According to a variety of sources (see the nice roundup at Hot Air), the Iranian abduction of 15 British seamen is tied not only to the recent bust that I pointed out in the extended entry, here, but to the prior American capture of a number of Iranian operatives at a site in Irbil that Iran claimed was a consulate (a claim that ought to have been easy for Western journalists to check, but which toward which they displayed complete indifference). My best information suggests that they had petitioned for that location in Kurdish-controlled Iraq to be conferred embassy status, but that it had not yet been accomplished.
As Allah points out, the timing of the emergency meeting that was supposed to have been carried out in the wake of those arrests, but which appears in fact to have occurred a day before (March 18), which determined that they needed to kidnap some hostages for purposes of exchange, raises questions. It may well be that they decided on this course of action tentatively, only to find, when this round-up occurred, that:
Al Quds and Revolutionary Guards’ operations had become transparent to US and British intelligence following the arrest of a senior Al Quds officer and four of his deputies in Irbil.
So, if Allah’s information, in the main, is correct, is Sadr still in Iraq, or has he in fact fled to Iran, as has been asserted? Inquiring minds want to know.
Wahlid Phares has very interesting ideas about Iran’s game plan. (h/t Curt at Flopping Aces)
Anis Naccash, a Lebanese intellectual supporter of the Ayatollahs regime, appearing from Tehran few hours ago on the Qatari-based satellite and “explained” that the “US and the UK must understand that Iran is as much at war with these two powers in as much as they support the rise of movements and security instability inside Iran.” He added that Khamenei is clear on the regime’s decision to strike: “we will be at war with you on all levels: secret, diplomatic, military and other.” Pro-Iranian propagandists in the region, via media and online rushed to warn that this movement is part of Iran’s counter-strike against any attempt to destabilize the regime.
So, Iran says we’re at war?
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Rob Crawford: “They said that the moment they invaded our embassy. We just never reciprocated.” How rude of us!
Last time I checked, Jimmy Carter was not President. Where are those B52s and when are they going to use this as an excuse to target Iranian nuclear facilities. We have those bunker busters–now is the time to use them.
Sir, yes, Sir!
They said that the moment they invaded our embassy. We just never reciprocated.
I say we wait and wait bit more…. then blow about 50% of their military shit up.
Hit 50% of their refinery capacity and 50% of their fuel storage.
Drop a few really loud bombs on a some vacant land all around Teheran and blow out a bunch of glass. Take out Teheran’s electrical supply.
Then tell Iranians out loud and undiplomatically to stop fucking around. Seriously. Have Condi use those exact words on CNN.
The Bush Administration’s silence on the matter must be screaming in Seymour Hersh’s ears.
It’s a quagmire! U.S. out of Iran!
Sorry, I wanted to get there first just once. Well, whadda ya expect from a neocon racist chickenhawk. Or a neochickenracist conhawk. Whatever.
Dan says:
No. According to your quotation, that’s what Anus, your Lebanese apologist for Iran says. And even he uses the future tense ( e.g., Anus complainus thus– “we will be at war with you).
Drudge reporting that the Brits “will be tried”.
There better be a rescue mission. It better involve brits, americans and australians and it better come with shock and awe.
I’m ready for Bush to stop worrying about approval ratings and start worring about the Iranians.
Of course, thats assuming the democratic legislature and democratic president to be don’t already have a “deal” in place with the Iranians.
Its not like history is not full of appeasors who end up giving up the empire.
Gleen’s(’s) got a post up blaming the Iranian waters GPS claim on Rovian Obi-Droid LandSat5 Thematic Mapping Asymptote Projection.
The best part is that over at Memeorandum his Salon post is tagged under the Farsi News Report.
He just doesn’t know who to trust anymore. Disturbed little squint.
If those Colorado 6th Graders had known how much CO2 a drunken armadillo exhales after a weekend on the toot, they would have nailed Jeff Goldstein’s ears to the wall. And rightly so. He has led that scaly creature from the paths of righteousness and there will be a terrible price to pay.
T’aint the exhalations that are the problem. It’s the methane from the other end.