U.S. 'preparing the battlefield' in Iran

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration has launched a "significant escalation" of covert operations in Iran, sending U.S. commandos to spy on the country's nuclear facilities and undermine the Islamic republic's government, journalist Seymour Hersh said Sunday.
www.cnn.com...
Seems they are getting ready like a joint attack with US and Israel.Just my take.Good time this happens,I'm sick of listening to all this junk with Iran saying they aren't trying to make nukes.

[edit on 29-6-2008 by alienstar]

well i don't care anymore...let's have it already lol

Why would the government tell a huge media source that we are sending commandos in Iran? I'm sure now Iran is more aware for the security of their "nuclear plants" because of this story.

Yeah, I think they've been doing this sort of stuff on and off for the last few years. First back in 2005 I think and some other times just to keep updated intelligence.
A lot of it is human networking(word of mouth) based combined with tapping into cell phone conversations, intercepting emails, satellite imagery, outright monitoring radio frequencies.
The amount of information the US has on Iran by now is obviously massive.
Much of the intelligence gathering capabilities of the US military has been massively expanded these past few years, greatly by pushes by former DoD secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Much of the technology is far beyond the things the Iranians can think of anyways I am confident.
So, we've had commandos and agents in Iran for years.

Fun fact: Ironically, modern American special forces were created in response to events taking place over in Iran, during the 1979 hostage crisis.

reply to post by spec_ops_wannabe


So true. We certainly collect tax dollars to fund such intelligent gathering, and I doubt we've stopped doing what we seem to have done quite well in the past, covert operations.
Of course, when we flatly deny it's military doing these things, I think technically that's true, as they mean the CIA is, or have they privatized that to Blackwater, too?

What I found distressing was this

President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have rejected findings from U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran has halted a clandestine effort to build a nuclear bomb and "do not want to leave Iran in place with a nuclear program," Hersh said.

Rejected??? Again???

Halting isn't good enough though, they can have things spun up in minutes. They only "halt" their program when trying to buy more time and feel the heat is on.

The plants need to be disabled.

reply to post by desert


I was thinking more along the lines of top-secret groups that do things like gather intelligence for groups like Delta Force or Seal Team 6. I reccommend some reading of the book Killer Elite by Michael Smith, it brings a lot things about American special forces to light.
(I'm not going against posting rules am I in this one?)

I have been wondering if putting this out there is an attempt to call Iran's bluff about retaliation if anything happened there. How far will the US/Israel push them until they attack and are then "justified" in going to war with Iran?

The US isn't trying to bait Iran into attacking us. The attack on Iran will take place whether they strike first or not.

They have given the world the run-around about their Nukes now for almost two years while continuing weapons-grade uranium enrichment. In other words, they just bought alot of time through smoke and mirrors. It is because the UN lets them do this that they keep getting away with it.

It only works so long and eventually comes to head like it is now.

We can always depend on Seymour Hersh to tell our enemies what we're up to.

On the other hand, if we want the enemy to believe that we are doing something we are not, all we have to do is let Seymour Hersh discover the ruse and let him believe he's got a scoop and let him run with it.

Thanks, Seymour. You're priceless.

Number of times UN has inspected Iran's nuclear facilities: 240

Number of times Israel have allowed UN inspections: 0

By following a doctrine of ambiguity, Israel have amassed their own nuclear arsenal without having to tell anyone about it. Someone in Israel did squeal about it, and they were shoved into jail very quickly for a very long time.

I'm not saying Israel is necessarily bad, I just don't like the hubbub about mentioning nukes in the Mid East without talking about Israel's own WMDs.

Iran's main nuclear reactor is a light-water reactor, I don't believe it could be used to make 'weapons grade' uranium to be manufactured into plutonium.

The IAEA doesn't agree that Iran is developing weapons: the head of the IAEA even said he would RESIGN if Iran was attacked. And he was right in saying an attack on Iran would turn the whole Middle East into one big fireball.

People might not like gas/fuel/petrol prices now, but oil would triple its price if Iran, in any event of attack, closed the Strait of Hormuz - up to 40% of the word's oil flows through it everyday. This is why there is division among the neocons about launching an attack - Iran might be outclassed militarily, but they're in a very strategic position.

Iraq and Afghanistan are in ear-shot of Iran, too. What's to say Iran wouldn't go down with guns blazing and let off the 11, 000 or so missiles it's been building up? They have them pointed at Israel as well.

Last but not least, Russia and China have vested interests in Iran and it's oil and gas. Russia is getting a big huge slab of cash by building Iran's nuclear plants.

As for the CIA snooping around in Iran, this is the same dirty tricks that America played out with the Soviet Union when they were in Afghanistan - fund terrorism to fight proxy wars. The US is currently funding terrorist groups inside Iran.

"The friend of my enemy is my friend" lives in the war on terror.

I've already lost whatever dwindling respect I had for the United States, an attack involving the US on Iran couldn't make it any lower. But let's not kid ourselves - Iran's facilities are underground and spread around some vast countryside. The US could get bogged down very fast and for a very long time.

As I mentioned, oil would sky rocket. The price now would seem like paying for a stick o' gum.

Just look at Iraq. That was supposed to be over in a few weeks. So much for regime change there, and whatever WMDs Saddam had, you guys sold them to him to fight Iran!

Just, wow, spin the bottle and decide on what country to trample into next and get it over with and see how far the world 'improves' for the efforts.

Cant be sure its the the truth but a now dead sas soldier (god bless his soul and rest in peace) good friend of mine died in iran on recon in iran at start of iraq war. death came down to his previous unit which was para

he told me on secrecy iran but his all his family know it as another iraq death

Iran's main nuclear reactor is a light-water reactor, I don't believe it could be used to make 'weapons grade' uranium to be manufactured into plutonium.

Ummm, what about the clandestine operations? You know, the ones that aren't made public or open to inspectors? You know, the ones we spot with satellites and all that good stuff.

Also, Saudi Arabia has agreed to up the Oil supply output to 200,000 more barrels a day provided Iran does somehow get control of the strait.

It will keep the US Oil prices in check, but the rest of the world may see an increase.

Iran's thousands of rockets, not even 10% of them are from this century. Most are 1950s Russian Scuds.

They have already moved what they have in terms of the Shahib 3 missiles to locations that put them in range of Israel.

The US has agreed to provide Israel with an Infared Satellite detection network that can detect Iranian missile launches with in seconds and provide support to take them out before they even reach the first flight stage. If some do get through (and some will), Israel still has up to a 15 minute missle launch warning.

reply to post by spec_ops_wannabe


Ah, yes, ISA. Hmmmm, no doubt. All very secretive.

Political egos and secret secretive activities sometimes are not a good thing. These things are good if they keep us out of wars, but I think too many times we have gotten into wars and other dealings with such secret groups. People trying to get away with something.

reply to post by madmartinez


My condolences to you.

I think this was a ruse by The US Government powers that be. You see- this was put out there to stir up the Iranians and it seems to be working. What the US will probably do is wait for the Iranians to finish digging them 320,000 graves, and then the US will attack!

The Iranians will be so tired from digging all the graves that they'll just surrender right there on the battle field. War done.

I thought this was an interesting picture.





It looks like Iran is pretty well surrounded

source www.mimico-by-the-lake.com...

[edit on 1-7-2008 by RUFFREADY]

The bulk of the Iranian population is very pro-West and they are sick and tired of the theocracy that keeps their country in continual international hot water and oppresses the populace.

It is questionable just how ready the Iranians are to revolt, but that is something that must be considered when discussing Iran.