"We're not flying over frigging Iran" ... or are we?

A great little article appeared in the Guardian (London) on January 29, 2005:

US jets flying over Iran to spot targets, says source

In-Depth Coverage
By Julian Borger in Washington

The US is increasing the pressure on Iran by sending military planes into its airspace to test the country's defences and spot potential targets, according to an intelligence source in Washington.

The overflights have been reported in the Iranian press and the head of Iran's air force, Brigadier General Karim Qavami, declared recently that he had ordered his anti-aircraft batteries to shoot down any intruders, but there have been no reports of any Iranian missiles being launched.

"The idea is to get the Iranians to turn on their radar, to get an assessment of their air defences," an intelligence source in Washington said. He said the flights were part of the Pentagon's contingency planning for a possible attack on sites linked to Iran's suspected nuclear weapons programme.

"It make sense to get a look at their air defences, and it makes the mullahs nervous during the EU negotiations (over the suspension of Iranian uranium enrichment)," said John Pike, the head of GlobalSecurity.org, an independent military research group.

The flights come after reports of American special forces incursions into Iran. However, former US intelligence officials have said they believe the incursions are being carried out by Iranian rebels drawn from the anti-Tehran rebel group, the Mujahedin-e-Khalq, under US supervision.

The US military denied the reports. "We're not flying over frigging Iran," an official said, suggesting Tehran was making up the incidents to attract international sympathy.

And the commentary that must follow: IRAN IS NEXT!!!

Last year's mantra was "No war in '04" (understandable during an election year in the US, yet regrettable nonetheless).

Well, '04 is over and the US has been on a cycle of one-war-every-two-years (Afghanistan 2001 and Iraq 2003). Moreover, our President has finally adopted a long-awaited (by many) "Freedom Doctrine", which was both announced (at his inaugural) and vindicated (by successful Iraqi elections) in the past 30 days.

And if you were shocked when President Bush referred to Iran (as well as Iraq and North Korea) as a full-fledged member of the Axis of Evil in his often-quoted State of the Union Address from a few years ago, then you may be floored in the days and months to come.

So don't be surprised on Wednesday if President Bush goes a lot further than merely calling evil by it's rightful name when referring to the gross lack of freedom in Iran (except, of course, for the Iraqis who live in Iran, who actually had the opportunity to vote this past weekend) during his widely-anticipated (by many) 2005 State of the Union Address.

And if you think that's far-fetched, I would direct you to comments made by Vice President Cheney, who just a few weeks ago said that if you "look around the world at potential trouble spots, Iran is right at the top of the list."

By the way, if you're interested in reading about how it could all go down (and if you have some time because this isn't a quick read), I would refer you to a brilliantly-written (in my opinion) piece by John Pike and his team at GlobalSecurity.org, which you can find here.

And one last sidenote - If the US doesn't do it, Israel will. The above-mentioned article cites the following evidence (as well as a ton of additional insightful information about possible Israeli and/or American preemptive options to hit Iran's nuke facilities) that substantiates Israel's determination to keep nukes out of Iran:

The annual intelligence assessment presented to Israel's Knesset on 21 July 2004 noted that Iran's nuclear program is the biggest threat facing Israel, "Maariv" and "Yediot Aharonot" reported on 22 July 2004. Some Likud and Labor Knesset members subsequently called for a preemptive strike against the Iranian nuclear facility. Former Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh (Labor) said, "If the international community's helplessness in the face of the Iranian threat persists, Israel will have to weigh its steps -- and soon." Ehud Yatom (Likud) said, "The Iranian nuclear facilities must be destroyed, just as we did the Iraqi reactor. We must strive to attain the ability to damage and destroy any nuclear capability that might be directed against Israel." On 08 September 2004 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the international community has not done enough to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and warns that Israel will take its own measures to defend itself. He also said Iranian officials have made it clear they seek the destruction of the Jewish state. Israeli Air Force pilots have been practicing attacks on a scale model of the Bushehr reactor in the Negev Desert.

And if you have any reason to doubt that Iran is a threat to Israel (as many do), then I would encourage you to read this (a recent MEMRI report titled" Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial in the Iranian Media), this (another MEMRI report titled "Recent Speeches by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei"), and this (yet another MEMRI report titled "Iran's Political and Military Leadership Call for Martyrdom").

And for those of you who are not familiar with MEMRI, it's the Middle East Media Research Institute, one of the only true sources of non-biased news from sources inside the Middle East. And they even translate it all from Arabic to English so YOU can read what THEY are saying over THERE about US. You know (or you may not) ... it's all those things that Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw and what's-his-face-who's-taking-over-for-Dan-Rather won't bother reporting to you because it doesn't support their twisted worldviews.

OK ... Mad's out ... catch y'all later :)