Iran issues a warning for America after attacking spy drone

 

An Iranian couple hold a model of the captured US RQ-170 drone during the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic revolution in Azadi (Freedom) square in Tehran on February 11, 2012. (AFP Photo/Atta Kenare)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/usa/news/iran-drone-us-airspace-360/

Following confirmation from both sides that an American surveillance drone was fired at by Iranian jets, top brass with Iran’s military say the country won’t hesitate to shoot again next time a US craft enters its airspace.

“The defenders of the Islamic Republic will respond decisively to any form of encroachment by air, sea or on the ground," Brig. Gen. Massoud Jazayeri, a senior armed forces commander, told the Fars news agency in a report published on Friday.

One day earlier, the Pentagon admitted that an unmanned aerial vehicle managed by the US Defense Department escaped unscathed from enemy fire during a routine surveillance mission 16 miles outside of Iran on November 1. Iranians do not contest that account entirely, but do dispute America’s claim in regards to where exactly the incident occurred. According to the Pentagon, the drone was targeted last week while flying far enough off of the Iranian coast that it was considered to be in international territory. While Iran has declined to offer an exact number to counter America’s claims of being 16 nautical miles off land, remarks from foreign defense officials suggest that the US could have been closer.

Comments from both Gen. Jazayeri and Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, Iran’s minister of defense, suggest that the US aircraft was within 12 miles from the Iranian coast, making it fair game for that country’s air force to open fire.

"If any foreign aircraft attempts to enter our airspace our armed forces will deal with them," says Jazayeri, who also serves as the deputy chairman to the country’s chief of staff. Jazayeri failed to specifically imply he was discussing the drone, but made his comments hours after the Pentagon confirmed that their craft was fired at.

According to the New York Times, Iran also disputes where the shooting actually originated from. Initially, the US says two airplanes controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot at the drone. As far as Gen. Vahidi, the defense minister, is concerned, that’s incorrect. The Times writes that Vahidi believes “the two Iranian planes, which the Pentagon had identified as Russian-made Su-25 jets known as Frogfoots, belonged to the Iranian Air Force.” The paper notes that America’s insistence that the attack came from the Guard Corps pins the blame on a group “whose activities are routinely more aggressive than the conventional Air Force.”

George Little, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters on Thursday that the United States has every intention of continuing its routine spy missions from international territory outside of Iran.

"The United States has communicated to the Iranians that we will continue to conduct surveillance flights over international waters, over the Arabian Gulf, consistent with longstanding practices and our commitment to the security of the region,” Little said.

Contesting Iran’s claims of being in their own airspace, Little added, "Our aircraft was never in Iranian airspace. It was always flying in international airspace.”

In a briefing released by the Stratfor intelligence group, they suggest that the US will do little to avoid any possible future altercations like last week’s. “It should be remembered that they were shooting at an unmanned aircraft, which was created in part so that no human life would be at risk if it was shot down. That doesn't mean the United States is casual about losing a very expensive piece of hardware. It does mean that the U.S. military is unlikely to suspend operations,” writes Stratfor. “Clearly the United States doesn't mind making the Iranians nervous.”

The assault is believed to be the first time during a 30-year plus standoff between the two countries that Iran opened fire on an American UAV. Last year, Iran hijacked one of those unmanned drones well within their territory during what the US called a routine reconnaissance mission.

 

US spy operations on the up in Africa - report

Undated file photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy shows a RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle conducting tests over Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland (Reuters/U.S. Navy/Erik Hildebrandt/Northrop Grumman/Handout)

Source: Russia Today
http://www.rt.com/news/africa-intelligence-us-spread-780/

The US is planning to expand secret intelligence bases throughout Africa with a view to combating terrorism in the region, says a new report by the Washington Post. It is the latest in a US push to militarize its presence on the continent.

The plans include the deployment of spy planes equipped with high-tech surveillance technology.

The US is set to extend its influence, opening a number of intelligence air bases “from the fringes of the Sahara to jungle terrain along the equator,” said the Washington Post.

The initiative dates back to 2007 and is indicative of the rapid expansion of US Special Forces operations in the region as part of the decade-long war against Al-Qaeda.

The US will use the strategically-placed bases to launch spy planes disguised as private aircraft kitted-out with a range of sensors able to record video, track infrared heat trails and tap into radio and mobile phone signals.

The reasoning behind the ratcheting-up of surveillance on the African continent by the US is the increasing presence of terrorist cells that could potentially destabilize the region.

The Washington Post said that the US government currently has a number of intelligence facilities across Africa, including Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Seychelles, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

The bases in Burkina Faso and Mauritania are used to spy on Al-Qaeda.

The US military has expressed concerns over the growing influence of the Nigerian terrorist sect Boko Haram, blamed for a wave of bombings in the country in December and Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Shabab in Somalia.

In addition, 100 special troops are currently in action in Uganda to hunt for Joseph Kony, the leader of a brutal guerrilla group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army.

Some state department officials have questioned the necessity to step-up a US presence in Africa given that many of the terrorist groups active on the continent represent no direct threat to the US.

In spite of doubts the US continues to rack up its presence in Africa. Last month the Army Times confirmed US military plans to deploy over 3,000 troops across the continent as part of a “regionally aligned force concept.”

US to maintain 'Light Footprint' in Africa?

Officially the US is painting an altogether different picture of its operations in Africa. Army General Carter F. Ham top US Africa command officer said that the US is not seeking permanent military bases in the region.

“In Africa, I would say a light footprint is consistent with what we need and consistent with the defense guidance," said General Carter.

The general said he recognized that some African nations were concerned over increased US military presence across Africa, but stressed that this did not necessarily mean the US would be establishing more bases there.

However, in a testimony to US Congress in March he said that he wanted to increase US surveillance and reconnaissance in Africa.

“Without operating locations on the continent, ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] capabilities would be curtailed, potentially endangering US security,” he said.

Iran starts cloning of American spy drone

Captured US RQ-170 drone (AFP Photo / Atta Kenare)

Source: Russia Today
http://rt.com/news/iran-spy-drone-copy-667/

Iran has completed reverse-engineering of the captured US spy drone and has started building its own copy, Iranian media reports.

The Revolutionary Guard is yet to decode parts of the software the Sentinel aircraft uses, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who heads the force’s aerospace division, said on Sunday.

"The Americans should be aware to what extent we have infiltrated the plane," Iranian Fars news agency quoted the general as saying. "Our experts have a full understanding of its components and programs."

The Pentagon stated that the drone’s security will prevent Iranian engineers from cracking its technology.

Tehran has already copied the Sentinel – as a toy, and sent one to the US as a mocking response to America’s request to hand over the aircraft.

Iran announced capturing RQ-170 Sentinel surveillance UAV in December 2011. The US believed that the aircraft crashed in Iran’s desolate mountainous area, but apparently Iranian military managed to hack into the drone’s control system and bring it down.

Earlier this week Tehran said a number of nations approached Iran over possible sharing of military technology it may have developed through studying its drone prize. China and Russia reportedly showed the most interest.

Iran attack to terminate in vortex of war

The US military is preparing a massive military campaign against Iran by sending thousands of American troops, warships and weaponry to Israel.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219986.html

An American analyst maintains that a possible military strike on Iran by the US or its lackey, Israel, will lead to a vicious circle of retaliation which may draw the whole world into the vortex of war.

“Whether the United States launches a major assault on Iran or Israel does, Iran will retaliate against US troops and probably Israel and possibly the United States itself as well. And the United States will without any doubt re-retaliate for that,” Davis Swanson added.

Noting Washington is ready to start a war against Iran, the analyst said over the past decade, the US has been using every kind of accusation against Iran to convince the world that Iran is an international menace.

The article which was published on Global Research added, “The United States has labeled Iran an evil nation,…designated part of Iran's military a terrorist organization, falsely accused Iran of crimes including the attacks of 9/11, murdered Iranian scientists and funded opposition groups in Iran.”

Swanson said in addition to flying drones over Iran, the US has been building up military forces all around the country's borders, while imposing cruel sanctions on Tehran.

He added that in the latest turn of events, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has come under “corrupting influence” of the United States to claim that Iran is secretly developing a nuclear weapon.

The IAEA claims, he wrote, come despite Iran voluntarily accepting stricter standards than the Agency requires as the country is not obliged under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to declare all of its installations to the Agency.

Swanson said even if Iran sought to build a nuclear weapon, “strategically, legally, and morally weapons possession is not ground for war, and neither is pursuit of weapons possession.”

“Many in the US government and military oppose attacking Iran…. Much of the Israeli military is opposed [to war] as well, not to mention the Israeli and US people,” he said.

Swanson said the latest concoction against Tehran “is that 'Iran did 9/11' lie” which has been refuted in detail by many researchers both in and outside the United States.

“Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, which did play a role in 911 as well as in the Iraqi resistance, is being sold record quantities of that good old leading US export of which we're all so proud: weapons of mass destruction,” he said.

Warning against possible outcomes of war with Iran, he added that the environmental damage of war would be tremendous as it would trigger a nuclear arms race among regional countries.

IRGC begins military drills in Iran's Khaf

File photo showing IRGC tanks during military drills

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219810.html

A high-ranking Iranian military commander says the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has started military drills codenamed “Shohaday-e Vahdat (Martyrs of Unity)” in eastern Iran.

Commander of IRGC Ground Forces Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said the first phase of the exercise has started on Saturday in the vicinity of Khaf city, adding that the main phase of the maneuvers will kick off on Monday.

Bolstering security along Iran's border areas and strengthening the combat readiness of the IRGC Ground Forces are the main goals of the drills, he added.

“Transferring the experiences of the Sacred Defense [Iran's eight-year war with Iraq] to the new generation and young officers and practicing tactical strategies of [the IRGC] ground forces in various combat sections of asymmetrical warfare are other goals of the Shohaday-e Vahdat drills,” he added.

Pakpour said the IRGC would use some of its tactical capabilities and innovations during the drills.

Noting that the exercise also aims to increase the readiness of IRGC forces under extreme climatic conditions, the commander said, “Shohaday-e Vahdat maneuvers are taking place in Khaf where the temperature drops 15-21 degrees below zero.”

On Friday, Iranian lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh explained that the country holds military drills in response to enemy threats particularly those posed by the US, which uses the language of threat against Iran, and its moves in the region can only be considered hostile.

On December 24, 2011, Iran's Navy launched a massive 10-day naval exercise codenamed Velayat 90 which covered an area stretching from the east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden.

Different classes of submarines, including Tareq and Ghadir, the newest surface-to-sea missile systems, and torpedoes were employed in the maneuvers.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy announced on January 5 that the IRGC would be holding a major military maneuver in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz in February.

IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said the drill, the seventh in a series of drills dubbed the Great Prophet, will be different compared to previous exercises held by the IRGC.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, connects the Persian Gulf with the Sea of Oman and is a major oil route.

Britain brags about war on Iran

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219801.html

British foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has violated the international law by threatening to attack Iran if it closes its territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz to transit.

His threat comes despite Iran's clarification that it does not seek to close the strategic waterway and the fact that under the international law the issue is not Britain's business as it has no sovereignty in the region.

Hammond said in a speech in Washington that closure of the World's most important oil artery would be “illegal and unsuccessful” saying Britain and the US would keep the water lane open using the might of their “joint naval presence” in the Persian Gulf.

His illegal threat against Iran as a sovereign nation followed Iranian Navy's massive military exercises over an area from the east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden, which the Navy said were defensive in nature.

Iranian Navy chief, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari earlier made clear “our intention is to bring stability and security to the region” without any need to “resorting to powers from outside.”

Hammond's talk of war and the legal status of an attempt to close the strategic waterway also came as almost any vessel sailing through the Strait of Hormuz should pass through Iranian territorial waters especially upon entrance into the Persian Gulf where ships have to pass the waters off the Iranian islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Faroor.

Indeed, Hammond risked international derision by describing a sovereign country's move to block its own territory to international transit as illegal while he was himself violating the United Nations Charter.

The UN Charter prohibits member states from both threatening and using force against other member states in international disputes, except in self-defense.

The Strait of Hormuz is vital to global oil trade as 40 percent of the seaborne oil transit, equal to a daily 15.5 million barrels of oil passes through the waterway.

Peace activists have described Britain's “saber-rattling” against Iran as “beyond stupid” while there are fundamental questions about the fact that Britain is capable of going to another war following the invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, which have brought the British economy to its knees.

Hammond hid that aspect of the issue when talking of Iran, yet he confirmed the financial setbacks to any future military adventurism by London officials elsewhere in his comments.

"Without strong economies and stable public finances it is impossible to build and sustain, in the long-term, the military capability required to project power and maintain defence,” he said.

"That is why today the debt crisis should be considered the greatest strategic threat to the future security of our nations," he added.

Ron Paul raps US hostility toward Iran

US Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219725.html

US Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has lashed out at Washington's hostile policies toward Iran, saying there is no evidence that Tehran is making nuclear weapons.

Iranians are "planning to be bombed" and would understandably make the necessary arrangements to counter the threat, even though there is "no evidence whatsoever" that they have "enriched" uranium, Paul said in a recent speech.

Washington and Tel Aviv have repeatedly threatened Tehran with the "option" of a military strike, based on the allegation that Iran's nuclear work may consist of a covert military aspect.

Last week, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said the US military is ready to launch a military strike against Iran, if occasion necessitates.

Dempsey's warmongering tirades came on the heels of equally aggressive remarks by US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta that "no options were off the table" regarding Iran's nuclear program.

Paul also noted that Iran's anti-US stance stems from Washington's interference in Tehran's internal affairs.

He referred to the 1953 coup d'état against then Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, explaining that the US forcefully replaced Mosaddeq with a ruthless dictator to secure its own interests, including oil benefits.

Paul also criticized the US sanctions against the Islamic Republic, describing them as “acts of war” which can pave the way for a real conflict in the Middle East.

"Sanctions were the first step in our wars against Iraq and Libya, and now more sanctions planned against Syria and Iran are leading down the same destructive path," he warned in a recent article titled The Folly of Sanctions.

On December 31, US President Barack Obama signed into law fresh economic sanctions against Iran's Central Bank in a bid to punish foreign companies and banks that do business with the Iranian financial institution.

The United States has already barred its own banks from dealing with the Iranian Central Bank. Thus, the new US sanctions are intended to dissuade other foreign banks from doing transactions with Iran's Central Bank by threatening to cut off their access to US financial institutions.

The US, Israel and their allies accuse Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program and have used this allegation as a pretext to push the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Iran.

Tehran has categorically refuted the Western allegations, saying that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it has the right to acquire and develop atomic technology for peaceful purposes.

China dismisses US's Iran oil embargo

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219763.html

China has dismissed the new US sanction against Iran's oil sector, saying that the commercial ties with Iran are totally legitimate and should not be subject to any punishment.

“China maintains normal and transparent energy and economic cooperation with Iran which does not violate UN Security Council resolutions and these interactions should not be affected,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing on Thursday.

“China opposes the placing of one's domestic law above international law and imposing unilateral sanctions on other countries,” he added.

Hong went on to say that sanctions are not the correct approach to easing what the US calls tensions over Iran's nuclear program, adding that, “Dialogue and negotiation is the right way out.”

Iran exported about 622,000 barrels of oil per day to China in November, maintaining its place as the third largest crude supplier to the East Asian country.

According to the Chinese General Administration of Customs (GAC), the figure indicates a 5.3 percent growth over the corresponding number for the previous year.

South Korean and Japanese officials are also mulling plans to ignore the US sanction against Iran.

South Korea has recently announced that it will buy around 10 percent of its needed crude from Iran in 2012, which will be slightly higher than last year.

South Korea, which is the world's fifth largest oil importer, is planning to buy 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian crude this year, more than the 190,000 bpd figure in 2011.

The United States is mounting pressure on foreign firms to stop buying Iranian crude in a bid to force Tehran to end its peaceful nuclear energy program.

On December 31, US President Barak Obama signed into law fresh economic sanctions against Iran's Central Bank in an apparent bid to punish foreign companies and banks that do business with the Iranian financial institution.

The bill requires foreign financial firms to make a choice between doing business with Iran's Central Bank and oil sector or with the US financial sector.

US sanctions, as well as unilateral embargoes imposed on Iran's energy and financial sectors by Britain and Canada came after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a report on Iranian nuclear program early November, accusing Tehran of seeking to weaponize its nuclear technology.

Tehran argues that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

US warns LatAm states over Iran ties

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219744.html

The US has warned Latin American states against a further expansion of diplomatic and business ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“We are making absolutely clear to countries around the world that now is not the time to be deepening ties, not security ties, not economic ties, with Iran,'' US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Friday.

The US State Department statement comes ahead of Iranian President Ahmadinejad's planned visits to Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador next week.

Meanwhile, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen stated that the forthcoming Iranian president's tour of Latin America is proof of Tehran's expanding interest in the region.

“Ahmadinejad's desire to strengthen ties with anti-American rulers and expand Iranian influence in the Western Hemisphere directly threatens US security interests,” she said in a statement.

“This is a threat which we cannot ignore,'' Ros-Lehtinen noted.

She also pledged the Obama administration to hold hearings on the matter to discuss what Washington is doing to “counter Iranian outreach in the Western Hemisphere.”

This is while Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday criticized the United States for deliberately and recklessly raising tensions in the Persian Gulf.

“The Yankees are determined to provoke wars, provoke tensions,'' Chavez said on television during a visit to the central state of Portuguesa.

President Ahmadinejad will kick off a four-nation trip to Latin America next week.

During his five-day trip, the Iranian president will discuss "bilateral ties and regional and international issues" with Latin American leaders.

President Ahmadinejad is also scheduled to attend the inauguration ceremony of the recently re-elected Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega. Stops in Cuba and Ecuador will round off the tour.

Leaders in all the four Latin American countries have in recent years built up diplomatic and trade ties with Iran, while their relations with the United States have become frosty as their people have been demanding an end to dependence on Washington.

'Iran prepared for US miscalculation'

Seyed Mohamed Marandi, an Associate Professor at the University of Tehran and a regular commentator on various international news channels

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219695.html

senior political analyst says while the recent spike in US and Israeli threats and allegations against Iran are “unlikely” to translate into an attack on the country, Tehran is geared up for any “American miscalculation.”

“The United States and Israel, along with other Western countries have repeatedly made military threats against the Iranian people, while the Iranians have never made threats of their own,” Professor Seyyed Mohamed Marandi told Press TV on Friday.

Nevertheless, the prominent political commentator added it's unlikely that the US would venture on a military confrontation with Iran, “Because even senior American leaders admit that the consequences would be highly detrimental to the United States and its interests.”

Washington and Tel Aviv have repeatedly threatened Tehran with the "option" of a military strike, based on the allegation that Iran's nuclear work may consist of a covert military aspect.

Last week, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said the US military is ready to launch a military strike against Iran, if occasion necessitates.

"We are examining a range of options. I'm satisfied that the options that we are developing are evolving to a point that they would be executable if necessary," Dempsey said.

Dempsey's warmongering tirades came on the heels of the equally aggressive remarks by US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta that "no options were off the table" regarding Iran's nuclear program.

The Israeli officials have also recently stepped up their war rhetoric against Iran. On November 21, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that "time has come" to deal with Iran.

Israeli President Shimon Peres also threatened on November 6 that an attack against Iran is becoming "more and more likely."

“The mere threats themselves are seen as inhuman and irrational; because of such American behavior, Iran has prepared itself for any potential American miscalculation,” Marandi asserted.

He added though the Iranians are firmly committed to the peace and stability of the region, “A look at a map makes clear that Iran has the ability to respond to threats throughout the region and beyond.”

“If there is no security for Iranians or for Iranian oil exports, then, in Iranian eyes, there will be no security for Iran's antagonists in the region,” the political analyst said.

On New Year's Eve, US President Barack Obama signed into law fresh economic sanctions against Iran's Central Bank in an apparent bid to punish foreign companies and banks that do business with the Iranian financial institution.

The bill aims to prevent refiners across the world from paying for Iran's oil. The European Union is also considering measures that would forbid its member states from importing the crude

Iran's First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi has warned that imposing sanctions against the country's energy sector will prompt Tehran to prevent oil cargoes from passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

“If they impose sanctions on Iran's oil, not even a drop of oil will be allowed through the Strait of Hormuz,” he warned.

Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari has also reiterated that Iran has complete command over the strategic waterway and that “closing the Strait of Hormuz is very easy for Iranian naval forces.”

“Under such conditions, the United States and its allies should not expect oil or gas to flow out of the Persian Gulf, northern Iraq, or Central Asia,” Marandi said.

“It would be a grave mistake to underestimate the Islamic Republic's military power and resolve as well as the region's popular response to yet another western act of aggression in a very unstable region,” the senior political analyst concluded.

UK rules out preemptive strike on Iran

UK Defense Secretary Philip Hammond

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219646.html

The British Defense Secretary says London is against preemptive military action against Iran as it will threaten the global economic growth by disrupting oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz.

Addressing a conference on "NATO and the Case for Collective Defense in the 21st Century" at Atlantic Council in Washington, Philip Hammond noted, “We would not be in favor of a preemptive strike on Iran.”

"It is in all our interests that the arteries of global trade are kept free, open and running,” he added.

Hammond emphasized that the disruption of oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz would threaten regional and global economic growth.

The British minister added that his government follows "a strategy of pressure and engagement with Iran,” which is similar to the Obama administration's approach in its early days in office.

He said that in line with that strategy, the British government has “largely, and quite reasonably, put the engagement half of that [strategy] on the back burner.

Hammond said that despite the saber-rattling and talk about a nuclear Iran being unacceptable, the military option has merely theoretically been on the table in the past years with regards to Iran.

He stressed that “It would seem obviously in the interests of all concerned to avoid war in Iran.”

On Saturday, December 31, 2011, US President Barack Obama signed into law fresh economic sanctions against Iran's Central Bank requiring foreign financial firms to make a choice between doing business with Iran's Central Bank and oil sector or with the US financial sector.

Iran has warned that it can respond to the proposed Western oil sanctions and threats against the Islamic Republic by choking the oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi said on Tuesday, December 27, 2011, that the imposition of oil sanctions against the Islamic Republic will prompt Tehran to prevent oil cargoes from passing through the strategic route.

“If they impose sanctions on Iran's oil, not even a drop of oil will be allowed through the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.

Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari also announced on December 30 that the country's naval forces can readily block the strategic Strait of Hormuz if need be.

“Our (Iran's) intention is to bring stability and security to the region and we would like to show everyone that we can provide the security of the region without needing extra-regional powers,” he said.

Japan mulls ignoring US oil ban on Iran

South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak (L) igreets Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. Both countries have expressed their intentions to disregard US-led sanctions on Iranian oil.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219634.html

Japan has become the latest country to hint at its intention to ignore US-led oil sanctions on Iran, after South Korea's recent dismissal of Washington's bid to boycott the Iranian crude.

"We are not considering banning imports," Japan Times quoted a Japanese Foreign Ministry official as saying on Friday.

On New Year's Eve, US President Barack Obama signed into law fresh economic sanctions against Iran's Central Bank in an apparent bid to punish foreign companies and banks that do business with the Iranian financial institution.

The bill aims to prevent refiners across the world from paying for Iran's oil. The European Union is also considering measures that would forbid its member states from importing the crude.

Iran's Central Bank has accounts at major Japanese banks for oil trade settlements. If US sanctions are implemented, the Japanese government may have to freeze those accounts. It means Japan's oil imports from Iran would "completely stop," a Finance Ministry official said, suggesting this is a situation the government wants to avoid.

Japan's Finance Minister Jun Azumi, who is due to meet with US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner during an upcoming Tokyo visit, is now expected to call for the exemption of Japanese banks from US penalties.

On Thursday, Japanese officials also expressed their concern about the possible negative global economic impact of increasing US and European pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.

An official at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said an embargo on Iranian oil would lead to a sharp rise in crude oil prices, adding that the US must consider the negative impact of such a development on the global economy.

Tokyo's wariness over any escalation of pressure on the Islamic Republic echoes South Korea's earlier announcement that it would purchase around 10 percent of its needed crude from Iran in 2012, exceeding Seoul's oil imports from Iran in 2011.

South Korea, which is the world's fifth largest oil importer, announced plans to buy 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian crude this year, a little more than the 190,000 bpd in 2011.

US sanctions, as well as unilateral embargoes imposed on Iran's energy and financial sectors by Britain and Canada came after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a report on the Iranian nuclear program early in November, accusing Tehran of seeking to weaponize its nuclear technology.

Despite the widely publicized claims by the US, Israel and some of their European allies that Iran's nuclear program may include a military diversion, Iran insists on its civilian nature, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and an IAEA member it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Iran warns US carrier off Persian Gulf

Commander of Iran's Army Major General Ataollah Salehi

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219094.html

Commander of Iran's Army Major General Ataollah Salehi has warned a US aircraft carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf, adding that the warning comes “only once.”

On December 30, 2011 the Iranian Navy identified and recorded footage and images of the USS John C. Stennis in the area where Iran is currently holding naval military exercises.

General Salehi said on Tuesday that we recommend and warn the aircraft carrier not to return to its previous position in the Persian Gulf, “since we are not in the habit of repeating a warning and we warn only once.”

The USS John C. Stennis has left the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. It is one of the US navy's biggest warships. The nuclear-powered vessel carries around 3,300 personnel most of whom are air crew. It can also carry 50 fighter jets and 6 helicopters. The carrier passed through Forouzan oil platforms and Farsi Island.

Iran's Navy launched a massive 10-day naval exercise, codenamed “Velayat 90”, on December 24. The drill covers an area stretching from the east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden.

Major General Salehi said the experiences of Iran's Navy such as its presence in the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea have enhanced the combat power of the Iranian forces.

“Our actions in sea are neither passive nor aggressive, but are rather aimed at training in free waters and safeguarding the interests of Iran and Islamic countries,” the Iranian commander added.

Over the past years, Iran has made important breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.

The country has repeatedly clarified that its military might is merely based on the nation's defense doctrine of deterrence and poses no threat to other countries.

US seeks options for Syria intervention

US President Barack Obama (R) attends a National Security Council meeting. (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/218384.html

The United States has instructed the National Security Council to begin seeking options for Washington's intervention in Syria, especially through the Syrian opposition.

The options for US interference include what American officials have called the “unlikely” option of imposing a no-fly zone over the Arab country.

The process led by US National Security Council Director Steve Simon is expected to involve top members of the State, Defense and Treasury Departments and focus on ways to “aid” the Syrian opposition.

Other possibilities include providing “humanitarian aid” to rebel forces and establishing a “safe zone” inside Syrian territory, presumably through military means, near the Turkish border.

Establishing a no-fly zone over parts of Syria would likely involve large-scale attacks on the Syrian air defense and military command-and-control systems.

The possible resort to military force is believed to indicate the futility of a new round of sanctions the US has slapped against Damascus.

Many people, including a large number of security forces, have been killed in months of deadly unrest across Syria. The unrelenting bout of violence erupted when protests were held against and in support of President Bashar al-Assad's government.

The Syrian opposition accuses the government of cracking down on anti-government protests. But Damascus blames the ongoing unrest on foreign-backed armed gangs, arguing that army and security personnel have been given clear orders not to harm civilians.

On Wednesday, the head of an Arab League (AL) delegation investigating the unrest in Syria described the situation in the crisis-hit city of Homs as ''reassuring''.

"There were some places where the situation was not good. But there wasn't anything frightening, at least while we were there. Things were calm and there were no clashes," Sudanese General Mohamed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi said.

Dabi's remarks disappointed a number of Western countries, who were expecting an anti-Syria report from the AL delegation.

US troops surround Syria on the eve of invasion?

Source: Russia Today
http://rt.com/usa/news/us-nato-syria-edmonds-709/

A former official from within the ranks of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is reporting that US and NATO forces have landed outside of Syria and are training militants to overthrow the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, formerly a translator with the FBI, wrote over the weekend that American soldiers are among the NATO troops that have mysteriously and suddenly landed on the Jordanian and Syrian border. According to her, several sources internationally have confirmed the news, although the US media has been instructed to temporarily censor itself from reporting the news.

Additionally, Edmonds says that American and NATO forces are training Turkish troops as well, to possibly launch a strike from the north of Syria.

Edmonds writes that an Iraqi journalist based out of London has confirmed that US forces that vacated the Ain al-Assad Air Base in Iraq last week did in fact leave the country as part of President Obama’s drawdown of troops, but rather than return home, the soldiers were transferred into Jordan during the late hours of Thursday evening. Another source, writes Edmonds, informs her that “soldiers who speak languages other than Arabic” have been moving through Jordan mere miles from the country’s border with Syria. Troops believed to be NATO/American-affiliated have been spotted between the King Hussein Air Base in al-Mafraq and the Jordanian village of Albaej and its vicinity.

Nizar Nayouf, a correspondent for Edmond’s Boiling Frog Post whistleblower site, says an employee of the London-based offices of Royal Jordanian Airlines has further confirmed that at least one US aircraft transporting military personnel has brought American troops into Jordan in recent days. Nayouf, the former editor-in-chief of Sawt al-Democratiyya (Democracy's Vote), had previously been sentenced to a decade behind bars for critiquing the Syrian government. He later won several human rights awards and the 2000 UNISCO prize for press freedom.

Since the uprising of rebel forces opposing al-Assad’s regime over Syria nearly a year ago, American officials have been critical of the country’s government but insist that they have otherwise distanced themselves from becoming involved in the protests. Following the deaths of dozens of protesters in the spring of 2011, the United States imposed strict sanctions against the official government of Syria.

Navi Pillay, the United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights, revealed this week that the uprising in Syria has caused over 5,000 deaths since it began in early 2011. In the case of the crackdown against former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, NATO involvement began only one month into the uprising. Nine months later, the total death toll of the Libyan Civil War is estimated to be close to 30,000.

In her report, Edmonds says that NATO troops have been training soldiers just outside of Syria since as early as May, and that US media is prohibited from reporting on it until today. The Turkish paper Milliyet also reports that defected Syrian colonel Riad al-Assad is preparing troops to take over the Syrian government as well

Turkey unveils its own drone

Turkey's first domestic drone, Anka, has a 56-foot wingspan
and an ability to fly for 24 hours at a speed of 75 knots per hour.


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=135107&sectionid=351020204



Turkey has developed its own drone, a move that will allow Ankara to sever an important link with Israel, which has been a supplier of drones to Turkey.

The surveillance craft, named the Anka (Phoenix), is able to fly for 24 hours, head of the project Ozcan Ertem said on Friday.

He added that an armed version of the Anka was possible but not on the agenda now, the Associated Press reported.

Turkey unveiled the drone after its shaky ties with Israel worsened by the May 31 attack against the Turkish-led Freedom Flotilla aid convoy in international waters. The assault left at least nine Turkish activists dead.

Following the incident, Turkey withdrew its ambassador and pulled out of three naval drills with Israel in the Mediterranean in response.

According to Turkish engineers, the Turkish-made drone would become part of the country's arsenal.

Remzi Barlas, head of the engineering group at Turkish Aerospace Space Industries Inc, said Anka was as capable as the Israeli Heron drones and even features a better anti-icing system that works for the entire 24 hour-flight.

The first system, comprising three planes and remote-control units, was expected to be delivered to the Turkish Air Force in 2013.

No assent given to US drone attacks:Pakistan

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=121727§ionid=351020401


Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik says the US drone attacks in the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan are carried out without the consent of Islamabad.

Speaking to reporters outside the Lahore High Court non Friday, Malik said the controversial issue of US drone attacks was to be raised with Washington during bilateral talks.

The remarks come as Washington claims the raids target militants in Pakistan. However, hundreds of civilians have fallen victim to such US drone attacks since 2008.

Islamabad has repeatedly condemned the strikes, saying that they infringe the country's sovereignty and fuel public anger.

Earlier on Thursday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was in Washington for high-level talks, criticized US forces for launching drone attacks on Pakistani soil.

"The issue of sovereignty is there. People of Pakistan feel strongly about it," Qureshi told CNN.

US rights group sues Obama over drone attacks

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=121118§ionid=3510203



The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against US President Barack Obama, demanding legal basis for America's deadly drone attacks overseas.

The lawsuit requests essential information on the fatalities of drone strikes and other information essential for judging the legality of using armed drones to carry out targeted killings, the United Press International (UPI) reported.

"The public has a right to know whether the targeted killings being carried out in its name are consistent with international law and with the country's interests and values," UPI quoted Jonathan Manes, a legal fellow with the ACLU National Security Project as saying.

"The Obama administration should disclose basic information about the program, including its legal basis and limits, and the civilian casualty toll thus far," he added.

ACLU is specifically seeking legal information that justify the 'targeted killings' of people by the US's remote-controlled aerial weapons program and unmanned Predator drones.

US drone attacks have so far claimed many civilian lives in Afghanistan and Pakistan.