the region and remains concerned about whether they are all firmly under the control of the most senior commanders in Teheran, the official said.

Out of concern that a confrontation could escalate unnecessarily, the United States recently suggested that a direct channel of communication be opened between the two governments.

U.S. military chief begins closed talks in Israel on Iranian nuclear program – The Washington Post.

JERUSALEM — The top general of the U.S. military began an intense string of closed talks with Israeli leaders Friday, amid apparent disagreements between the two countries over how to handle Iran’s nuclear program.

The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, and Israeli leaders are keeping silent about the exact content of their talks. Dempsey is expected to urge Israel not to rush to attack Iran at a time when the U.S. is trying to rally additional global support to pressure Tehran through sanctions.

At the start of a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Friday, Dempsey said the U.S. and Israel “have many interests in common in the region in this very dynamic time, and the more we can continue to engage each other, the better off we’ll all be.”

“There is never a dull moment,” Barak replied, in comments released by the Israeli defense minister’s office.

Israel believes Iran is close to developing the technology to building an atomic weapon. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Israel has said it prefers employing international diplomacy to solve the problem, but Israel has not taken the option of a military strike off the table.

Israel considers Iran an existential threat because of its nuclear program, missile development, support of radical anti-Israel forces in Lebanon and Gaza and frequent references by its president to the destruction of Israel.

Dempsey also met with Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz. Also on his tight Friday schedule are talks with Israel’s prime minister and president,

In between the talks, Dempsey plans to visit Israel’s Holocaust memorial and museum.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

© The Washington Post Company

‘US, Israel share challenge of Iranian threat’ –.

US military chief meets President Peres, Gantz; Dempsey: We respect you as our partner in the fight for freedom.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff described the Iranian threat as a “challenge shared by Jerusalem and Washington,” in a meeting Friday with President Shimon Peres and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz.

“The deep trust between the two countries will help protect our shared value of freedom,” said Dempsey. Emphasizing the friendship between the two countries he continued: “We respect you as our partner in the fight for freedom, not only in this region, but in the entire world.”

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Addressing the Iranian threat, Peres said, “I’m sure we will win this battle too, in the struggle for a free and safe world for all nations. Israel and the United States stand on the same front.”

The president also thanked Dempsey for coming to Israel saying, “your visit is important, in order to show our shared world view in relation to in issue that endangers the whole world.”

The US army chief began his round of meetings with Israel’s top military and political leadership on Friday with a clear message – coordination and dialogue is the key to improving Israel’s security standing in the region.

“We have many interests in common in the region in this very dynamic time and the more we can continue to engage each other, the better off we’ll all be,” Dempsey told Gantz and Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the beginning of their meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. Barak responded saying, “There is never a dull moment. That I can promise you”.

Dempsey also assured Gantz of US commitment to Israel: “The simplest message of all, my presence here, I hope reflects the commitment we have with each other and I’m here to assure you that’s the case.”

“I do know that both our countries share the same interests and values, and I’m sure that we can somehow work it out together,” Gantz said to his US counterpart earlier in the conversation, seemingly referring to the issue of the Iranian nuclear threat.

Dempsey, the US’s most senior military officer, arrived in Israel late Thursday night for talks that are aimed at getting the IDF and the government to put the brakes on plans to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. The US is hoping that Israel will move attack plans to the back burner and give diplomacy and sanctions more time to have an effect on the Iranian regime.

After arriving in Israel, Dempsey and his wife Deanie met Gantz and his wife Revital for dinner near Tel Aviv. Before the dinner, Gantz surprised Dempsey with a performance by the IDF orchestra which played Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York”. Dempsey is a known Sinatra fan and often sings at various military ceremonies.

Dempsey will also meet with head of Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi, OC IDF Planning Directorate Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel, President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. He will later visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum before leaving Israel Friday evening.

The US army chief’s visit comes amid rising tension between Jerusalem and Washington over Israeli frustration with the US and Europe’s reluctance to impose tougher economic sanctions on Iran.

He is expected to try and reassure Israel that the Obama administration is committed to stopping Iran’s nuclear program, even if it ultimately comes down to using military force. Top US officials have recently said that the US will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon.

While there are differences between the countries as to the type of steps that need to be taken to stop Iran, both Israel and the US share the same intelligence assessments regarding the status of Iran’s nuclear program.

As reported last month in The Jerusalem Post, Israeli and American intelligence believe that while Iran has mastered all of the technology it requires to build a nuclear weapon, the regime has yet to make the decision to do so.

Ahead of Dempsey’s visit, Barak tried to ease tensions with Washington, saying that an Israeli military strike against Iran is still “very far off.” Barak said that Israel was coordinating with the US on how to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“We haven’t made any decision to do this,” Barak told Army Radio on Wednesday, adding: “This entire thing is very far off. I don’t want to provide estimates [but] it’s certainly not urgent.”

Jpost.com staff contributed to this report

Obama: Iranian economy in ‘shambles’ – Israel News, Ynetnews.

In meeting with Jewish donors in New York, US president says Western sanctions caused severe damage to Iranian economy; reaffirms commitment to military, security cooperation with Israel

Yitzhak Benhorin

US President Barack Obama on Thursday met with Jewish donors in New York and declared that Western sanctions imposed on Iran have caused sever damage to its economy

Obama said that the US mobilized the world to impose “unprecedented sanctions” on Tehran and boasted the fact that Washington managed to get the support of China and Russia for the move. He noted the sanctions were “so effective, even the Iranians have had to acknowledge that their economy is in shambles.”

One of the event’s organizers, Alan Solow, told the Jewish daily Forward that Obama “made very clear that he’s serious about prohibiting Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.” He added that the president hopes to achieve those ends through sanctions, but that the Iranians are aware that all options are on the table.

The statements come as Israel demands that Washington increase pressure on Tehran fearing further progress into nuclear weapons production. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this week that the current sanctions were ineffective.

The president also repeated his unwavering support of Israel and said, “since I’ve been in office, we have unequivocally said that Israel’s security is non-negotiable.” He also discussed the unprecedented level of military and security cooperation between Jerusalem and Washington.

Obama was repeating statements he made in an interview with Time magazine adding that he was very serious in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities. “I have repeatedly said we don’t take any options off the table in preventing them from getting a nuclear weapon.” It should be noted that Obama did not initially address the Iran issue during his speech but answered questions on the subject by the donors.

The meeting was held in a gourmet restaurant in Manhattan’s Upper East Side and was attended by 100 representatives of the Jewish community who collectively donated some $500,000 to Obama’s campaign.

Among the participants was former New York Mayor Ed Koch, who despite being a democrat fiercely criticized the president during his conflict with Netanyahu on the settlement construction issue. Koch has since changed his views and is wielding his influence in the Jewish community to get Obama reelected.

During the dinner, the president said that since entering the White House he has worked to ensure that Israel and the US maintain a stronger than ever security cooperation. “That’s not my opinion, by the way, that’s the Israeli government’s opinion,” he said.

Prison Planet.com » Iran Threatens To Torpedo US Aircraft Carriers.

Three US warships stationed in waters near Strait of Hormuz

Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A senior Iranian military commander has warned that Iran has the capability to sink US aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf using detection-evading submarines that can fire torpedoes.

Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army’s Self-Sufficiency Jihad Rear Admiral Farhad Amiri, “Stated that Iran’s submarines are able to ambush and hit enemy vessels specially US Aircraft carriers from the seabed throughout the Persian Gulf,” reports the Fars News Agency ^[1].

Amiri said that while the United States was focused on Iran’s surface capabilities, the greater threat was posed by its fleet of submarines which, “Are noiseless and can easily evade detection as they are equipped with the sonar-evading technology and can fire missiles and torpedoes simultaneously.”

Amiri added that the submarines could “easily target and hit an aircraft carrier traversing in the nearby regions.”

After the US sailed the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier through the Strait of Hormuz in the midst of Iranian wargames, Iranian Army Commander Major General Ataollah Salehi warned America to keep its warships out of the region.

The US has made it clear that should Iran try to block the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil choke point, a “red line” will have been crossed.

Three US aircraft carriers are now stationed just outside Iranian waters, in addition to 15,000 troops that were sent to Kuwait at the end of last week.

A massive joint naval drill between the US and Israel that was set to coincide with Iranian wargames later this month was postponed earlier this week ^[2], with explanations varying as to why the exercise was called off.

Russia, which has its own warships stationed in the region, today reiterated its opposition to a military strike on Iran, with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warning ^[3] an attack would be a “catastrophe” for relations between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has stated ^[4] that Israel is still “very far off” a decision on whether not not to attack Iran over its nuclear program.

*********************

Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com ^[5]. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show and Infowars Nightly News.

Dempsey to Gantz: I’m here to assure you of US commitment –.

By JPOST.COM STAFF AND YAAKOV KATZ
01/20/2012 10:29

IDF chief meets US counterpart at Kirya; Gantz: “I know our countries share same interests, values… I hope we can work it out,”; Dempsey visits in effort to convince Israel to give Iran sanctions more time.

  Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff assured IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz of US commitment to Israel, in a meeting between the two at the Kirya Military Headquarters in Tel Aviv Friday morning.

“The simplest message of all is, my presence here, I hope reflects the commitment we have with each other and I’m here to assure you that’s the case,” Dempsey said to Gantz.
“I do know that both our countries share the same interests and values, and I’m sure that we can somehow work it out together,” said Gantz to Dempsey earlier in the conversation, seemingly referring to the issue of the Iranian nuclear threat.

Former OC Manpower Maj.-Gen. (res.) Gideon Shefer on Friday morning said that Dempsey was probably here to “stop” Israel from attacking Iran.

Dempsey arrived in Israel on Thursday evening with his wife, and dined with Gantz.

Dempsey will later meet with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, after which he will travel to Jerusalem where he will meet Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres.

The US general’s visit comes amid rising tension between Jerusalem and Washington over Israeli frustration with the US and Europe’s reluctance to impose tougher economic sanctions on Iran.

While there are differences between the countries as to the type of steps that need to be taken to stop Iran, both Israel and the US share the same intelligence assessments regarding the status of Iran’s nuclear program.

As reported last month in The Jerusalem Post, Israeli and American intelligence believe that while Iran has mastered all of the technology it requires to build a nuclear weapon, the regime has yet to make the decision to do so.

Ahead of Dempsey’s visit, Barak tried to ease tensions with Washington, saying that an Israeli military strike against Iran is still “very far off.” Barak said that Israel was coordinating with the US on how to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“We haven’t made any decision to do this,” Barak told Army Radio, adding, “This entire thing is very far off. I don’t want to provide estimates [but] it’s certainly not urgent.”

Dempsey is expected to try and reassure Israel that the Obama administration is committed to stopping Iran’s nuclear program, even if it ultimately comes down to using military force. Top US officials have recently said that the US will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon.

Meanwhile Wednesday, Gantz warned NATO military commanders to “prepare for the worst” in the wake of the ongoing upheaval in the Middle East and the proliferation of weaponry throughout the world, especially when those arms fall into the hands of terrorist organizations.

Addressing a meeting of NATO military commanders at the western military alliance in Brussels, Gantz said that the world needed to “strengthen moderate elements and weaken the radicals.”

“Only through joint work combining tough and soft power can we deter and in the long term overcome these radical elements,” Gantz said.

Earlier in the day, Gantz met with the Canadian and Italian chiefs of staff.

Gantz said that NATO’s decision to establish a missile defense system throughout Europe was a demonstration of the severity of the threat non-conventional weapons pose to the world.

“Ballistic missile defense systems need to be the last line of defense and the initiative needs to come earlier by exhausting all of the available means to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,” he said.

On Tuesday, Gantz called on NATO military commanders to think up new strategies for dealing with the growing instability in the Middle East and the subsequent increase in threats.

“We are today in a different and more dramatic reality that includes new threats and a period of instability requiring all of us to reassess,” he said during a meeting with General Knud Bartels, the chairman of the NATO Military Committee.

Gantz also met with Britain’s Chief of Staff General Sir David Richards and Russia military chief Nikolai Makarov, as well as the chiefs of staff of France, Spain, Australia, Greece and Poland.