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Putin Declares Military Spending War

June 29, 2015

Pentagon accuses Russia of ‘playing with fire’ over nuclear threats towards Nato

by Mary Chastain 28 Jun 2015 Via Breitbart


Cool sunglasses. [Photo Credit: AFP]

(Yeah, well good luck with that one Putin. Just remember the last time your predecessors tried to outspend the good old USA. – LS)

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the country faces intense threats on its border and must upgrade its army for protection. Ukraine disagrees, as its government reports this week that over 54,000 Russian soldiers are standing by on its borders.

“Currently, Russia continues to deploy a group of troops in close vicinity to border and in the occupied territory of Ukraine, consisting of 45 battalion tactical groups, 17 company tactical groups, with a total number of servicemen exceeding 54,000 people, with all weapons and equipment,” stated the Anti-Terrorist Organization press office.

Putin promised new military graduates plans “to spend 22 trillion rubles (over $400 billion) through 2020 to give the armed forces dozens of navy ships, hundreds of new planes and missiles and thousands of tanks and other weapons.” But his nuclear-armed intercontinental missile program has been delayed, which means the first missile will not be available for several months. There are no specific details regarding why it is taking so long.

“The plant is doing its work,” one defense industry source told The Moscow Times. “Everything now depends on whether or not contractors deliver the [remaining] components on time. The red line that cannot be crossed is the end of October.”

Tensions between the West and Russia continue to rise on an almost weekly basis. Russia’s neighbors pleaded for more protection after Moscow invaded eastern Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea in case Putin targets them next.

America recently announced more defense for NATO allies in Eastern Europe. It is the first time America has increased its presence in Europe since the end of the Cold War. The U.S. will spread weapons and 5,000 troops in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Poland. All of these countries were once Soviet states or satellite states. Russian officials warned of retaliation if America places tanks and weapons near Russian borders.

“If heavy U.S. military equipment, including tanks, artillery batteries and other equipment really does turn up in countries in eastern Europe and the Baltics, that will be the most aggressive step by the Pentagon and NATO since the Cold War,” declared General Yuri Yakubov, the Russian defense ministry official. “Russia will have no option but to build up its forces and resources on the Western strategic front.”

In mid-June, Putin sent waves through the West when he announced that Russia will own 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2015. The move forced NATO to review its nuclear weapon policy.

“There is very real concern about the way in which Russia publicly bandies around nuclear stuff,” explained a NATO diplomat. “So there are quite a lot of deliberations in the alliance about nuclear [weapons], but it is being done very slowly and deliberately. We need to do due diligence on where we are.”

Putin also caused a panic when he told the world that Moscow can plant nukes anywhere in their territory, including Crimea. Under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), five countries, including Russia, may plant “nuclear weapons anywhere in its territory.” However, the United Nations and NATO still consider Crimea a part of Ukraine. In May, NATO lashed out against Russia’s buildup in Crimea. They also repeated to Moscow that none of them recognize their annexation of Crimea.

 

Poking the Bear

June 26, 2015

Pentagon accuses Russia of ‘playing with fire’ over nuclear threats towards Nato

By Doug Bolton Friday 26 June 2015 Via The Independent


The US Deputy Secretary of Defence said that Russia’s attempts to intimidate Nato countries had not worked. [Photo Credit: Unknown]

(‘Violent statements and threats cannot provide a solution to the problem. They can only exacerbate feeling and make a clash of forces inevitable.’ – LS)

A senior Pentagon official has warned that Russia is “playing with fire” by suggesting it would threaten the use of nuclear weapons in international disputes, and added that Russia is attempting an intimidation campaign against Nato.

Robert Work, the US Deputy Secretary of Defence, told a House Armed Services subcommittee that Russia was trying to control the escalation of tensions by invoking the threat of nuclear weapons.

He said: “Anyone who thinks they can control escalation through the use of nuclear weapons is literally playing with fire.”

“Escalation is escalation, and nuclear use would be the ultimate escalation.”

The Kremlin has not made any direct nuclear threats, and Work did not specify and particular comments. However, numerous references to Russia’s nuclear arsenal in the last few months by Russian officials have increased tensions between East and West.

In April, leaked notes from a meeting between US officials and Russian generals revealed that Russia mentioned “a spectrum of responses from nuclear to non-military” if Nato moved more forces into the Baltic states.

In a documentary about the annexation of Crimea aired on Russian TV, President Vladimir Putin was asked by the interviewer if he was prepared to put Russia’s nuclear forces on alert. He said: “We were ready to do it.”

In March, the Russian ambassador to Denmark warned that “Danish warships would be targets for Russia’s nuclear weapons” if the country joined Nato’s missile defence programme.

Threats and posturing aside, Russia has taken steps to beef up its nuclear arsenal – speaking at a military expo earlier this month, Putin announced the development of 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles, that would be able to overcome “even the most technically advanced anti-missile defence systems”.

A Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of delivering multiple nuclear weapons, is paraded through Moscow’s Red Square in the 2009 Victory Day parade The new missiles are not themselves nuclear weapons, but are nuclear-capable, as they will allow Russia to more easily deliver their stockpile of around 3,000 warheads.

In his speech, Work was defiant in the face of the Russian nuclear arsenal.

He said: “Senior Russian officials continue to make irresponsible statements regarding its nuclear forces, and we assess that they are doing it to intimidate our allies and us.”

“These have failed. If anything, they have really strengthened the Nato alliance solidarity.”

Nato has accused Russia of ‘sabre rattling’ in recent months, but the alliance have themselves been increasing their military presence in Eastern Europe.

Read more: Britain remains vital to the success of Nato
Russia begins huge air force drill as Nato exercises begin
Russia warns Sweden not to join Nato

On Tuesday, Nato announced that heavy weapons would be deployed across Europe in an effort to stand up to Russia.

Tanks, artillery, fighting vehicles and thousands of soldiers will be stationed in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania and Poland, in a show of military strength.

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter told the press: “While we do not seek a cold, let alone a hot war with Russia, we will defend our allies.”

Earlier this month, a large Nato military exercise took place in the Baltic Sea, with forces from across the alliance practicing amphibious landings and naval maneouvres.

Nato tests its high-readiness attack forces in Western Poland during a recent exercise Some of these exercises took place just a couple of hundred miles from Russia’s naval base in Kaliningrad.

As part of the larger exercise, Exercise Noble Jump took place in Poland from 9 June, in a test of Nato’s high readiness task force, that is designed to respond to urgent situations.

And yesterday, The Guardian reported that sources and Nato claimed that the alliance was preparing to discuss its own strategy on using nuclear weapons at a meeting in Brussels.

Up for discussion were Russia’s threats – with Nato ministers asking whether they should be taken seriously, or whether they are simply rhetoric.

As tensions increase, tit-for-tat exchanges of military force look set to continue.

 

A Belief System in Need of Reform

June 26, 2015

(Some may have issues with the source, but I find this video quite compelling. – LS)

 

 

Islamofascists Welcome Vacationing Foreign Tourists

June 26, 2015

At least 27 dead in terror attack at Tunisia hotel, state news agency says

By Yousuf Basil and Greg Botelho, Via CNN Updated 9:11 AM ET, Fri June 26, 2015


Touble in paradise. [Photo Credit: Screenshot]

(While the West is preoccupied with avoiding collateral damage, these animals use it to their advantage. –  LS)

(CNN)Terrorists killed at least 27 people in an attack Friday on a beachfront Tunisian hotel, Tunisian officials said, according to the state-run TAP news agency.

Tunisia’s interior minister reported 27 dead — at least some of whom were guests at the Hotel Riu Imperial Marhaba in Sousse, TAP reported.

Still, those figures are preliminary. In fact, an operation was still underway Friday afternoon after Tunisian security forces exchanged gunfire with the attackers.

On its website, Hotel Riu Imperial Marhaba is described as an all-inclusive hotel with views of Port El Kantaoui. It contains indoor and outdoor pools, including one for children, as well as buffet-style and theme restaurants.

“This all creates the ideal environment for relaxing holidays away from the hustle and bustle of the city,” the website says.

Attacks in France, Kuwait

The bloodshed comes the same day as at least two deadly terrorist attack in other countries.

One person was beheaded and two injured at a gas factory near Lyon in southeastern France, according to French President Francois Hollande. And ISIS has claimed responsibility for an apparent bomb blast at the Shiite-affiliated Al-Sadiq mosque in Kuwait‘s capital during Friday prayers, leading to a number of death and injuries.

Friday’s beachfront hotel attack is not new for Tunisia, which has been hailed as a success story of the Arab Spring but has not been immune to terrorist violence that’s plagued many around the region, including its neighbor Libya.

It’s also the latest to apparently targeting tourists in the North African, which has attracted visitors for its culture and Mediterranean Sea beaches.

In March, at least 23 people died when gunmen stormed the landmark Bardo Museum in Tunis. In a subsequent audio statement, ISIS identified two men — Abu Zakariya al-Tunisi and Abu Anas al-Tunisi — who it said used “automatic weapons and hand grenades” to kill and injure what it called “crusaders and apostates”

Israel Asks for Better Gas Mileage

June 25, 2015

Possible Revised F-35 Could Make It for Israel Easier to Attack Iran

By: Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu Published: June 25th, 2015 Via Jewish Press


F-35 in trial run. Simply awesome. [Photo Credit: Screenshot]

(The engineers at Lockheed have done some pretty amazing stuff. I bet they deliver on this one. – LS)

Lockheed-Martin is studying an Israel request for a longer flight range that would make refueling easier.

The manufacturer of the F-35 stealth attack plane, which Israel might use to attack Iran, is examining an Israeli request to extend the flight range by 30 percent, Amir Rapaport of the Israel Defense website reported Thursday.

Approximately 1,000 miles (1,500 kilometers) separate Israel and Iran, and the current F-35 is designed to fly approximately the same distance without refueling.

The IDF has asked the range to be extended to 1,500 miles, according to Rapaport.

That still would require refueling before Israeli attack planes could return home, but a longer flight range would preclude refueling en route or having to use a base closer to Iran, such as Azerbaijan. A longer flight range also would widen the choices where Israeli pilots could land for refueling on their way home from a bombing mission.

Israel Defense noted that special versions of the F-15 and F-16 include additional fuel tanks, but that option is less practical for the F-35. Even adding fuel capacity by 30 percent would make the airplane larger, challenge engineers to retain the F-35’s stealth capabilities.

IAF teams reportedly are working with Lockheed-Martin in Texas before the first F-35s are due to arrive in Israel towards the end of 2016.

As in the previous planes, Israel has introduced several improvements for the stealth fighter.
Rapaport wrote that sources said:

Israel will significantly improve the aircraft as it once did with the F-15 and F-16.

The F-35 is considered by many Israeli defense officials to be its answer to Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon if an agreement between the P5+1 powers and Tehran does not halt the program.

Below: Video of F-35 in action.

Everyone in Holding Pattern Except Iran

June 25, 2015

Israel Freezes Defense Aid Talks with US Pending Iran Deal

By Cynthia Blank 6/25/2015 Via Israel National News


Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon at Arrow 2 test [Photo Credit: Flash 90]

(While the world waits, Iran moves forward. More extensions anyone? – LS)

A joint meeting of senior representatives in the Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office resulted in the decision to temporarily suspend dialogue with the United States regarding defense aid to the Jewish state.

The freeze will remain in place until the conclusion of talks between Iran and P5+1 world powers on Tehran’s nuclear program, if not later.

The main reason for suspending the dialogue, officials told Walla! News, is the mounting tension between the White House and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government.

According to a senior defense official, who confirmed the report, freezing talks now will allow Israel to present a new request for defense materials after a deal with Iran has been finalized.

The official asserted that Israel is waiting for negotiations between Iran and Western powers to conclude, to see what exactly the US signs, and from there make demands for maintaining Israel’s security in the region.

Other officials though have suggested Israel may prolong the freeze until a new US president is inaugurated in early 2017, thereby avoiding contact with current US President Barack Obama, whose relationship with Israel has been contentious.

The pressure of a looming nuclear deal with Iran has also begun to affect US officials.

A group of top US experts on security and foreign policy, including former Obama advisors, sent a letter Wednesday night to the President, warning him that the pending accord “may fall short of meeting the administration’s own standard of a ‘good’ agreement.”

Do Us All a Favor Iran and Just Walk Away

June 24, 2015

Iran’s Supreme Leader Throws a Bag of Wrenches

Posted On Jun 24 2015 Via The American Interest

(This dog and pony show is over. – LS)

With less than a week to go before the nuclear negotiation’s June 30 deadline, Iran can’t seem to take yes for an answer. Despite tireless (some are saying desperate and counterproductive) efforts by Secretary of State John Kerry to make a deal happen, Iran’s Supreme Leader appears to be doing his utmost to cause a breakdown. Ayatollah Khamenei took to Twitter to state seven Iranian red lines:

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[Photo Credit: Twitter] Note: Click Image to Enlarge.

The Ayatollah elaborated his conditions during a live broadcast on Iranian TV, but the heart of his remarks (as they’ve been translated so far) remains the same: “Freezing Iran’s Research and Development (R&D) for a long time like 10 or 12 years is not acceptable” and “All financial and economic sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council, the U.S. Congress or the U.S. government should be lifted immediately when we sign a nuclear agreement.”

So at the eleventh hour of the nuclear negotiations, we have reached the point where the Ayatollah’s demands become a bit like the menu in the old Monte Python sketch: “Spam spam spam spam baked beans spam spam spam… baked beans are off.” All there is is spam—and by spam, he means sanctions relief.
So what is going on here? It may well be, as TAI editor Adam Garfinkle has predicted, that the Supreme Leader, for internal reasons, won’t take “yes” for an answer. In other words, this might be a list of poison-pill demands, designed to make the agreement unacceptable to the United States and/or its allies. (Incidentally, Garfinkle added that it would be a good thing for the U.S. if the Iranians to be seen to be the ones walking away. If the negotiations do indeed break down, these demands may make the Ayatollah look tough at home, but they will help the U.S. a lot in the global optics battle.)

But there are other possibilities, too. U.S. concessions have mounted with dizzying rapidity in recent weeks, and now insiders are telling Reuters that Secretary Kerry is oozing desperation out of desire to secure a personal legacy. (Last week, we noted that Western diplomats have been saying the same of the Administration writ large.) Do the Iranians think they have such a strong hand—or such a psychological advantage over the Administration—that they might realistically get a large portion of this just by asking? (“Well, you can’t have a two year timeline, but very well, what are a few inspections between friends.”)

Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, the Group of Five is far from united, with France (increasingly close to Saudi Arabia) staking out a hard line and promising to stick to it. Then there’s the “unseen players” we’ve previously discussed, who are not formally present at the negotiating tables, but whose approval (or at least acquiescence) will be necessary for the deal to stick: Congress, the Sunni Arabs led by Saudi Arabia, and Israel.

The Israelis and Saudis already view the negotiations as paving the path to an Iranian bomb; acceding to any of these demands is not likely to soften that view. Remember, the deal is only worth it if Israel doesn’t decide unilateral military action is its only remaining hope, or the Saudis don’t decide to go nuclear themselves. Meanwhile, due to Corker-Menendez, some of the Iranian demands (particularly the immediate lifting of “U.S. Congress” sanctions the day the deal is signed) are outright impossible under U.S. law. Furthermore, the overall spirit of these demands as a whole is so blatantly contrary to the purposes for which the U.S. entered into negotiations that it would likely make it very difficult for Congress, including Congressional Democrats, to sign off on a deal signed under them.

Iran has often benefited during the nuclear negotiations from its two-tier authority system—President and Supreme Leader—which among other things allows for deniability and good cop-bad cop ploys. Now the Ayatollah has stepped forward at almost the last minute to throw a whole bag of wrenches into the works. Much will depend on how the Administration and the other parties respond. One thing is for sure—we’re in for an interesting week.

The Cancer That is Jihad

June 24, 2015

The Rise of Evil: Global Islamic Jihad on Israel and the West

Posted On Jun 24 2015 By Leslie-Ann Stoffel Via Politichicks


[Photo Credit: Unknown]

(As with many cancers, jihad can be a silent killer thanks to the liberal media and progressives throughout the world. – LS)

By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise. Adolf Hitler

We plan to eliminate the state of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian state. We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion. We Palestinians will take over everything, including all of Jerusalem. Yassar Arafat

America is a great power possessed of tremendous military might and a wide-ranging economy, but all this is built on an unstable foundation which can be targeted, with special attention to its obvious weak spots. If America is hit in one hundredth of these weak spots, God willing, it will stumble, wither away and relinquish world leadership. Osama Bin Laden

Global Islamic Jihad is advancing rapidly. We’re in the fight of our very lives and yet our leaders refuse to see it and expose us to more and more slaughter and horror. I personally feel like I live in an Islamic Jihad snuff film that is on a never ending loop.

Islamofascism: The New Nazism

Israel is on the front lines of the Global Islamic Jihad and have lost countless lives due to this battle. As Brian of London wrote in his piece on Israellycool , Israel let down their guard and removed check points. This resulted in the murder of a Tel Aviv man who went out hiking in Dolev Israel, approximately 17 miles Northwest of Jerusalem, this weekend with his friend. The two hikers reached out to assist some Arabs who appeared to need help and they were shot point blank. Late Friday afternoon, June 19, 25 year old Daniel Gonen succumbed to his wounds and died. His friend survived.

With the advent of Ramadan travel restrictions have been lifted for Arabs in Jerusalem and the result of this has been rocks thrown at passing cars and a city bus, a violent riot by Arabs with Israeli police and a policemen being critically stabbed by an Arab at the Damascus Gate.

Other incidents such as finding dangerous weaponry in vehicles another stabbing of a Jew have also been part of what’s happened just this weekend alone.

These attacks against the Jews are becoming commonplace and the frighteningly acceptable as Israel is demonized, lied about and smeared by the mainstream media. Their sympathies lie with the Jihadists.

The Jews are under siege, not just from within, but from without also. The EU, now overrun by Islamists, kowtow to them and embrace the destruction of Israel by insisting on a two state solution, which everyone knows will be the final solution. The UN ignores the slaughter going on by the Islamic State and other Islamic groups, and instead focuses on demonizing Israel, the only Democracy in that region where all people have equal rights under the law.

Devious and Dangerous Delegitimization

Yassar Arafat explained the strategy of the PLO when he said, “We plan to eliminate the state of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian state. We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion. We Palestinians will take over everything, including all of Jerusalem.”

The Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions, also known as BDS, is the worldwide movement meant to do just that. It has sprung up out of the lie that Israel is an apartheid state. Nothing could be further from the truth as all citizens of Israel have the same rights under the law. The man behind this movement is Qatari born Omar Barghouti, who now lives in Israel and attends Tel Aviv University.

He has stated: “We oppose a Jewish state in any part of ‘Palestine’….No Palestinian will ever accept a Jewish state in ‘Palestine’.”

These demonization campaigns are meant to do what Hitler did, demoralize and devalue the life of the Jew so that when the final solution is put in place, no one will care.

With a Little Help From Their Friends

The hard left and the mainstream media are on the front lines of covering up and pushing the Jihad movement on the West. Rarely are the attacks on Israelis even mentioned and if they are, Israel is made to look like the aggressor, or if a Jewish Settler is attacked the implication is that they deserved it. Such racism would never be allowed against any other group of people.

If it weren’t for Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, Daniel Greenfield, Jamie Glazov and Raymond Ibrahim, among a handful of others, we would not hear of 1/10th of the Islamic Jihad attacks in North America and around the world.

When Pamela Geller was threatened with death due to her free speech event truth was turned on its head as Geller became the story and was attacked by the mainstream media for standing up for free speech. Even some within conservative news attacked her and wanted her to acquiesce to the Jihad and relinquish her rights. The mainstream media has decided that they will submit to the Sharia. Isn’t that what Bin Laden meant when he said: “If America is hit in one hundredth of these weak spots, God willing, it will stumble, wither away and relinquish world leadership.

For the sake of time and space I’ll mention just a few attacks that have taken place most recently as reported by Geller and Spencer.

According to Pamela Geller, on Saturday June 20, 2015, Austria had a vehicular Jihad attack by a Bosnian Muslim, leaving 3 dead, 1 of them being a 7 year old and scores injured. He even started stabbing people. Jerusalem has also had a number of these vehicular attacks in the recent months.

In the UK, Prime Minister Cameron has asked for Muslims to fight radicalization in their midst. Turning truth on its head once again, a UK Muslim leader has called this unhelpful and wants more focus on Islamophobia.

Jihad Watch reports that, so as not to hurt the sensibilities of an Islamic terrorist, the UK has chosen to forgo the electronic tag on an Islamic Imam accused of recruiting for a Jihad group.

Is Global Islamic Jihad and their enablers in the media, the EU, the UN, in the higher echelons of our own governments employing a technique used by Psychopaths called gaslighting, a method of psychological warfare meant to confound and confuse their victim?

Friends in High Places

According to The Investigative Project, a recent State Department report minimizes Palestinian incitement to violence.

A portion of the report reads: “The State Department assessment also ignores the direct participation of senior PA officials in praising terrorists and inciting violence against Israelis and Jews.

For example, the report does not mention PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ call last October for Palestinians to prevent Jews from going to the Temple Mount compound “in any way.” The video clip of Abbas’ Oct. 17 speech was shown 19 on PA television times in three days, implicitly calling for Palestinians to use violence against Israelis.

Instead, the report described PA efforts “to ensure” Friday sermons in more than 1,800 mosques controlled by the PA “do not endorse incitement to violence … the guidance is that no sermon can discuss political or lead to incitement to violence.”

In February, however, the PA Minister of Religious Affairs and other prominent religious officials resorted to an age-old blood libel accusing Jews of attacking Muslims sites and that Israel is trying to destroy the al-Aqsa Mosque, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reports. Such accusations are baseless and encourage Palestinians to conduct terrorist attacks against Israel.

The State Department report also omits any reference to official Palestinianglorification of terrorists.”

Not to mention that at every turn President Obama shows his sympathy for the Global Jihad. Even going so far as to use the UN platform to declare on September 25, 2012, that the “’The Future Must Not Belong To Those Who Slander The Prophet of Islam.” Oddly enough that was part of his Benghazi cover up theatre. The Islamic Jihad attacked the American Embassy and murdered 4 Americans. Those Americans, we’ve come to find out, were left there to be slaughtered by the jackals.

Was this proclamation at the UN a greenlight for the Global Jihad? It increased exponentially shortly afterward and the Islamic State was left to run amok and create their caliphate in the Middle East.

We’re All IS

As reported by Robert Spencer in Jihad Watch, an Ohio Muslim arrested on terror charges proclaims, “We are all Islamic State citizens. This isn’t some gang in the desert you’re fighting. This is WW3 the beginning has just begun,” Al-Ghazi wrote on Facebook, according to the FBI.

Al-Ghazi communicated with two people he believed were members of ISIL in the Middle East and expressed a desire to commit terrorist attacks on the United States, the FBI said in a news release. He also attempted to buy an AK-47 assault rifle….”

So there you have it. We’re living in hell with these monsters poised and at the ready to lay siege on us and we’re told that we’re still living in Paradise.

Once Again, We are Reminded Who’s in Charge

June 24, 2015

Khamenei Refuses To Halt Iran’s Nuclear Research, Demands Immediate Sanctions Relief

by TheTower.org Staff 06.24.15 7:43 am


[Photo: wochit World / YouTube ]

(The little man in the White House continues to remind us of his ineffectiveness, naivite, and overall lack of understanding. – LS)

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he would refuse to allow a halt his nation’s nuclear research, and demanded an immediate end to sanctions upon signing a nuclear deal with the West, Reuters reported Tuesday.

“Freezing Iran’s Research and Development (R&D) for a long time like 10 or 12 years is not acceptable,” Khamenei said in a speech broadcast live.

Disputes over how much transparency Iran should offer to ease suspicions that it has covertly sought to develop nuclear bombs, and the timing and pace of relief from sanctions imposed on Tehran, have been two major sticking points to the final deal.

“All financial and economic sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council, the U.S. Congress or the U.S. government should be lifted immediately when we sign a nuclear agreement,” Khamenei said.

Khamenei also categorically ruled out international inspectors accessing military sites or interviewing nuclear scientists. Such actions are necessary to establish the extent of Iran’s past nuclear research and ensure that Iran cannot secretly develop a nuclear weapon.

Khamenei also tweeted out the main points of his speech.

Many leading world figures, including International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Yukiya Amano and French foreign minister Laurent Fabuis,  have insisted that inspections of Iran’s military sites are essential to ensure a verifiable deal. However, Khamenei and other top Iranian officials have adamantly and consistently ruled out such inspections.

Senior Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani, have also demanded the immediate end to sanctions upon signing deal. Experts have warned that such sanctions relief will allow Iran to boost its support of terrorism and will strengthen Iran’s hardliners at the expense of the moderates in government.

Khamenei has long stated that Iran would make no concessions on its “nuclear achievements.”

Michael Oren: I wrote my book to stop Obama’s Iran deal

June 23, 2015

Michael Oren: I wrote my book to stop Obama’s Iran deal

BY: By Nick Gass 6/23/15 7:35 AM EDT Via Politico


Note: Video link refuses to cooperate. Go to original article at link above.

(I was fortunate to catch this interview on MSNBC this morning. A most impressive friend you’ve got there, JW. – LS)

Michael Oren, the former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and the author of a controversial new book about his tenure in Washington, said Tuesday that he timed its release expressly to raise alarm bells about President Barack Obama’s nuclear talks with Iran.

“This book comes out now for a reason,” Oren said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” speaking about his book “Ally: My Journey Across the American Israeli Divide,” which comes out Tuesday, a week ahead of the June 30 deadline for a nuclear agreement.

Any deal with Iran should be “conditioned on Iranian behavior,” Oren said, adding that the alternative to any deal with the Iranians is “a better deal” in which the country’s breakout time for enrichment is longer than a month or a year.

“Maybe if I were an Iranian negotiator, I wouldn’t sign it either,” he said, noting that longer they wait, the better deal they could get for their interests.

Oren also slammed what he termed the “signing bonus” for Iran agreeing to a nuclear deal, which he said could be as much as $50 billion. That money is “coming to a neighborhood near you,” he said, noting Iran’s history of funding terror proxies that have killed Americans.

He also laid into the White House, repeating his charge that Obama put daylight between the U.S. and Israel as a matter of policy when he spoke in Cairo in 2009. Under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, the two countries tried to keep their problems behind closed doors, he added.

By contrast, any mistakes Israel has made, any surprises, he reiterated, were “honest,” as in 2010 when the Jewish state announced a plan to expand settlement housing in East Jerusalem when Vice President Joe Biden visited the country.