To Isolate Iran, U.S. Presses Inspectors on Nuclear Data

[alp227]

Source: NYT

WASHINGTON — President Obama is pressing United Nations nuclear inspectors to release classified intelligence information showing that Iran is designing and experimenting with nuclear weapons technology. The president’s push is part of a larger American effort to further isolate and increase pressure on Iran after accusing it of a plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States.

If the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog group, agrees to publicize the evidence, including new data it says it has gathered in recent months, it would almost certainly revive a debate that has been dormant during the Arab Spring this year about how aggressively the United States and its allies, including Israel, should move to halt Iran’s suspected weapons program.

Over the longer term, several senior Obama administration officials said in interviews, they are also considering banning financial transactions with Iran’s central bank — a major move that has been opposed by China and other Asian nations — and expanding a ban on the purchase of petroleum products sold by companies controlled by the country’s elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The Revolutionary Guards are also believed to oversee the military side of the nuclear program, and they are the parent of the Quds Force, which Washington has accused of directing the assassination plot.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/world/middleeast/white-house-says-data-shows-iran-push-on-nuclear-arms.html?pagewanted=all

[ixion]

1. my, my, my... change one letter in that headline and it's just like the bad 'ol Bush days...

Change the 'n' in Iran to a 'q' and we're right where we were a few years back.

[izquierdista]

9. Completely different

Two people from Iraq are Iraqis, two people from Tehran are Iranians. But with more American bombs, all four of them can be DEAD -- which is the only nationality that interests Republicans.

[Donny]

2. Here we go AGAIN!

It sure does suck to be us...:puke:

[Dover]

3. "...expand a ban on the purchase of petroleum products.."

The proposed sanctions come as administration officials confront skepticism around the world about their allegations that Iran was behind the plot and limited options about what they can do — as well as growing pressure from Republicans and some Democrats in Congress to take tougher action against Iran, with the central bank and the oil industry high on lawmakers’ lists.

I won't bother to link yet again to my post on the Iran/Iraq/Syria pipeline news that feeds into this story...it's deja vu all over again at just the mention of 'pipelines'.

[marmar]

4. Dejavoodoo

This is a bad movie rerun.

[defendandprotect]

5. Nothing like new warmongering to distract from OWS .... !!!

[texanwitch]

6. Will anyone believe this again.

Damn.

[woo me with science]

10. Just read around here.

Good god, what has our party become?

[AverageJoe90]

7. Unfortunately, the Iranians have continued to play games with the IAEA.

Best for this info to get publishes if it does implicate the Iranians........frankly, there's a damn good chance that it will.

[ronnie624]

8. Did you know

the U.S. government will not allow inspections of nuclear facilities that it deems vital to "national security"?

And as an examination of history shows conclusively, the U.S. is far more likely than Iran to attack others.

I just thought I would throw that out there.

[geek tragedy]

11. Is it a secret that we possess nuclear weapons? nt

[ronnie624]

13. No. n/t

[Nihil]

15. I think that there should be mandatory inspection of all nuclear sites ...

... especially in the Middle East ... *all* countries in the Middle East ...

:shrug:

[chill_wind]

12. All of this based on a Jack Daniels guy who couldn't keep track of his car keys or cell phone.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15325686


Regardless, the alleged information of one guy. One guy. Where have we ever made that mistake before?

[Nihil]

14. Any incubators involved? How about log chippers? Nuns being raped?

Same shit, different day.