View Full Version : Iran: Quds Force in Venezuela
incarcerated
04-23-2010, 00:43
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20100422_iran_quds_force_venezuela
Iran: Quds Force in Venezuela
April 22, 2010 | 2253 GMT
Summary
A recently published U.S. Department of Defense report claims that members of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force (IRGC-QF) currently are operating in Venezuela. STRATFOR sources claim that the relatively limited number of IRGC-QF in Venezuela are focused on intelligence operations, paramilitary training for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and security assistance for the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Though the IRGC-QF presence brings certain benefits to the Venezuelan government, Chavez also has an interest in keeping their proxy militant focus on Colombia.
Analysis
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates submitted a report to Congress in April on the current and future military strategy of Iran. Included in the report is a claim that the Quds Force, the overseas operations arm of Iran’s elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has developed a significant presence in Latin America, particularly in Venezuela. STRATFOR sources connected to this Iranian military unit have confirmed a small but notable presence in Venezuela. Though IRGC-QF members in Venezuela are believed to be providing some security assistance to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan leader does not appear interested in incurring reprisals from the United States and is consequently trying to direct the anti-U.S. activities of the IRGC-QF toward neighboring Colombia.
As the Pentagon report states, IRGC-QF members usually are stationed in foreign embassies, charities and religious or cultural institutions as intelligence officers to develop ties with the Shiite diaspora and other potential allies. The U.S. military even has labeled incoming and outgoing Iranian ambassadors to Iraq as IRGC-QF members. On a more narrow scale, the IRGC-QF arms, funds and trains various paramilitary groups as an extension of Iran’s well-developed militant proxy arm. The IRGC-QF is believed to have worked with proxies to orchestrate major attacks against U.S. and U.S.-allied targets, including the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia and a number of insurgent attacks targeting U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. By keeping this elite unit in reserve in various pockets of the globe, Iran has the ability to carry out attacks under plausible deniability. The reality of Iran’s retaliatory options — made possible by the IRGC-QF — has factored heavily into U.S. war-gaming exercises against Iran.
Joined by their mutually hostile relationship with the United States, Iran and Venezuela have grown to be close allies in the past several years. A good portion of this relationship consists of rhetoric designed to grab the attention of Washington, but significant forms of cooperation do exist between the two countries. STRATFOR sources have indicated many of the inflated economic deals signed between Iran and Venezuela and the establishment of the Banco Internacional de Desarrollo (an Iranian banking subsidiary headquartered in Caracas) are designed to facilitate Iran’s money laundering efforts while providing the Venezuelan government with an additional source of illicit revenue.
The Iranian-Venezuelan relationship also extends into the militant proxy world. Though this information has not been confirmed, STRATFOR sources claim the current IRGC-QF presence in Venezuela is limited to roughly 300 members. This estimate could well be on the high side, considering the likelihood that it includes all IRGC-QF paramilitary trainers and personnel working under diplomatic, business and religious cover. Many of these IRGC-QF members are focused on developing relationships with Venezuelan youth of Arab origin, who are viewed as potential intelligence and militant recruits. Some of these recruits are brought to Iran for training, and STRATFOR sources claim that several Hezbollah trainers are included among the IRGC-QF personnel. However, these efforts remain limited given the relatively small size of the Shiite community in Venezuela, believed to be less than one percent of Venezuela’s Muslims, which comprise roughly four percent of the population.
A portion of IRGC-QF members are believed to interact with militants belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Colombia’s largest paramilitary group. The Chavez government is widely believed to provide direct support for FARC rebels and smaller Colombian paramilitary groups, but the Venezuelan president also appears wary of the IRGC-QF interaction with these groups. A STRATFOR source has indicated that IRGC-QF links with FARC are designed to give Iran the option of targeting U.S. interests in Colombia should the need for retaliation arise (for example, in the event of a U.S. military strike on Iran). The source says the IRGC-QF does not have a presence in Colombia but supports FARC from the paramilitary group’s sanctuary along the Venezuelan border. While it remains highly doubtful that Iran would be able to exert the necessary influence over FARC to direct their attacks against U.S. targets, simply having FARC as the main culprit for attacks in Colombia could provide Iran with the plausible deniability it seeks in such attacks.
The Venezuelan government appears to be benefiting in part by hosting the IRGC-QF, but, like Iran, wants to ensure some level of plausible deniability. A STRATFOR source claims that some IRGC-QF members have been integrated into Venezuela’s National Guard and police force, where they provide assistance to the Chavez government in containing the opposition. IRGC-QF and Hezbollah personnel also are believed to be involved in irregular warfare training for some Venezuelan army units, in addition to FARC. Chavez has publicly endorsed the concept of “asymmetric warfare” in his restructuring of the Venezuelan army to guard against potential military threats from Colombia and the United States.
That said, Chavez also is wary of IRGC-QF activities directed at the United States. According to the source, Chavez has strongly cautioned Iran against allowing IRGC-QF to target U.S. interests in Venezuela itself. Despite his heated rhetoric against the United States, the Venezuelan president does not wish to invite a strong U.S. reprisal and would rather keep their militant focus on Venezuela’s main regional rival, Colombia.
See also:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jvXOYLKMt3NWFER4xXMlDPSTmhBw
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/venezuela/7615829/Iran-exports-revolutionary-principles-to-Venezuela-report-claims.html
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Pentagon-Iran-Continues-Nuclear-Weapons-Push-Supports-Extremists-91767204.html
Green Light
04-23-2010, 04:55
As usual, the US neglects Latin America. We do this at our peril. The history of the past 60 years has been forgotten: Castro, Che, Allende, Somoza, FMLN, Noriega, and Sandinistas just to name a few. Now they have the likes of FARC, Evo Morales, and Hugo Chavez. If you blink, foreign policy speaking, LATAM will bite you in the backside every time. We're going to have to fight the LATAM campaign of the 1980s all over again.
greenberetTFS
04-23-2010, 11:39
As usual, the US neglects Latin America. We do this at our peril. The history of the past 60 years has been forgotten: Castro, Che, Allende, Somoza, FMLN, Noriega, and Sandinistas just to name a few. Now they have the likes of FARC, Evo Morales, and Hugo Chavez. If you blink, foreign policy speaking, LATAM will bite you in the backside every time. We're going to have to fight the LATAM campaign of the 1980s all over again.
I think GL is right on target here,he makes an excellent point............;)
Big Teddy :munchin
Green Light
04-23-2010, 13:20
We operated for nine years to get the communists out of LATAM and now look at it. Danny Ortega was elected as president of Nicaragua, the G's in El Sal didn't get properly demobilized and gave us MS13, the FARC is stronger than ever, Bolivia is a Venezuelan puppet, and on it goes.
Maybe it's a good thing that there's a remake of Red Dawn in the works. Folks better wake up.
armymom1228
04-23-2010, 15:02
As usual, the US neglects Latin America. We do this at our peril. The history of the past 60 years has been forgotten: Castro, Che, Allende, Somoza, FMLN, Noriega, and Sandinistas just to name a few. Now they have the likes of FARC, Evo Morales, and Hugo Chavez. If you blink, foreign policy speaking, LATAM will bite you in the backside every time. We're going to have to fight the LATAM campaign of the 1980s all over again.
I have been watching the whole LatAm scenario for the last few yrs. I gotta agree with GL's assessment. Mexico appears to be falling apart, politically and with drug wars. I have an ongoing bet with my son that says we will have boots on the ground by the end of the year. If not IN Mexico, certainly defending our borders.
With our national attention turned to the ME, Hugo thinks he can just play fast and loose. He is getting in bed with muchachos he don't want to be in bed with when all is said and done. It's one thing for him to play kissy face with Fidel, but the Iranians.... man he is like a kid poking an electrical socket with a butter knife to see if it sparks. :rolleyes::rolleyes: He needs a lead hearing aid.
AM
incarcerated
04-24-2010, 23:06
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20100424_brief_irgc_detains_vessels_straits_hormuz
Brief: IRGC Detains Vessels In Straits Of Hormuz
April 24, 2010 | 1421 GMT
Naval patrol units of Iran’s elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), briefly stopped French and Italian vessels in the Straits of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported April 24. According to the reports, the two ships were stopped by IRGC naval forces engaged in the Great Prophet 5 military exercises that have been in progress for three days. Iranian forces reportedly boarded the two vessels, inspected them to assess whether they were in compliance with environmental regulations, and were allowed to sail after it was concluded that they were not in violation of any regulations. STRATFOR cannot confirm this report at this time. It is not clear whether such an incident truly took place and if it did, what types of vessels were stopped and for how long. If it did happen, then it was an attempt by Iran to show that it is prepared to interfere with international energy-related traffic in the event of an attack. Thus far, the Iranians have been using a mix of rhetoric and war games to send a message to the United States that the cost of military action against the Islamic republic would be very high. By stopping ships (albeit briefly) in the Straits of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf (through which 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil supplies flow), Iran is trying to complement verbal threats with a practical demonstration of its intent. Such an offensive move on the part of the Iranians, assuming it actually happened, will escalate already growing tensions over Iran’s controversial nuclear program and place pressure on U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration to respond to the Iranian provocation.
Have I read to many Tom Clancy novels?…Iranian quads in SA = oil rig…NK act of war with the ship sinking and now the aggressive land grab…is it possible that these events are a coordinated/related strategy of a partnership among declared enemies of the US?
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/0423
/North-Korea-seizes-South-owned-resort-as-warship-tensions-grow
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jQydsIWmNQZpwRriADac51u5rx8gD9FA0UKG0
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0423/Oil-rig-explosion-unmasks-dangerous-myth-of-safety-lawmakers-say
Leading to:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2010/0423/Sanctions-on-Iran-s-gasoline-imports-That-s-war-talk
Concur with Penn, Green Light, et al. It is indeed hard not to arrive at these conclusions. For too many generations the US has ignored LATAM as nothing more than a tourist destination or a labor pool.
It's taken years for this to evolve to this point and the solution will probably take just as long to fix. How do we fix it...I don't know.
incarcerated
04-25-2010, 12:02
I recall that during a period of heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran in 2007, an American college kid wrote a white paper in which he defined Iranian victory conditions in a Persian Gulf conflict as the sinking of an American aircraft carrier.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hmoXhDeTsANXCqQqNCjZ3PUWgHtg
Iran Guards fire five missiles: media
(AFP) – 5 hours ago
TEHRAN — Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards fired five missiles on Sunday as part of ongoing war games in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, state media reported.
The shore-to-sea and sea-to-sea missiles struck at a single target simultaneously, state television reported.
Fars news agency named two of those tested as the Noor (Light) and Nasr (Victory) missiles. It said a third, having a range of over 300 kilometres was also fired, but did not name it.
The Guards have been conducting a military drill since Thursday in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow strategically located waterway through which 40 percent of world's seaborne oil supplies pass.
Iran's missile programme has raised concerns in the West which is already at loggerheads with Tehran over its controversial nuclear project.
The Islamic republic boasts of having missiles that can hit targets in arch-foe Israel.
ZonieDiver
04-26-2010, 10:50
It's time. Bring it back! :D
Concur with Penn, Green Light, et al. It is indeed hard not to arrive at these conclusions. For too many generations the US has ignored LATAM as nothing more than a tourist destination or a labor pool.
Iran, "the land of Aryans" in LATAM is not a warming thought. How could our current leaders not think their version of the QP's aren't creating a monster next door?
And FARC just gets bigger and better trained...:munchin
Was just thinking...what if Iran wiped Israel off the map? It would be the 12th step, every Christian and Muslim country in the world would be pretty pissed at the Holy land being radiated.
"And Russia's new shipping container cruise missile system with potential customers for the formidable Club-K system include Kremlin allies Iran and Venezuela"
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/04/26/world/international-us-russia-weapon.html
Keep kissing ass Mr. President
incarcerated
04-29-2010, 12:21
Have I read to many Tom Clancy novels?…Iranian quads in SA = oil rig…
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h8t6WfJRrh0JpcYr_B3r-0rGqCrAD9FBLRQG2
....Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said they will devote every available resource to a comprehensive investigation of the explosion. The two Cabinet secretaries signed an order establishing the next steps for a joint investigation that began last week into the causes of the explosion of the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon.
The U.S. Coast Guard, as part of the DHS, and the Minerals Management Service, part of Interior, share jurisdiction for the probe. Investigators will have the power to issue subpoenas, hold public hearings, call witnesses, and take other steps that may be needed to determine the cause of the incident....
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil-spill-20100430,0,645089.story
...."This is a spill of national significance," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters at the White House briefing. The designation means that assets from around the country and especially from other coastal areas can be used to fight the spill....
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1272395702575.shtm
Secretary Napolitano and Secretary Salazar Launch Full Investigation of Deepwater Horizon Incident in the Gulf of Mexico
Release Date: April 27, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact: Clark Stevens (DHS), 202-282-8010
Kendra Barkoff (DOI), 202-208-6416
Washington, D.C. - As they emphasized the importance of continued vigilance and interagency coordination in the joint response to the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today laid out the next steps for the investigation that is underway into the causes of the April 20** explosion that left 11 workers missing, three critically injured, and an ongoing oil spill that the responsible party and federal agencies are working to contain and clean up.
"As we continue to work with our federal, state, local and private sector partners to respond to this ongoing incident, we must also effectively determine and address its causes," said Secretary Napolitano....
Green Light
04-29-2010, 13:27
It's time. Bring it back! :D
Wouldn't that be something? Heck, I'd get back in shape and request AD for that!
The 8th Grp Flash is very fine, but I think the 12th Grp. Flash with its three bolts and its overall graphic image is the best, and therefore should be reactivated and formed as an AD Grp.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h8t6WfJRrh0JpcYr_B3r-0rGqCrAD9FBLRQG2
....Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said they will devote every available resource to a comprehensive investigation of the explosion. The two Cabinet secretaries signed an order establishing the next steps for a joint investigation that began last week into the causes of the explosion of the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon.
The U.S. Coast Guard, as part of the DHS, and the Minerals Management Service, part of Interior, share jurisdiction for the probe. Investigators will have the power to issue subpoenas, hold public hearings, call witnesses, and take other steps that may be needed to determine the cause of the incident....
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil-spill-20100430,0,645089.story
...."This is a spill of national significance," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters at the White House briefing. The designation means that assets from around the country and especially from other coastal areas can be used to fight the spill....
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1272395702575.shtm
Secretary Napolitano and Secretary Salazar Launch Full Investigation of Deepwater Horizon Incident in the Gulf of Mexico
Release Date: April 27, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact: Clark Stevens (DHS), 202-282-8010
Kendra Barkoff (DOI), 202-208-6416
Washington, D.C. - As they emphasized the importance of continued vigilance and interagency coordination in the joint response to the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today laid out the next steps for the investigation that is underway into the causes of the April 20** explosion that left 11 workers missing, three critically injured, and an ongoing oil spill that the responsible party and federal agencies are working to contain and clean up.
"As we continue to work with our federal, state, local and private sector partners to respond to this ongoing incident, we must also effectively determine and address its causes," said Secretary Napolitano....
I heard that today on the radio, and saw on Fox this evening that Offshore Drilling Plans Under Gun After Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/29/oil-spill-prompts-lawmakers-urge-obama-drop-plans-drilling/)
And I thought of Penn's comments.....
incarcerated
04-30-2010, 00:05
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=58966
Official Praises Crew’s Response to Iranian Aircraft
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2010 – Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell today credited the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower for its disciplined response last week when an Iranian military aircraft flew within 1,000 yards of it in the Gulf of Oman.
An Iranian navy maritime patrol aircraft flew near the carrier April 21 as it had finished routine replenishment-at-sea operations, a Navy official confirmed on background. The aircraft remained in the area for about 20 minutes before it flew away.
The incident occurred as Iranian forces were preparing to conduct exercises in the Gulf.
Morrell played down the incident, saying close encounters aren’t all that unusual in the narrow, heavily trafficked Strait of Hormuz. “We operate there. They operate there. Lots of people operate there,” he said. “I don’t think … our crews were alarmed by it. I don’t think anybody [at the Pentagon] is too worked up about it.”
There’s been no communication between the United States and Iran about the incident, but Morrell said if the military wanted to contact the Iranians about the incident it would find a way to do so. “But I don’t think it is of concern to the Navy … nor anybody else in this building,” he said.
Morrell said the Eisenhower crew’s restraint during the incident speaks volumes.
“Thankfully, our crews are incredibly well trained, incredibly disciplined,” he said. “And they are very aware of the rules of engagement and the procedures that … should be taken in circumstances like this, and do an incredible job at avoiding … risks of accidental or incidental conflict.”
incarcerated
04-30-2010, 22:55
I heard that today on the radio, and saw on Fox this evening that Offshore Drilling Plans Under Gun After Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/29/oil-spill-prompts-lawmakers-urge-obama-drop-plans-drilling/)
And I thought of Penn's comments.....
From that monument of impartiality and objectivity, The Huffington Post,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/bill-nelson-energy-bill-w_n_558465.html
Energy Bill With Offshore Drilling ‘Dead On Arrival’
4-30-10
As an army of workers tries to stem the fallout of a massive oil spill along the Gulf Coast, back in Washington irreparable damage may already have been done to comprehensive energy legislation.
On Friday, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) said that a bill that includes provisions to increase offshore drilling off the coast of the United States (as envisioned by, among others, the White House) would be a non-starter in the Senate.
"As the White House looks down the line, it wants a climate change bill later this year," Nelson told MSNBC. "[Sen.] Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was insisting that there's going to be offshore drilling. I think that's dead on arrival."….
Quds, Eco-Nazi's or AoG. I think this screwed the chances of drilling for the foreseeable future.
I think this screwed the chances of drilling for the foreseeable future.
Concur. Some engineering firm is no doubt drafting plans to isolate existing oil rigs from contaminating the environment and new whiz-bang ways of drilling new wells with the same assurances.
It's interesting that after the mine explosion in WV the Obama Admin started thumping it's chest about finding out what happened and why...memorial services, etc. Wonder why BHO isn't doing the same thing with the oil rig explosion.
Concur. Some engineering firm is no doubt drafting plans to isolate existing oil rigs from contaminating the environment and new whiz-bang ways of drilling new wells with the same assurances.
It's interesting that after the mine explosion in WV the Obama Admin started thumping it's chest about finding out what happened and why...memorial services, etc. Wonder why BHO isn't doing the same thing with the oil rig explosion.
Good point.
I honestly believe most would pay little attention or consider business as usual, except Obama has made mention of bankrupting Big Fossil fuel.
Disaster in mines and oil contamination will play into the pushing Cap'N'Trade and Green Energy.....it already has all future drilling is halted.
Iran is itching for a confrontation...remember the 1988 incident where the Vincennes “mistakenly” shot down an Iranian airliner? IIRC, after numerous attempts, the ship could not contact the flight, shoots, we apologized, send 200 million in funding to secure further harassment, and 13 years later the exact same strategy is employed in NYC; civilian airliners... And don't delude yourself with National allegiance Saudi or Iranian, the bottom line is rag head muslims.
I just did a Google=fu on the event. It’s a well crafted PR story of faulty equipment compounding human error and laced with other plausible possibilities. Arguable defensible details and we caved…
The Captain (imo) took one for the team.
Iran is not playing any games, its rehearsing and is deadly serious. We are going lost ships and the Act of War will go unpunished. Propelling Iran into the regional power broker it is determined to be. That’s the end game here.
Utah Bob
05-01-2010, 21:58
The 8th Grp Flash is very fine, but I think the 12th Grp. Flash with its three bolts and its overall graphic image is the best, and therefore should be reactivated and formed as an AD Grp.
Nope. 12th is just too busy. It offends my sense of Flash Feng Shui.
I say stick with the tasteful, understated, and historic 8th flash..:D
I will agree that both the 8th and the 11th/20th are well designed and the 5th RVN Flash, for a time, also employed a strong diagonal, but the Fung Sui ends there. The 12th Grp flash has a natural “je ne sais quoi" element with regard to its presence, whereas the all others require some myth making, the 12th Grp needs no such support. Its begins with the numbers 1 2, all other numbers then just line up after 3…..
ZonieDiver
05-02-2010, 10:13
I will agree that both the 8th and the 11th/20th are well designed and the 5th RVN Flash, for a time, also employed a strong diagonal, but the Fung Sui ends there. The 12th Grp flash has a natural “je ne sais quoi" element with regard to its presence, whereas the all others require some myth making, the 12th Grp needs no such support. Its begins with the numbers 1 2, all other numbers then just line up after 3…..
I wore both of 'em (8th and 12th), and for me it is NO comparison. As Utah Bob sez, the lightning bolts are a bit repetitive - what with the SF shoulder patch and all.
That said, I heartily endorse Penn's suggestion to bring back the 12th! My time in that unit was time well-spent, and some of the teams I interacted with there were top-notch. (I served as a "filler" on a couple while the ODA I was on was filling up.) However, I was never fond of the flash. Even 19th's "naughahyde flash" was better! :D
Green Light
05-02-2010, 10:19
Hey! I graduated with the 19th flash. :p That naughahyde flash was pretty durable. It was simple and color worked on the beret. It had to be discontinued due to teal-blue naughas were endangered. :D I traded it for a 5th Gp flash with the VN colors on it.
I agree, the 12th Gp flash was a bit busy. But it was a great unit!
incarcerated
05-04-2010, 04:29
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE6423WJ20100503
Iran moves to challenge U.S. in Mideast: Gates
WASHINGTON
Mon May 3, 2010 2:47pm EDT
(Reuters) - Iran is challenging U.S. naval power in the Middle East with an array of offensive and defensive weapons, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Monday.
"Iran is combining ballistic and cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, mines, and swarming speedboats in order to challenge our naval power in that region," Gates told a conference of U.S. Navy advocates outside Washington....
Iran's naval forces include several anti-ship coastal defense missile batteries as well as submarines, missile boat and naval aviation units, according to an unclassified version of a Pentagon report on Iranian military power sent to Congress last month.
incarcerated
05-13-2010, 23:37
http://www.stratfor.com/sitrep/20100513_iran_brazilian_presidents_visit_bolster_t ies_diplomat
Iran: Brazilian President's Visit To Bolster Ties - Diplomat
May 13, 2010 | 2101 GMT
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s visit to Iran will bolster ties between the countries and help take the initiative to solve international issues away from big powers, Iranian Ambassador to Brazil Moshen Shaterzadeh said, IRNA reported May 13. Da Silva is currently scheduled to arrive in Tehran on May 15 from Russia with a 300 person delegation. He is scheduled to confer with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
incarcerated
05-16-2010, 10:25
http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=175710
'Iran entitled to nuke program'
Brazil president meets Ahmadinejad, calls relations "strategic."
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND ASSOCIATED PRESS
16/05/2010 18:45
Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva met with Iranian leaders on Sunday, and called the relationship between the two countries “strategic.”
Speaking in defense of Iran’s right to “independently navigate its course” to seek development and improvement, Silva stressed that a peaceful nuclear research program was within Iran’s sovereign rights.
Silva, who is in Iran for the Summit of the Group of 15 developing nations, spoke following meetings with Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Brazilian president went on to say that there were those who hoped his visit would fail.
Ahead of the visit, sources in the US State Department called Silva's visit the last chance for Iran to prevent the next round of sanctions against it. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton predicted that Silva's mediation effort would not succeed, saying new sanctions are the only way to bring Iran around to cooperation....
incarcerated
05-17-2010, 01:27
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64G18A20100517
Iran, Brazil, Turkey sign nuclear swap deal
Parisa Hafezi
TEHRAN
Mon May 17, 2010 3:06am EDT
(Reuters) - Iran, Brazil and Turkey signed an agreement on Monday over a nuclear fuel swap designed to allay international concern over the Islamic Republic's atomic ambitions and avert fresh sanctions on Tehran.
Iran said it had agreed to swap 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium for higher-enriched nuclear fuel, to be used in a medical research reactor. The exchange would take place in Turkey, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.
Iran, which rejects Western accusations it is seeking to develop nuclear bombs, had earlier insisted such a swap must take place on its territory.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on six world powers, which have been discussing further U.N. sanctions on the major oil producer, for fresh talks on Iran's nuclear program after the fuel exchange agreement.
"Following the signing of the nuclear fuel swap deal, it is time for 5+1 countries to enter talks with Iran based on honesty, justice and mutual respect," Ahmadinejad said, referring to the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany.
There was no immediate comment from Washington, which has been leading a Western push to impose additional punitive measures on Tehran.
Turkey and Brazil, both non-permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, had offered to mediate to find a resolution to the impasse. It was seen as the last chance to avoid a fourth round of U.N. sanctions.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan discussed the deal with Ahmadinejad in Tehran, Iranian state media reported.
"The swap will take place in Turkey," Mehmanparast told reporters, shortly before the agreement was signed by ministers in front of reporters.
Mehmanparast said Iran would send low-enriched uranium to Turkey within a month and that it would be under the supervision of the U.N. nuclear agency, state Press TV reported.
"POTENTIAL BREAKTHROUGH"
Major world powers had urged Iran to accept a months-old International Atomic Energy Agency plan to ship 1,200 kg (2,646 lb) of its low-enriched uranium -- enough for a single bomb if purified to a high enough level -- abroad for transformation into fuel for a medical research reactor.
The proposal, backed by the United States, Russia and France, was aimed at giving time for diplomatic talks with Iran.
Tehran agreed in principle to the deal in October but then demanded changes such as a simultaneous swap on Iranian soil, conditions other parties in the deal said were unacceptable.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Turkey would be obliged to return Iran's LEU "immediately and unconditionally" if Monday's agreement between Iran, Brazil and Turkey was not implemented.
"Based on the agreement signed this morning, if the swap does not take place, then Turkey will be obliged to send back our dispatched uranium immediately and unconditionally," Mottaki said.
Trita Parsi, director of Washington-based National Iranian American Council, said a potential breakthrough had been made in the long-running dispute, saying Turkey and Brazil had succeeded in filling a "trust gap."
"But will the deal be satisfactory to the U.S.? With the details remaining unknown, it's impossible to speculate," Parsi said in an e-mail comment.
(Additional reporting by Ramin Mostafavi in Tehran and Fredrik Dahl in Dubai; Editing by Dominic Evans)
incarcerated
05-30-2010, 10:31
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64T0U920100530
General McChrystal says Afghan insurgents trained in Iran
Sanjeev Miglani
KABUL
Sun May 30, 2010 7:28am EDT
(Reuters) - Afghan insurgents are being trained inside Iran and given weapons to fight security forces, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces said on Sunday, joining a rising drumbeat of criticism of Iran's role in the country.
General Stanley McChrystal said coalition forces were working to stop Iran from giving material help to the Taliban who have stepped up the campaign to force foreign forces out of Afghanistan in a nine-year conflict.
"The training that we have seen occurs inside Iran with fighters moving inside Iran," he said at a news conference in response to a question on Iran's influence. "The weapons that we have received come from Iran into Afghanistan."
The United States, battling a Taliban insurgency at its worst, has frequently accused Iran of providing some assistance to insurgents in Afghanistan, although Washington says it has not been nearly as important a factor as in Iraq, Iran's other neighbor, where U.S. troops are waging war.
In March, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said there had been a significant shipment of Iranian arms to fighters in the southern province of Kandahar....
greenberetTFS
05-30-2010, 10:45
That said, I heartily endorse Penn's suggestion to bring back the 12th! My time in that unit was time well-spent, and some of the teams I interacted with there were top-notch. /quote/Zonie............
I couldn't agree more,I feel the same way...... :D However I liked the flash,thought it was pretty cool myself............;)
Big Teddy :munchin
AngelsSix
05-30-2010, 13:57
Nope. 12th is just too busy. It offends my sense of Flash Feng Shui.
I say stick with the tasteful, understated, and historic 8th flash..:D
Now that is funny!!:D
incarcerated
07-07-2010, 20:36
http://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=180600
Report: Hizbullah on US-Mexico border
By JPOST.COM STAFF
07/06/2010 15:12
A Hizbullah terror cell may be operating among drugs cartels around the US-Mexican border, announced US Republican National Committee Representative Sue Myrick, according to a Fox News report.
Myrick requested US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano create a special team to further investigate the potential problem and threat.
The Republican representative referenced several incidents that show evidence of Hizbullah's efforts to infiltrate the US region with the aid of Mexican drug cartel gangs.
"It is vital we know what is happening on our border, especially as crime and violence continue to rise there and as terrorist plots and threats are increasing inside the US," quoted the Fox News report.
Myrick cited the warming relationship between Iran and Venzuela as proof that Hizbullah members may be collaborating with Latin American drug cartels, who may be utilizing Hizbullah's ability to dig underground tunnels for drug smuggling and in turn, providing funding, document forging and false identities.
The Fox News report referenced Anthony Placido, assistant administrator for intelligence at the Drug Enforcement Administration, testifying at a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee in March this year, that some drug smugglers in the US-Mexico region have had relationships with Hizbullah between the 1980s and 1990s....
See also:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/25/congresswoman-raises-red-flag-hezbollah-cartel-nexus-border/
incarcerated
11-15-2010, 02:58
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/iran-venezuela-plan-to-build-rival-to-panama-canal-1.324173
Iran, Venezuela plan to build rival to Panama Canal
Sources tell Haaretz that the recent Nicaragua-Costa Rica border incident was a trial balloon by the creators of a plan to build a new canal in Latin America.
Mon, November 15, 2010 Kislev 8, 5771
By Shlomo Papirblat
The recent border dispute between Costa Rica and Nicaragua is a sign of an ambitious plan by Venezuela, Iran and Nicaragua to create a "Nicaragua Canal" linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that would rival the existing Panama Canal.
Costa Rica says that last week Nicaraguan troops entered its territory along the San Juan River – the border between the two nations. Nicaragua had been conducting channel deepening work on the river when the incident occurred.
Sources in Latin America have told Haaretz that the border incident and the military pressure on Costa Rica, a country without an army, are the first step in a plan formulated by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, with funding and assistance from Iran, to create a substitute for the strategically and economically important Panama Canal.
The plan has aroused concern in Washington, and the U.S. has started behind the scenes efforts to foil it....
In recent years, the government of Ortega, a former Sandinista underground member, has tried to gain control of the San Juan River, which lies on the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border. Costa Rica brought the issue before the international court in The Hague, which after careful examination of historic maps, past agreements and terrain features, determined in July 2009 that the river belonged to Nicaragua, and that the border is located on the southern bank of the river. The court also ruled that Costa Rica had the right of free passage on the river.
However, the results of this ruling are not enough to allow for the implementation of the plan formulated by Venezuela and Nicaragua. In order to build a new canal linking the two oceans, they would also need to control the southern bank of the river and the point where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Several weeks ago, Nicaraguan foreign ministry official informed Costa Rica of Nicaragua's plans to do work to deepen the channel of the San Juan River in order to improve shipping on the waterway. Costa Rica did not oppose the plans, on the condition that the work did not harm the river or the bank on the Costa Rican side of the river.
The apparent engineering project was surprisingly placed under the supervision of Eden Pastora, better known as "Commandante Cero", a hero of the former Sandinista underground. This was a hint that the work had more than a simple engineering purpose.
Two weeks ago, Pastora went to a farm of a Costa Rican citizen in the Calero Island area and told the farm owner that the area belonged to Nicaragua. The farm owner objected and subsequently farm workers were allegedly beaten and farm animals were allegedly killed. The farm owner called Costa Rican police who arrived and reported to their commanders that Nicaraguan troops had entered Costa Rican territory and raised a Nicaraguan flag.
Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla last week called for a special session of the Organization of American States, located in Washington, but, after a day of talks, no resolution was reached. During the talks, Venezuela supported Nicaragua's position while Panama strongly opposed it.
Chincilla announced on Wednesday that she plans to raise the issue before the United Nations Security Council and again demanded that Nicaraguan soldiers withdraw from Costa Rican territory.
Sources in Latin America consider these events, and the power demonstrated by Nicaragua, as a trial balloon by the creators of the "New Canal Plan" – Venezuela, Iran and Nicaragua. Western intelligence agencies are closely following the path of heavy machinery equipment to Nicaragua as well as the activities of Iranians in the Nicaraguan capital Managua.
A U.S. State Department official told Haaretz's Washington correspondent Natasha Mozgovaya on Wednesday that the U.S. is not aware of any plans to build a new canal in Latin America.
In 2007, Chavez announced a plan to build a $350 million road connecting the two oceans and the Iranians have expressed an interest in constructing a port on the Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. did not express concern about either of those initiatives.
How do they plan to pay for it? The Panama Canal cost $375M almost 100 years ago and is probably almost 6 times shorter than the proposed Nicaragua Canal. Even following the river bed and dredging the costs would be astronomical. None of these three countries are exactly economic power houses right now.
incarcerated
02-26-2011, 15:13
http://philadelphia.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel11/ph022511a.htm
Department of Justice Press Release
For Immediate Release
February 25, 2011 United States Attorney's Office
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Contact: (215) 861-8200
Alleged Supporter of Terrorist Group Extradited from Paraguay
PHILADELPHIA—Moussa Ali Hamdan, 38, a dual citizen of the United States and Lebanon and a former resident of Brooklyn, New York, made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia today after being extradited from Paraguay. He is being held pending a detention hearing. Hamdan is among several defendants charged in a conspiracy to provide material support to Hizballah, a designated foreign terrorist organization. He was indicted November 24, 2009, along with nine co-defendants. Hamdan was taken into U.S. custody in Asuncion, Paraguay, on Thursday, by U.S. Marshals who escorted him to Washington, D.C., where members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force took him into custody.
At the time of the indictment, Hamdan had left the United States. On June 15, 2010, Paraguayan authorities arrested him in the Tri-Border Area (TBA) of Paraguay for the crime of material support of terrorism.
Hamdan is charged in 28 of the 31 counts in the indictment, including conspiring to provide material support to Hizballah in the form of proceeds from the sale of counterfeit money, stolen (genuine) money, and fraudulent passports. According to the indictment, Hamdan and several other defendants were also charged with several counts of transporting stolen goods, trafficking in counterfeit goods, and making false statements to government officials.
According to a related criminal complaint Hamdan began purchasing purportedly stolen cellular telephones from a cooperating witness acting as an agent of the government and participated in the purchase and transportation of purportedly stolen goods on numerous occasions. These stolen goods included cellular telephones, laptop computers, Sony Play Station 2 systems, and automobiles, which the conspirators caused to be transported to destinations outside Pennsylvania, including overseas destinations such as Lebanon and Benin (Africa). Hamdan also allegedly bought counterfeit goods—namely, counterfeit Nike® shoes and Mitchell & Ness® sports jerseys—from the cooperating witness. The complaint details efforts by defendants Moussa Ali Hamdan and his co-defendants to sell the CW counterfeit United States currency for the purpose of raising funds for Hizballah. In total, the conspirators provided the CW with approximately $10,000 in counterfeit United States currency. The complaint also alleges that certain of Hamdan’s co-defendants generated additional funds for Hizballah by selling fraudulent passports. The CW and the defendants participated in the purchase of two fake passports—one from the United Kingdom and one from Canada—for the benefit of Hizballah. Hamdan allegedly agreed to pay $10,000 towards the purchase of these passports, in order to satisfy a debt he owed to the CW....
http://philadelphia.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel11/ph022511a.htm
Department of Justice Press Release
For Immediate Release
February 25, 2011 United States Attorney's Office
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Contact: (215) 861-8200
Alleged Supporter of Terrorist Group Extradited from Paraguay
PHILADELPHIA—Moussa Ali Hamdan, 38, a dual citizen of the United States and Lebanon and a former resident of Brooklyn, New York, made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia today after being extradited from Paraguay. He is being held pending a detention hearing. Hamdan is among several defendants charged in a conspiracy to provide material support to Hizballah, a designated foreign terrorist organization. He was indicted November 24, 2009, along with nine co-defendants. Hamdan was taken into U.S. custody in Asuncion, Paraguay, on Thursday, by U.S. Marshals who escorted him to Washington, D.C., where members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force took him into custody.
At the time of the indictment, Hamdan had left the United States. On June 15, 2010, Paraguayan authorities arrested him in the Tri-Border Area (TBA) of Paraguay for the crime of material support of terrorism.
Hamdan is charged in 28 of the 31 counts in the indictment, including conspiring to provide material support to Hizballah in the form of proceeds from the sale of counterfeit money, stolen (genuine) money, and fraudulent passports. According to the indictment, Hamdan and several other defendants were also charged with several counts of transporting stolen goods, trafficking in counterfeit goods, and making false statements to government officials.
According to a related criminal complaint Hamdan began purchasing purportedly stolen cellular telephones from a cooperating witness acting as an agent of the government and participated in the purchase and transportation of purportedly stolen goods on numerous occasions. These stolen goods included cellular telephones, laptop computers, Sony Play Station 2 systems, and automobiles, which the conspirators caused to be transported to destinations outside Pennsylvania, including overseas destinations such as Lebanon and Benin (Africa). Hamdan also allegedly bought counterfeit goods—namely, counterfeit Nike® shoes and Mitchell & Ness® sports jerseys—from the cooperating witness. The complaint details efforts by defendants Moussa Ali Hamdan and his co-defendants to sell the CW counterfeit United States currency for the purpose of raising funds for Hizballah. In total, the conspirators provided the CW with approximately $10,000 in counterfeit United States currency. The complaint also alleges that certain of Hamdan’s co-defendants generated additional funds for Hizballah by selling fraudulent passports. The CW and the defendants participated in the purchase of two fake passports—one from the United Kingdom and one from Canada—for the benefit of Hizballah. Hamdan allegedly agreed to pay $10,000 towards the purchase of these passports, in order to satisfy a debt he owed to the CW....
It is amazing that this article did not even mention the Agency that did them in. It was not the FBI.:mad: Oh He was indicted in 2008 not 2009......
I just love the media......:p
incarcerated
04-02-2011, 23:37
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110402/wl_nm/us_brazil_qaeda
Al Qaeda members hide in Brazil, raise money: report
Sat Apr 2, 7:16 pm ET
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Al Qaeda operatives are in Brazil planning attacks, raising money and recruiting followers, a leading news magazine reported Saturday, renewing concerns about the nation serving as a hide-out for Islamic militants.
Veja magazine, in its online edition, reported that at least 20 people affiliated with al Qaeda as well as the Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah, the Palestinian group Hamas and two other organizations have been hiding out in the South American country.
The magazine said these operatives have been raising money and working to incite attacks abroad. The magazine cited Brazilian police and U.S. government reports, but did not give details on specific targets or operations.
The United States has said Islamic militants have been operating in the border region between Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Brazil has denied this, while saying it is aware that some members of Brazil's Lebanese community legally transferred funds to the Middle East.
There has been a warming of relations between Brazil and the United States since President Dilma Rousseff took office in January. She has sought closer U.S. ties after her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, angered the United States with attempts to mediate over Iran's nuclear program.
Veja reported that a Lebanese man named Khaled Hussein Ali, who has lived in Brazil since 1998, is an important member of al Qaeda's propaganda operation and has coordinated extremists in 17 countries.
He was briefly arrested in Brazil in March 2009 after a police investigation that found videos and texts directed at al Qaeda followers. One email found on his computer and sent as spam to email addresses in the United States incites hatred against Jews and blacks, Veja said.
He spent 21 days in prison on charges of racism, inciting crime and gang formation, but was set free because prosecutors did not pursue the charges in court, Veja said.
(Reporting by Raymond Colitt)
10News.com
Related To Story
Terrorist Group Setting Up Operations Near Border
Hezbollah Considered To Be More Advanced Than Al-Qaida
POSTED: 4:53 pm PDT May 4, 2011
UPDATED: 6:27 pm PDT May 4, 2011
SAN DIEGO -- A terrorist organization whose home base is in the Middle East has established another home base across the border in Mexico.
"They are recognized by many experts as the 'A' team of Muslim terrorist organizations," a former U.S. intelligence agent told 10News.
The former agent, referring to Shi'a Muslim terrorist group Hezbollah, added, "They certainly have had successes in big-ticket bombings."
Some of the group's bombings include the U.S. embassy in Beirut and Israeli embassy in Argentina.
However, the group is now active much closer to San Diego.
"We are looking at 15 or 20 years that Hezbollah has been setting up shop in Mexico," the agent told 10News.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, U.S. policy has focused on al-Qaida and its offshoots.
"They are more shooters than thinkers … it's a lot of muscles, courage, desire but not a lot of training," the agent said, referring to al-Qaida.
Hezbollah, he said, is far more advanced.
"Their operators are far more skilled … they are the equals of Russians, Chinese or Cubans," he said. "I consider Hezbollah much more dangerous in that sense because of strategic thinking; they think more long-term."
Hezbolah has operated in South America for decades and then Central America, along with their sometime rival, sometime ally Hamas.
Now, the group is blending into Shi'a Muslim communities in Mexico, including Tijuana. Other pockets along the U.S.-Mexico border region remain largely unidentified as U.S. intelligence agencies are focused on the drug trade.
"They have had clandestine training in how to live in foreign hostile territories," the agent said.
The agent, who has spent years deep undercover in Mexico, said Hezbollah is partnering with drug organizations, but which ones is not clear at this time.
He told 10News the group receives cartel cash and protection in exchange for Hezbollah expertise.
"From money laundering to firearms training and explosives training," the agent said.
For example, he tracked, along with Mexican intelligence, two Hezbollah operatives in safe houses in Tijuana and Durango
"I confirmed the participation of cartel members as well as other Hezbollah individuals living and operating out of there," he said.
Tunnels the cartels have built that cross from Mexico into the U.S. have grown increasingly sophisticated. It is a learned skill, the agent said points to Hezbollah's involvement.
"Where are the knowledgeable tunnel builders? Certainly in the Middle East," he said.
Why have Americans not heard more about Hezbollah's activities happening so close to the border?
"If they really wanted to start blowing stuff up, they could do it," the agent said.
According to the agent, the organization sees the U.S. as their "cash cow," with illegal drug and immigration operations. Many senior Hezbollah leaders are wealthy businessmen, the agent said.
"The money they are sending back to Lebanon is too important right now to jeopardize those operations," he said.
The agent said the real concern is the group's long-term goal of radicalizing Muslim communities.
"They're focusing on developing … infiltrating communities within North America," the agent told 10News.
http://www.10news.com/news/27780427/detail.html
incarcerated
05-16-2011, 19:46
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=220879
'Die Welt': Iran building rocket bases in Venezuela
German paper says Iranians paid cash to build mid-range missile launch pads on Paraguana Peninsula; Iranian engineers visited site in Feb.
Monday May 16, 2011
BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
BERLIN – The Iranian government is moving forward with the construction of rocket launch bases in Venezuela, the German daily Die Welt wrote in its Friday edition.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is Teheran’s most important South American ally.
Iran is building intermediate- range missile launch pads on the Paraguaná Peninsula, and engineers from a construction firm – Khatam al-Anbia – owned by the Revolutionary Guards visited Paraguaná in February. Amir al-Hadschisadeh, the head of the Guard’s Air Force, participated in the visit, according to the report. Die Welt cited information from “Western security insiders.”
The rocket bases are to include measures to prevent air attacks on Venezuela as well as commando and control stations.
The Iranian military involvement in the project extends to bunker, barracks and watch tower construction. Twenty-meter deep rocket silos are planned. The cost of the Venezuelan military project is being paid for with Iranian oil revenue. The Iranians paid in cash for the preliminary phase of the project and, the total cost is expected to amount to “dozens of millions” of dollars, Die Welt wrote.
The Paraguaná Peninsula is on the coast of Venezuela and is roughly 120 kilometers from America’s main South American partner, Columbia.
According to Die Welt, the clandestine agreement between Venezuela and Iran would mean the Chavez government would fire rocket at Iran’s enemies should the Islamic Republic face military strikes.
Meanwhile the German press agency (DPA) reported on Friday that Germany will not contest the placement of the Hamburg- based European- Iranian Trade Bank (EIH) on the EU sanctions list at the end of the month. The US Treasury Department sanctioned the EIH last year, saying it was one of the most important institutions in Europe for financing Iran’s missile and nuclear proliferation programs. Germany was the subject of criticism from American, French, British and Israeli officials because it refused to shut the EIH.
The EIH plays a crucial role in facilitating financial transactions for midsize German firms that are active in Iran. German- Iranian total trade amounted to over 4 billion euros in 2010, making German Iran’s No. 1 EU trade partner.
Roguish Lawyer
05-16-2011, 19:52
I vote for a new flash based on the RT GA patch. :munchin
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=220879
'Die Welt': Iran building rocket bases in Venezuela
German paper says Iranians paid cash to build mid-range missile launch pads on Paraguana Peninsula; Iranian engineers visited site in Feb.
Monday May 16, 2011
BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
BERLIN – The Iranian government is moving forward with the construction of rocket launch bases in Venezuela, the German daily Die Welt wrote in its Friday edition.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is Teheran’s most important South American ally.
If Hugo continues with this game it won't be long before he has some "highly motivated" Gringos chewing the Qud there.
I vote for a new flash based on the RT GA patch. :munchin
Nice!
18842
Isn't this where JFK stepped in and told Cuba to stop their importation of Russian toys??
Do we need to wait until the Shahab-3's are replaced with the Ashoura??
Does the WH think Ahmadinejad is helping protect Chavez from Castro??
:munchin
Time to put the hammer down on Achman'sanutjob...
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=220879