Great post. Reporters need to bring up the issue of Israel’s refusal to sign the NPT every chance that appears. Maybe one should have the sense to ask Obama why his people are trying to discourage attendance at the Tehran conference next week on ways to work toward eliminating nuclear weapons globally.

Great post (9:43pm)! Ahmadinejad obviously is quite right, that stability in Afghanistan cannot be achieve without substanial help from Iran. But Bob Gates will not mention that fact to the American people. Nor will Hillary Clinton. What a spectacle, when the senior political leadership of the US in matters for foreign policy and military affaris, either think it is imperative to continue to deceive the public – - or they are actually too incompetent to recognize Iran is an essential part of the solution AND NOT THE PROBLEM.

Another great post! Is Franks just a stooge of the Israeli militarists, and the fanatical Jews trying to steal the West Bank from the Palestinians? Or is he a stooge of the armaments manufacturers, who benefit from deception of the American people about what “threats” actuall exist?

Franks is fiercely ideological and woefully uninformed — a frightening combination in a representative of the people who sits on the House Armed Services committee. To their credit, callers who responded to Franks during his C Span interview pointed out the flaws in his assertions; to my distress, Franks only redoubled the passion with which he declared that “Iran’s leaders are crazed,” and “Iran is the world’s greatest terror threat.” Franks stated “there are only three options: Iran with a nuclear weapon, sanctions, or a military attack on Iran. Franks advocates for military attack, but stated that very shortly his committee will consider legislation to increase sanctions on Iranian banks and gas/oil trade, and will make it clear to other nations that “they can trade with the US or they can trade with Iran, but they can’t do both.”

The US legislature seems to have found elusive bipartisanship where Iran is concerned. Alaska Democratic Sen. Mark Begich spoke in less rabid tones, but did not appear to have a perspective on Iran that was appreciably different from that of Trent Franks.

I emailed a question to C Span, asking that their moderator find out from Franks where he gets his information about Iran, who his sources are, what information he has about Iran that the American people are entitled to know and that is so compelling that he is able to advocate for military action against Iran. C Span did not ask these questions.

I agree a TRR deal could do that, but I don’t see how a TRR deal can be done while a sanctions drive is maintained. It seems to me the sanctions drive will need to be dropped for any progress to be made here, so a formula needs to be found to do both simultaneously. Such a formula could not include more intrusive inspections either; Iran would only ever agree to that in response to confirmation of Iran’s right to enrich uranium and the Iran nuclear file being dismissed by the UNSC.

So, I agree things will take time, and can change dramatically over time, but I think a reasonably big breakthrough will be necessary at the front end to kick it off.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that he has sent a letter to US President Barack Obama, the contents of which will be made public in the near future.

Ahmadinejad made the announcement in an interview televised live on Channel One of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting on Tuesday night.

He said that Iran is the “only chance” for Obama to realize his change motto.

“What formula can he propose to make any development in Palestine that could be considered a victory for him and could strengthen his position in the US?” Ahmadinejad asked.

“He can’t do anything in Iraq or Afghanistan either because the situation is so complicated there that he can’t create a tangible change there that could be considered a victory,” IRNA quoted the Iranian president as saying.

Ahmadinejad also noted that Obama will not be able to improve the US economy through a miracle.

“Obama only has one way to tell the world that he has created change, and that is Iran,” he stated.

Ahmadinejad urged Obama to seize the opportunity and to desist from threatening Iran, saying, “The era that they assumed that they could damage Iran is over.”

“Thank God, no one can damage the Iranian nation any longer,” he added.

Ahmadinejad went on to say that Iran does not want confrontation and is seeking cooperation and negotiation with others.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123237&sectionid=351020101

We must stop terrorist groups trying to obtain nuclear weapons

However, he is letting a “terrorist state” in the Middle East to keep more than 200 illegal nuclear weapons.

During the past 62 years, “Israel” has proven that it has no regards for human life and is willing to use nuclear weapon.

“The US should have normal relations with Iran. Period. Full stop.”

I agree. It should. But merely pointing out how sensible it is won’t make it happen. What’s needed is some way to get there.