The ITAR-Tass agency on Tuesday quoted Sergei Chemezov, the head of Russia's state-run weapons exporter, as saying that Russia had delivered all the missiles and fulfilled the contract before the end of December.

According to ITAR-Tass, the weapons were expected to be used to protect major government and military installations, including nuclear facilities such as the power plant Russia is building in the city of Bushehr. Iran denies U.S. accusations that it is using its nuclear power program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons.

"I would characterize our policy as desirous of resolving any issues we have with Iran by peaceful means. But at the same time, we don't believe that their behavior, such as supporting Shia extremists in Iraq, should go unchallenged," Negroponte said at his Senate confirmation hearing.

Iran's efforts to produce highly enriched uranium, the material used to make nuclear bombs, are in chaos and the country is still years from mastering the required technology.
...
-a number of Western diplomats and technical experts close to the Iranian programme have told The Observer it is archaic, prone to breakdown and lacks the materials for industrial-scale production.

President Bush believes he might have been misunderstood when he started speaking about the need to go after Iran for its involvement in aiding the insurgency in Iraq.

As he traveled to Illinois today to share good news on the economy, he said the subject has been overshadowed by the war in Iraq, and he clarified his stance on Iran, which he does not plan to invade.

Iran is far far away from developing any a-bombs even if they tried.


Well I can't say either way how far away they are, but I'm pretty sure Isreal doesn't agree with you.

BTW, North Korea was also far away, until last year.

Tensions between the United States and North Korea have been running especially high since, in early October of 2002, Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly informed North Korean officials that the United States was aware that North Korea had a program underway to enrich uranium for use in nuclear weapons. Initially North Korea denied this, but later confirmed the veracity of the US claim.

If you read the news in Israel as a source of information, then let me save you a lot of reading and summarize the next 5 years of hadashim as follows:

Anybody who is a non-Jew is an antisemite.
Anybody who is a Jew who speaks out against Israel is a selfhating Jew.
Anything that helps Israel develop and maintain a racist state is to be supported, even if it is evil.
Anything that does not help Israel develop and maintain a racist state, even if it is good, is to be opposed, vehemently, with any lies, conspiracy, and murder required.

I mean, Jesus Christ, everybody really is out to get them...

Iran Clock Is Ticking

by Robert Parry


Military and intelligence sources continue to tell me that preparations are advancing for a war with Iran starting possibly as early as mid-to-late February. The sources offer some differences of opinion over whether Bush might cite a provocation from Iran or whether Israel will take the lead in launching air strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities.

But there is growing alarm among military and intelligence experts that Bush already has decided to attack and simply is waiting for a second aircraft carrier strike force to arrive in the region-- and for a propaganda blitz to stir up some pro-war sentiment at home.

One well-informed U.S. military source called me in a fury after consulting with Pentagon associates and discovering how far along the war preparations are. He said the plans call for extensive aerial attacks on Iran, including use of powerful bunker-busting ordnance.

Another source with a pipeline into Israeli thinking said the Iran war plan has expanded over the past several weeks. Earlier thinking had been that Israeli warplanes would hit Iranian nuclear targets with U.S. forces in reserve in case of Iranian retaliation, but now the strategy anticipates a major U.S. military follow-up to an Israeli attack, the source said.
.....

And why do you suppose that is?

2. Early early on in some of these Iranian threads, I posted some news articles out of Israel which said, in no uncertain terms, that the Israeli's would not allow the Iranians to get spy satellite capability. Iran with a spy satellite would mean it would be difficult for Israel to launch a surprise first strike, and would also allow the Iranians to better hone in on targets in Israel. The Iranians have not yet launched their own satellite, but I saw on CNN the Iranians are still working on putting their own spy satellite into orbit.