US to flex naval might in Persian Gulf war games

 

US warships.(AFP Photo / Paul J. Perkins)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/naval-training-persian-gulf-258/

The US Navy is leading its largest-ever war games in the Persian Gulf, with warships from 25 countries being deployed in the region. Tehran, in return, is preparing for its biggest air defense war game in the history of Islamic Republic next month.

The countries that deployed the largest number of warships for the 12-day training mission are the US, Britain, France, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The exact number of aircraft carriers, battleships and submarines taking part is unclear. Three American aircraft carriers out of the four currently in commission are reportedly gathering in the Persian Gulf for the training. USS Enterprise, USS John C. Stennis, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower have reportedly arrived.

The USS George Washington is believed to be on patrol in the Pacific Ocean but its exact whereabouts are a mystery. It was sighted near the island of Guam one week ago, and the air carrier’s Facebook page claims that it is still in the Pacific. But since the ship can travel at over 30 knots, it could be on its way to the Persian Gulf.

The aircraft carriers are supported by at least a dozen warships: Ballistic missile cruisers, destroyers, frigates and assault ships carrying thousand of US Marines and spec ops ships.

Britain dispatched six vessels to the Persian Gulf war games: the HMS Diamond, a brand-new £1 billion worth destroyer, four minesweepers and a logistics vessel.

The joint fleet is expected to simulate destroying Iranian fighter jets, battleships and coastal military defenses like missile batteries.

Attacking Iran cuts both ways for US

­Tensions between Iran and Israel over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program have been on the uptick. Iran has blamed the US for Israel’s possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, and promised to retaliate against American interests in the event of such an attack.

On Sunday, Iranian General Mohammad Ali Jafari confirmed that in a conflict with Israel, Iran considers the entrance of the Persian Gulf – the Strait of Hormuz – a legitimate target.

"The US has many vulnerable targets around Iran, and its bases are within the range of the Guards' missiles. We have other capabilities as well, particularly when it comes to the support of Muslims for the Islamic republic," the general said during a press conference in Tehran.

Jafari revealed that Tehran is aware of Israel’s unsuccessful attempts to push the US towards military action against Iran, but claimed it was unlikely that an Israeli strike against Tehran's nuclear facilities “would be carried out without US permission.”

If Israel attacked Iran, "nothing of Israel will be left, considering its size," he said.

In response, the US, which maintains a heavy military presence in the region, and its allies are increasing military patrols to protect the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for 40 percent of the world oil shipped by sea.

Hawkish US rhetoric towards the Islamic Republic has lessened in the face of the coming presidential election in November. The Obama administration indicated that domestic matters have taken precedence over Tel Aviv's hawkish stance towards Iran.

Israeli decision-making is greatly affected by various factors, including Barack Obama himself. If GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney defeats Obama in the election and becomes president, it would take him months to set a new foreign policy towards Iran, giving Tehran more time to prepare for war.

A second Obama term is also an unappealing option for the current Israeli cabinet, for different reasons.

In the wake of Obama’s refusal to meet him later this month, Israeli PM Bejamin Netanyahu addressed the US through NBC's "Meet the Press," urging American officials once again to set a “red line” for Iran “before it's too late.” Repeating the theory that Tehan is developing a nuclear weapon, he implied that if the US follows Israel's demands, the chances of a military attack on Iran would be reduced.

Netanyahu despises American President Barack Obama “personally and politically,” researcher and author F. William Engdahl told RT. The pair could be hard-pressed to find common ground on Iran, leading Israel to calculate that a unilateral strike is an option, since America would be forced protect its bases and assets in the event of a regional war.

In Armenia, a country in the Caucasus bordering Iran, a large war game by the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization has been launched

 

US troops imitate invasion of Iran with Arab allies

Reuters/Lee Jae Won

Source: Russia Today
http://rt.com/usa/news/us-troops-iran-exercise-490/

Around 12,000 troops from more than 19 nations are wrapping up a massive military training drill in the Middle East. But for some of those servicemen, these exercises might be just the beginning of something much bigger to come.

The United States, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan are just a sampling of the many countries — along with European allies — that have been involved in the nearly month-long Eager Lion 2012 exercise expected to end this week. Although much of the drills have been kept under wraps, it isn’t a secret that these states have spent the last month cooperating together through mock combat drills and comprehensive training. Some sources overseas report, however, that as many as 3,000 troops aligned with US forces have conducted a simulated landing and attack on Iran, preparing America and its allies for a war that becomes more likely by the day.

Intelligence sources speaking to Israel’s Debka news agency report that US troops and other forces aligned with America recently staged a landing on a Jordanian beach that was immediately followed by a military seizure of fortified mountain bases and command posts. The exercise was meant to emulate an attack on Iran and accompanies other drills that witnesses say show off just what America’s foes face if they continue to put the heat on the United States and its pals abroad.

Speaking of a drill assumed to be a mockup of a raid on Syria, Major General. Awni el-Edwan, Chief of staff of the Jordanian Operations and Training Armed Forces, says, “The exercise is not connected to any real world event,” reports CNN. “This has nothing to do with Syria. We respect the sovereignty of Syria. There is no tension between the Syrians and us. Our objectives are clear.”

Others, however, say that the intentions of the Eager Lion 2012 drills are obvious.

Gen. James Mattis, head of the US Central Command, visited both sections of the exercise led by American troops in Jordan, adds Debka. Should the US officially attack either Syria or Iran, Gen. Mattis will be the head of the military forces there. Additionally, intelligence sources speaking with the Israeli outlet reveal that Gen. Mattis has recently sought approval from US President Barack Obama to deploy a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East to increase America’s presence.

The United States currently has two massive aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf area, both the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Enterprise, and CNN adds in their report that the Air Force has sent six of the stealth F-22 fighter jets to the neighboring United Arab Emirates.

The US is believed to be engaged in exercises involving the Navy and Air Force in operations on the land, air and sea, with the US Special Operations troops also working in tandem with Jordanian special forces units in counterterrorism to put both teams on the same page.

Debka reports that, during Eager Lion 2012, a command post was also established by around 700 US Marines onboard the USS New York amphibious transport dock that was stationed in the Red Sea. The entire exercise there, they say, was “clearly visible” to observers in a neighboring Israeli port. Only days earlier, Debka reported that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told his country that “all options remain on the table” involving an attack on Iran, and that the Jewish state will strike first if necessary, even without the assistance of American forces.

"There is no need to tell us what to do, and we have no reason to panic. Israel is very, very strong, but we do know that the Iranians are accomplished chess players and will try to achieve nuclear capabilities,” said Barak

'Iran wants assassins brought to justice'

Head of Iran's Islamic Coalition Party Mohammad-Nabi Habibi

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221598.html

A senior Iranian politician has called for the prosecution of the masterminds and perpetrators of the terrorist attacks against Iranian scientists.

“The people's demand is the punishment of the agents behind the assassination [who are] both inside the country and abroad,” Mohammad-Nabi Habibi, the secretary general of Iran's Islamic Coalition Party said Wednesday, referring to the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan.

The assassination was the latest in a string of terrorist attacks over the past few years that have claimed the lives of Iranian scientists, including those who had either met with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors or were mentioned in the agency's reports as nuclear scientists.

Habibi said Iran's cooperation with the agency was being exploited because the names of Iranian scientists are passed onto Mossad, CIA and MKO terrorists which use this information to carry out assassinations.

“Iran must reconsider its cooperation with the agency,” he added.

On January 11, Ahmadi Roshan, the deputy director of marketing at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, was targeted by an unknown motorcyclist who attached a sticky bomb to his car near Allameh Tabatabaei University in northeastern Tehran.

Ahmadi Roshan was immediately killed as the result of explosion, and his driver, who had sustained wounds, succumbed to his injuries a few hours later in hospital.

The US, Israel and their allies accuse Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program and have used this allegation as a pretext to sway the UNSC to impose four rounds of sanctions on Iran. They have also repeatedly threatened Tehran with the "option" of a military strike.

This is while in November 2011, some of the US presidential hopefuls called for conducting covert operations ranging from assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists to launching a military strike on Iran as well as sabotaging Tehran's nuclear program.

The calls for assassinations are not idle threats as a number of Iranian scientists have been assassinated over the past few years. Professor Majid Shahriari and Professor Masoud Ali-Mohammadi are among the victims of these acts of terror.

On November 29, 2010, Shahriari and Fereydoun Abbasi were targeted by terrorist attacks; Shahriari was killed immediately and Dr. Abbasi, the current director of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, only sustained injuries.

Iran says as the UN Resolution 1747, adopted against Tehran in March 2007, cited Abbasi's name as a "nuclear scientist," the perpetrators were in a position to trace their victim.

According to reports, Ahmadi Roshan had recently met with IAEA inspectors, a fact which indicates that the IAEA has leaked information about Iran's nuclear facilities and scientists.

'Iran oil ban, economic suicide for EU'

Iran's OPEC envoy Seyyed Mohammad Ali Khatibi

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221620.html

Iran has condemned the West's new sanction threats against the Islamic Republic, describing a European Union embargo on Iranian oil as “economic suicide” for Europe.

“Executing the scenario of banning Iranian oil export to the European Union member states is undoubtedly an economic suicide for the countries in this region,” Iran's OPEC governor Seyyed Mohammad Ali Khatibi said on Tuesday.

Khatibi, who was referring to the ongoing financial crisis in the eurozone, said imposing any sanctions against Iran's energy sector will aggravate the EU economic woes and make them plunge deeper into recession.

“At present, certain European countries and oil companies have banned oil purchase from Iran against their will and due to pressure from the United States and the Zionist regime [of Israel],” Khatibi stated.

“The US and some European countries should avoid adventurism in the world's oil market,” he warned.

Statistic-wise, Iran has exported an average of 800,000 barrels per day to various European countries, namely France, Germany, Greece and Spain.

In mid-January, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said unnamed oil producing countries would boost their output to make up for a planned EU ban on Iranian oil.

The European bloc's foreign ministers are expected to hold a meeting on January 23 to discuss the proposed embargo on Iran's oil exports.

EU members have so far failed to reach a final agreement on such details as the exact timing of the sanctions and their diplomats say it may take months before sanctions actually enter into force given the critical economic conditions facing European countries.

On December 31, US President Barack Obama approved 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.

US sanctions, as well as other unilateral embargoes imposed on Iran's energy and financial sectors by Britain and Canada came after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a biased report on Iranian nuclear program early November.

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.

Iran war: Excuse for US bankruptcy

The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis transits the Straits of Hormuz, November 12, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/220538.html

The US is preparing for a military confrontation with Iran as it is financially, economically, politically and morally bankrupt, a political writer says.

"America is now bankrupt: financially, economically, politically -- and morally. Its criminal aggression towards Iran is just one of many parts of a jigsaw that add up to a clear and grotesque picture of what the United States of America now represents in the 21st Century world," Finian Cunningham wrote in an article published on Global Research.

Terminally in debt, mass poverty at record levels, rampant militarism, and draconian curbs on civil liberties are the signs that the US is bankrupt, according to Cunningham.

The analyst said that "all options on the table" statement by the White House for Iran comes despite the knowledge of US officials that Iran is not after nuclear arms.

"The US is pushing the world into possibly a World War III scenario on the basis of a totally spurious claim that even its own top brass do not believe," he wrote.

Cunningham said that American intelligence agencies in at least two US National Intelligence Estimates in 2007 and 2010 reported that Iran is not attempting to develop a nuclear weapon.

The analyst also referred to recent remarks by Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as he confirmed that war plans against Iran are going ahead.

"My responsibility is to encourage the right degree of planning, to understand the risks associated with any kind of military option, in some cases to position assets, to provide those options in a timely fashion. And all those activities are going on," Dempsey said.

The war threats come after four rounds of US-backed sanctions imposed by the UN and unilateral sanctions by certain US allies failed to stop Iran's peaceful nuclear program.

Anti-Iran measures provoked by the US and Israel are aimed to deny Iran's right of having peaceful nuclear technology.

As a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran has the legal right to develop nuclear capability for civilian purposes.

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.

UK destroyer in PG: Message to Iran

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219847.html

Amid the anti-Iran war rhetoric, the British Royal Navy has dispatched its most advanced and sophisticated destroyer to the Persian Gulf.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed on Saturday that the one-billion-pound destroyer would join the British presence in the region.

The Telegraph claimed the vessel has been fitted with new technology in order to shoot down any missile in Iran's armory.

The new anti-Iran measure comes after the US is reportedly sending thousands of American troops, warships and weaponry to Israel for joint military maneuvers with Tel Aviv.

Commander of the US Third Air Force based in Germany Lt.-Gen Frank Gorenc described the deployment as not just an "exercise," but a "deployment."

The US and its Western allies have put more pressure on Iran following the release of the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in November.

The IAEA accused Tehran of conducting activities related to developing nuclear weapons. Iran, however, strongly dismissed the allegations.

The war threats come after four rounds of US-backed sanctions imposed by the UN and unilateral sanctions by certain US allies failed to stop Iran's peaceful nuclear program.

Last week, Iran's Navy wrapped up massive 10-day military drills in the strategic Strait of Hormuz to show that the country is ready to defend itself against any attack.

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.

Seoul to go ahead with live-fire drill

Tensions threaten to spiral out of control in the Korean Peninsula as South Korean marines prepare for a live-fire military exercise on Yeonpyeong Island

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155959.html

The South Korean military says it will conduct its joint live-fire exercise with the US on an island near the disputed sea border despite North Korea's warning of a deadly retaliation.

With the threat of a full-blown military confrontation looming large on the Korean Peninsula following the shelling of South Korean Yeonpyeong Island on November 23 by the North's forces, concerns are running high that Seoul's live-fire military drill, planned for Dec 18-21, on the island near the disputed sea would further complicate the situation in the region.

"There is no change in our stance with regards to the live-fire exercise," AFP quoted a South Korean defense ministry spokesman on Saturday. "We cannot confirm... whether we will carry out the exercise today."

The remarks come as North Korea vowed on Friday that it would immediately hit back with a deadlier attack as compared to its last month's bombardment, which killed four South Koreans, including two Marines and two civilians.

"It will be deadlier than what was made on November 23 in terms of the powerfulness and sphere of the strike," reads a statement by the North Korean military.

However, there were no signs of any visible military preparation or noticeable activity by the South Korean marines on Yeonpyeong, one of the five islands in the volatile western waters of the Korean Peninsula.

Yonhap news agency quoted a South Korean military source as saying that the planned drill may be postponed due to bad weather conditions.

"Weather conditions are the most important factor in deciding the time for a drill. Early next week will be the most likely time to hold it because the weather should improve," the source said.

Meanwhile, China called on the parties to the conflict to practice restraint, saying the regional stability would come under new strains if new clashes break out in the Korean Peninsula.

"The situation on the Korean peninsula is now particularly complex and sensitive, and China is highly concerned," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said on Saturday.

US diplomat Bill Richardson, who is in Pyongyang, also expressed deep concerns over the threat of military confrontation in the region, describing the situation as "a tinderbox."

He further urged North Korean officials to allow theb South conduct its live-fire exercises, with the United States, which currently has 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea.

The latest development comes as the outburst of enmity between Pyongyang and Seoul has invoked the specter of a full-blown military conflict reminiscent of the 1950-53 Korean War.

The two countries remain technically at war since the Korean conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

North Korea threatens South Korea over drills

South Korean army K-1A tanks prepare for the live-fire drills near the disputed border, file photo

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155871.html


North Korea has threatened it would launch stronger attacks on South Korea if the southern neighbor wants to carry out more live-fire drills.

South Korea's drills, which are planned to be held on Yeonpyeong Island from December 18, are the source of a warning, North Korean news agency KCNA reported on Friday.

"The strike will play out a more serious situation than on November 23 in terms of strength and scope of the strike," the agency said.

At least four South Koreans were killed after the two countries engaged in an artillery fire exchange near Yeonpyeong Island last month.

Pyongyang said the November 23 shelling of Yeonpyeong was a response to South Korea's previous live-fire exercises.

The announcement comes as the US and China are holding intensive talks to resolve the deadlock between the two neighbors.

US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg is on a three-day visit to China to press the Chinese government to use its economic and diplomatic influence to control its ally, North Korea.

Also US diplomat Bill Richardson is in Pyongyang following a series of efforts to reduce tension in the Korean Peninsula

South Korea plans new maneuver

South Korean warships (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155760.html


The South Korean military plans to hold new live-fire artillery drills in the Yellow Sea, a month after North Korea's deadly attack on the Yeonpyeong Island.

"The military decided to hold a one-day war game on Yeonpyeong Island between December 18 and 21," state-run Yonhap news agency quoted the spokesman for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Col. Lee Bung-woo, as saying in Seoul on Thursday.

He added the drill would take place as soon as weather and other relevant conditions allow. It would be the first such maneuver on Yeonpyeong Island since North Korea's attack last month.

Some 20 US military personnel will provide medical, communications and intelligence support to South Korean troops in the military exercise.

Two South Korean marines and two construction workers were killed on November 23 after North Korea fired dozens of artillery shells onto the small island of Yeonpyeong.

The attack set more than 60 houses ablaze and sent civilians fleeing in terror.

On March 2, the 1,200-ton South Korean Cheonan warship sank near the inter-Korea maritime border. The tragic incident led to the deaths of 46 South Korean sailors.

Seoul accuses Pyongyang of involvement in the sinking of its warship. Pyongyang however says aluminum alloy fragments recovered by South Korea prove that no North Korean torpedo was involved in the incident.

Meanwhile, South Korean military has strengthened its force on five islands close to North Korea to prevent the situation from escalating in the event of an armed clash.

Seoul has stated that it will engage in active diplomacy with the United States, China and countries surrounding the Korean Peninsula to seek punitive action against Pyongyang for the deadly artillery attack on the Yeonpyeong Island.

Seoul is still technically at war with Pyongyang since Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, with neither side able to claim outright victory.

Almost half a million South Koreans died as a result of the 1950-1953 conflict. North Korea suffered 290,000 casualties in the conflict, according to data from official Chinese sources.

In the three years of fighting, 1,263 of the Commonwealth forces were killed and a further 4,817 were wounded, while the US lost 33,000 men.

A total of 339 Australian troops were killed and 1216 wounded in the war.

South Korea holds huge civil defense drills

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155571.html


South Korea has held nationwide civil defense drills amid escalating tensions with North Korea in the wake of an exchange of artillery fire last month between the two neighbors.

The 15-minute exercise was held on Wednesday in Seoul and other South Korean cities, AFP reported.

A dozen jet fighters were mobilized to simulate airstrikes by the North in the civil exercise -- the most extensive since a civil defense law was passed in 1975.

The South's National Emergency Management Agency described the situation on the Korean Peninsula as "grave" after the artillery exchange between the two countries on November 23. The incident was the first shelling of a civilian area in the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.

"Public concern has been growing over North Korea's provocations," the South Korean government agency said in a statement, citing continued military threats, high tensions in the Yellow Sea and the possibility of a third nuclear test by the North.

A report by US experts in mid-November revealed an apparently operational uranium enrichment plant in the North, which Pyongyang claims is part of a peaceful atomic energy program.

But officials in the United States believe the plant could easily be altered to produce weapons-grade uranium to add to the country's plutonium stockpile.

On Tuesday, the US State Department claimed the North has "at least one other" uranium enrichment site apart from the one disclosed at its main nuclear complex at the Yongbyon research center, and that the facility “remains a significant area of concern.”

China, seen as North Korea's main ally and business partner, has called for a new meeting of envoys for six-party talks to resolve the latest crisis on the peninsula.

But the United States, Japan and South Korea say a return to negotiations at this point could be seen as rewarding the North's aggression.

They are trying to pressure China to take a tougher action toward Pyongyang to rein in its Korean ally.

South Korean army chief steps down

South Korean Army Chief General Hwang Eui-Don

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155388.html


South Korean Army Chief General Hwang Eui-Don has stepped down over a controversy related to a property investment amid high tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea's Defense Ministry says President Lee Myung-bak accepted Hwang's resignation, but there have been no comments on why he quit the post.

"Gen. Hwang offered to retire following media reports about his property investment because he judged it was inappropriate for him to stay on the post at a time when he has to lead the reform of the Army," an official at the Defense Ministry told Yonhap news agency on condition of anonymity.

"General Hwang decided to retire because he feels responsible for causing worries to the Army as a result of his personal matter," an army official said.

Hwang, named to the top army post in June, became embroiled in a controversy last week after he was found to have made huge profits from a property investment.

Hwang's resignation is considered a big blow to South Korea. The country's defense minister also resigned following an exchange of artillery fire between the two Koreas in November that left four South Koreans dead on a border island.

The November 23 artillery barrage, the North's first assault to target a civilian area since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, began after the North accused South Korea of having fired the salvo toward its territorial waters.

South Korea said it had fired shells southwards, not towards North Korea, as part of routine exercises.

After the attack, South Korea staged joint military drills with the United States and pushed ahead with more artillery exercises despite the North's warning that they would aggravate tension.

North Korea has warned that the cooperation between the United States and South Korea could bring a nuclear war to the already volatile Korean Peninsula.

South Korea to resume live artillery drills

South Korean Marines on guard use a radio after sounds of distant artillery fire were heard on Yeonpyeong Island, on Nov. 26, 2010

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155344.html


South Korea is holding live artillery exercises for a second week, despite warnings from North Korea that the military drills could spark a “nuclear war.”

The drills are set to run from Monday through Friday at 27 sites including 15 on the Yellow Sea coast where a North Korean artillery attack killed four South Koreans two weeks ago.

South Korea also urged its citizens to pay closer than usual attention to this month's nationwide civil defense drill scheduled for this Wednesday.

The South holds a civil defense drill once a month but authorities called for closer cooperation in the face of recently heightened tensions on the peninsula.

The civil drill will focus on directing South Koreans to the nation's thousands of underground shelters while about 12 jet fighters will simulate air strikes overhead, AFP reported.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Sunday that his country will be patient in pressing for six-way talks with North Korea in an effort to ease tensions between the two Koreas.

A US military delegation was in Seoul for one-day talks on Monday. The US deputy assistant secretary of defense, Michael Schiffer, reiterated its military support for South Korea following the meeting.

Bill Richardson, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, is scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang on Tuesday for a private visit.

A November 23 artillery barrage, the North's first assault to target a civilian area since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, began after the North accused South Korea of having fired the salvo toward its territorial waters.

South Korea said it had fired shells southwards, not towards North Korea, as part of routine exercises.

After the attack, South Korea staged joint military drills with the United States and pushed ahead with more artillery exercises despite the North's warning that they would aggravate tension.

A South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff officer tried to play down the significance of this week's drills, saying they were part of routine military exercises and would not occur near the disputed western Korean sea border.

N Korea gives fresh warning to South

This file photo shows a North Korean military unit of missile carriers during a military parade in Pyongyang

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155250.html


North Korea has warned that the cooperation between the US and South Korea could bring a nuclear war to the already volatile Korean Peninsula.

The warning comes after South Korea began fresh military drills amid lingering tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The drills are scheduled to run from Monday to Friday at 27 different locations.

The regularly-scheduled exercises are receiving special attention following a North Korean artillery attack on frontline Yeonpyeong Island that claimed the lives of two South Korean marines and two civilians.

In a show of unity, top diplomats from South Korea, the US and Japan met in Washington last week and said they would not resume negotiations aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program until the country's behavior changed.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited South Korea last week and warned Pyongyang to stop its "belligerent, reckless behavior."

The November 23 artillery barrage, the North's first assault to target a civilian area since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, began after the North accused South Korea of having fired the salvo toward its territorial waters.

South Korea said it had fired shells southwards, not towards North Korea, as part of routine exercises.

After the attack, South Korea staged joint military drills with the United States and pushed ahead with more artillery exercises despite the North's warning that they would aggravate tension.

A South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff officer tried to play down the significance of this week's drills, saying they were part of routine military exercises and would not occur near the disputed western Korean sea border where last month's attack took place.

China reacts to US claims on Koreas row

US Admiral Mike Mullen (L), chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his South Korean counterpart General Han Min-koo, attend a joint news conference at the defence ministry in Seoul December 8, 2010. Reuters photo

Source; Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154762.html


China has reacted critically to recent comments by US officials accusing Beijing of “enabling Pyongyang to carry out reckless behavior.”

Earlier, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen claimed that Beijing has failed to live up to its role as a global power by not doing enough to defuse tensions between North and South Korea.

Mullen also declared that the US and its allies in the region should carry out more joint military drills, after meeting with his South Korean counterpart, General Han Min-koo on Wednesday.

China sharply criticized the US military exercises in the Yellow Sea off China and North Korea, saying that the maneuvers will only escalate tensions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu has launched a frontal attack on Adm. Mullen for his statements.

Yu said at a media briefing in Beijing on Thursday that China wanted to know what Adm. Mullen had done for "peace and stability in the region."

China says promoting the atmosphere of dialogue and cooperation is the only way forward to help deal with tensions on the Korean peninsula.

North Korea, on the other hand, has warned that the US-led war games could bring the Koreas closer to the brink of war.

Pyongyang accuses US President Barack Obama of plotting with regional allies to topple the country's government, insisting that its nuclear program is a deterrent against US forces in the region.

Meanwhile, China's most senior foreign policymaker Dai Bingguo has met North Korea's Leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang on Thursday.

The meeting is the first of its kind since the artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island, which left four people dead and over a dozen injured. According to Xinhua state news agency, Chinese and North Korean diplomats were able to reach a consensus, although no further details were given.