All the signals point to a desperate Iran wanting a ceasefire and restart of negotiations with the United States. The Wall Street Journal and others report that the Iranians have signaled Israel asking for a deescalation of the attacks.
President Trump may like this because he sees himself as a great negotiator. But he had better be careful here, because his original proposed deal is too vague and doesn’t cut it as a solution to Iran’s nuclear program and overall regional threat to Israel and its Arab neighbors.
While the diplomatic feelers are filling the air, there are other reports that regime muckety mucks are leaving Iran on a secret airlift, maybe heading to Moscow but no one really knows.
There is, as yet, no sign that Israel intends to slow its attacks which are, in part, now focusing on government institutions and regime leaders (other than Ayatollah Khameini who is, allegedly, off limits).
Washington is building up its forces in the Middle East and is now sending the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier task force from the South China Sea heading “in the direction” of the Middle East, where it would join the USS Carl Vinson carrier task force already on station.
Other reports say that the US has sent a large number of aerial refueling tankers across the Atlantic, but without an as yet known destination. US warships have helped Israel shoot down Iranian missiles and drones. The UK also announced it is deploying Royal Air Force jet fighters to the Middle East.
It is not clear whether negotiations with Iran will restart. Should that happen, the original US parameters for a deal would not solve the bigger problem that must be resolved if the war is going to end.
Obviously the first priority is to end Iran’s nuclear program. But what does that mean? Israel is unlikely to agree to inspection of Iranian nuclear sites as an adequate or reliable way to assure Iran does not resume its nuclear weapons programs.
The Trump administration set down a red line saying “no more uranium enrichment,” but has not clarified how that can be achieved.
Relying on IAEA inspections is a formula that has proven a leaky vessel not only in Iran, but elsewhere. IAEA never saw the North Korean-Iranian-Syrian attempt to build a secret nuclear fuel reactor modeled on the North Korean Yongbyon reactor. Israel wiped it off the map. Nor did the IAEA ever grasp Iraq’s nuclear bomb effort under Saddam Hussein.
The IAEA so-called inspections in Iran don’t include the massive Fordow complex, where Iran was readying enrichment to bomb-grade uranium, or other “secret” facilities, such as the recently discovered tritium “rainbow” facility, part of the effort to build either boosted nuclear bombs or hydrogen weapons.
The only reliable way to end Iran’s nuclear program is to destroy all the nuclear facilities in the country, while putting Iran’s nuclear reactors under strict international control, not inspection.
In addition to the nuclear issue, the US needs to demand limits on Iran’s ballistic missile program. Just before the outbreak of hostilities, Iran tested an as yet unnamed intermediate-range ballistic missile that can carry a two ton warhead. This missile obviously is designed to deliver a nuclear warhead. It could be that when Israel saw this test it realized it had no choice but to act against Iran.
Part of any deal must include scrapping heavy missiles and an agreement never to manufacture them again.
Israel also will demand, and rightly so, the immediate release of all the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and a guarantee that no weapons of any kind can be transferred to Hamas, Islamic Jihad or others who intend to attack Israel. Israel knows that if it smashes Iran, Hamas is finished because it utterly relies on weapons supplied by Iran.
Finally, Iran has to agree to no transfers of weapons of any kind to the Houthis in Yemen. Israel will not tolerate missile attacks from the Houthis any more than it will tolerate Iranian attacks against Israel.
If the Trump administration wants to negotiate a deal, either the deal has to address the nuclear issue and the hostages, and Yemen, or it isn’t worth anything.
Stephen Bryen is a special correspondent to Asia Times and former US deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.
Zionism and Islamism are two sides of the same coin. Peace will only return to the ME when these two terrorist movement go to hell.
In 2000’s they used to say we’re invading middle east to protect our “way of life”.
last I was in NY sewers next to wall street were sprouting fountains of sh** on the street. Right in the middle of “cradle of civilization”.
Way of Life was protected for two decades. It can’t be contained in pipes anymore.
Middle East is not America or Europe. It’s a geography thing, but Americans were never known to be good at geography
They do know enough to be able to hit places with their weapons. Much larger ones than Chinese
yeah, they’re so clever at geography when they plant demolition at WTC 7 they forget to fly a plane into it
No, that was the space lizards the ones controlling the world.
don’t you evangelist christians think scofield was a disciple of Jesus Christ?!
Someone once said that Americans use war to learn geography. Many Americans are all gung ho about war with Iran, yet couldn’t locate the place on a map. That’s American “culture” for you
Big-mouthed warriors moving to Russia? Haha. Trolls like Conserve Bob and Distorter aren’t happy. It’s a war between two proxies. And it’s obvious that Israel is winning and controls Iranian airspace. Vlampir Poo-tin’s deputy is on the run to Moscow. The question is whether Israel will squander its best chance of stopping Iran’s nuclear development or obey Master Donut Trumpet and let this golden opportunity slip away.
The IAEA is a bunch of useless, expense-hungry morons and should be disbanded and replaced by real professionals with STEM backgrounds, not another batch of lawyers and chatterboxes.
Israel was expecting a quick Hollywood-esque overthrow. Instead, Iran recovered and stabilized and is still hitting Tel Aviv and Haifa, lighting them up like a menorah. Israeli anti-air defense and their tag-along team of Britain, Germany, USA and even the puppet of Jordan could not even stop them from levelling the Weizmann center, oil refineries, Raphael building, navy bases, Nevatim, military bases, Mossad HQ, Ministry of Defense HQ, even Netanyahu’s house in Ceaseria was hit. Most of it you will not see or hear on Western media of course. Your team are too dishonest with D-notices and media blackouts. Fact is, Israel started something it cannot finish and is now shrieking for Uncle Sam to the rescue.
The more you twist the reality, the more your mind is befuddled. It doesn’t change the fact that Iran is sliding towards disaster. And Master Vlampire Poo-tin watches helplessly as his ally is flogged.
Israel has never been flogged like this before. That’s key here. The aura and myth of IDF “invincibility” is shattered. Their Leggo Dome is not effective, even with THAAD and RAF, USAF and Luftwaffe helping. Iran is the underdog in this fight. They are doing very well against the welfare queens of Israel, who wouldn’t last a week without Western support.
Gosh, are you empty-headed? In a fight, even the victor gets bruises. But the result always counts. Victory or defeat. The Iron Dome is merely a symbol of the great difficulty of penetrating it, not an impenetrable dome as only the empty-headed like you imagine. I’m no fan of Israel, but the reality is that Israel is a superpower in the Middle East. Love or hate, it doesn’t matter. To this day, it remains an undeniable fact.
Btw, where are Russia and China, Iran’s allies? LOL, both are secrete bosumfriends of Israel.
Israel always knew this would be the tougher nut (unlike the nutless Hez(no)Bollox.
Remember the Lebo’ war, missiles thrown in both directions, a small ground offensive, then…. booom and Hezbollah are decapitated. Well not decapitated as such.
The 4by2’s are just getting started.
Define “Israel is winning and controls Iranian airspace”! Haifa refinery closure, Eilat port bankrupt and closed, missiles are raining on Zionistan, falling international credit rating, etc. Netanyahoo is begging tRump to get in and save him from the Israeli courts. Zionistan cannot survive one day without the American taxpayers money, weapons and hand holing. Maybe you should leave the keyboard alone and take a look at the sky of several cities and how their people cannot even survive in the shelters.
Iran is still standing using its own weapons. Can you say that about Israel?!
But they aren’t hitting anything
-Haifa refinery, close for 10 days for repairs.
-Eilat port, bankrupt and closed “until future notice”
-Elbit Systems, hit and out of operation
-Numerous buildings destroyed and their inhabitants homeless/shelterless/jobless
Israel’s Moody’s credit rating down the toilette
You must have been napping all this time.
All of this services rendered by Iranian home-made weapon while Israel live of the US handouts. Why do you thin Bibi is crying so uncle Donald comes to his help. Donald has other plans that do not involve Bibi.
Pinpricks.
Have the Iranians taken out the main 4by2 military leaders?
Do the Iranians have control of the skies?
Israel is tightening the noose. 400+ missiles launched by the Mad Mullahs, 40 got through
What about Israel’s nukes that are under no international control?! You have lost your professional integrity by siding with the Zio-terrorists!
If some country like N.Korea or Israel or Pakistan or etc. succeed to build a nuke, it become a nuke power. Period! A return to Stone Age is out-of-question. So stop screaming for the impossible.
Did you know that Israel was Apartheid South Africa’s chummy little friend, its lone friend, during an era when the world sanctioned the racist white settlers? That is because the Israelis were busy stealing gold and diamonds AND testing their nuclear bomb in South Africa (look up the Vela Incident in 79′). They stole fissile material from the US to do so (Apollo Affair 65′). Israel is not a signatory to the NPT, Chemical Weapons Convention or Biological Weapons Convention. Yet they continue to play the victim and throw tantrums, because their dear old nuclear monpoly is about to vaporize. That’s just too bad.
It won’t change the fact that Israel HAS nuke and Iran doesn’t. And it doesn’t matter how malicious or fraudulent the acquisition of Nuke appeared. Russia stole nuke secrets from the United States, and in the early 1950s, the Russia provided significant support, including technical know-how and equipment, to China’s burgeoning nuclear program in exchange for uranium.
The US is the only country to have used nuclear weapons (while playing victim of course). And general Macarthur was pushing strongly to nuke China and USSR. That was not an offhand remark lost in translation by Ahmadinejad…the rest is history. The basic concept is that nuclear monpolies are terrible. Nuclear duopolies are more stable configurations. USA is kept in check by China and Russia. Israel will be kept in check by Iran. Otherwise you have a rabid little dog in the region bullying everybody, all the time. This has to stop. Israel is out of control and a society in the grips of a national mental disorder. They do not know when to stop. There is no self control with Israel.
Rogue regimes are people’s pain in the a$$. If the US had more nuclear weapons back then, Russia would have been pacified like Japan, No Russia meant NO communist China.
Rogue regimes are people’s pain in the a$$. If the US had more nuclear weapons back then, Russia would have been pacified like Japan, No communist Russia meant NO communist China.
And Russia and RSA had a cartel to keep the price of diamonds inflated.
Meanwhile China was the besty of Pol Pot.
The only thing about to vaporise are the clerics when the population string them up and shoot the heck out of them.
Zionism and Islamism are two sides of the same coin. Peace will only return to the ME when these two terrorist movement go to hell.
People also need to understand what “Israel” is. It was founded by extremist fascist paramilitaries – Irgun, Lehi and Hagana. Albert Einstein in 1948 warned in a NYT article about the dangers of fascism in Israel. The Anglo Americans created Israel as a crusader outpost to subjugate and oppress the Islamic world, hold it down, prevent its independence and prosperity. Israel has codified Apartheid policies in its Basic Laws and other laws. Jews can only own land, if Israeli Arabs marry Palestinians their partners cannot become citizens. Illegal settlements are stealth land theft. More bombs have been dropped on Gaza than Dresden x 10. This is not a civilized state. How do you reign the criminals in? You stop arming them and telling them they can do no wrong. This is where Britain and USA fail big time. They are encouraging bad behavior, not punishing it. They are owned by Zionist lobbyists who are remorseless and shameless savages.
Sounds pretty good to me. But there again I don’t have your hypocrisy.
It will happen to you and your country sooner than you expect
China?
Israel
If the West had a balance sheet with the world, on the liabilty side would be a recurring heavy expense called Israel. Recent additions include Ukraine. The balance sheet of soft power and credibilty with the world is insolvent. There will be no deal without Russia or China. The US is useless. A party to the conflict in Ukraine and Gaza and against Iran, attempting to be “mediator”? Who are these fools fooling. Tel Aviv better buckle up. The war they began is coming home to roost. Expect a reverse Aliyah, Jews flooding out of the failing state of Israel. They cannot figure out how to live in peace after 77 years.
Phone call intercepted from Iran to Russia.
Khameni: Hello Vlad, we’re under attack
Silence
Khameni: Hello Vlad… are you there ? are you there Vlad?
NetanYahoo calling tRump:
Hi daddy, can you help me? I’ve fallen and can’t get up!
tRump: Kiss my tweets.
If you’re still not sure who helps Iran guide those missiles that are hitting all over Zionistan, then here’s some help. Fill in the banks, P_ _ t_n. Got it?!
The Russians couldn’t hit a barndoor in a breeze. They have been totally outwitted by the Ukrs.
Where was Vlad when the Azeri’s took over Armenian land, or when Syria collapsed? He’s more worried about his own survival.
When the Russkis find out how much Xi has taken off him in Siberia, Putin will be strung up.
Armenians were playing footsie with the NATO losers as did Georgia and Ukraine and they all got shafted deservedly by Russia. You quip about China and Russia is pathetically comical.