IRAN: Messages of war and bombings escalate

If the medium is the message, as the Canadian scholar Marshall McLuhan put it, the Iranians couldn't possibly mistake the recent communications by the United States. 

On Tuesday, President Bush told reporters that the Israeli bombing of an alleged North Korean-designed nuclear facility in Syria was not just directed against Pyongyang and Damascus, but was also a not-so-subtle telegram to Tehran.

Answering a question about the sudden resurfacing of the Sept. 16 attack on the Syrian facility, Bush strongly suggested that the United States and Israel had Iran in mind when Syria was bombed:

We have an interest in sending a message to, to Iran, and the world, for that matter, about just how destabilizing a nuclear proliferation would be in the Middle East, and that it's essential that we work together to enforce U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at getting Iran to stop their enrichment programs. In other words, one of the things that this example shows is that, you know, these programs can exist and people don't know about them and — as the Syrians simply didn't declare the program. They had a hidden program.

Syria has denied that the site was a nuclear reactor. Arms experts say a country doesn't have to declare a nuclear reactor unless it is about to fire it up. Iran insists its sprawling and expanding network of nuclear facilities are meant for peaceful purposes only. It has opened them to international inspectors.

Meanwhile, in another possible message to Iran, the United States dispatched a second aircraft carrier group to the Persian Gulf.

It's not that big of a deal. The number of U.S. warships in the Gulf supporting the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan typically fluctuates. Defense Secretary Robert Gates downplayed the significance of the move. He told reporters in Mexico that the United States was not laying the groundwork for a strike against Tehran, which he has accused of supplying weapons and training to militants fighting U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

But he added that the warships could be seen as a "reminder" to Iran, presumably of America's ability to bomb the country.

U.S. officials hope they can cajole Iran into halting alleged support for Iraqi militants and curtailing its nuclear program by waving the big stick of military intervention.

But some Iran experts say the strategy won't work and might even have the opposite effect, emboldening the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Here's a note from Karim Sadjadpour, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace:

The Bush administration thinks that invoking the military option scares the Iranians. I think it is music for Ahmadinejad's ears. Bombing Iran is the one thing that would really rehabilitate his presidency and perhaps even improve the Iranian economy as oil prices would skyrocket. In the last seven years I don't recall any examples of Iranian behavior improving as a result of U.S. military threats or name calling. It may feel good, but it doesn't work.

—Raed Rafei and Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

Photo: President Bush speaks at a news conference in the White House's Rose Garden on Tuesday. Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[Contrarian]

What's really quite interesting is that most (if not all) of the posts here hysterically crying "oh the humanity," comparing Israel to Nazi Germany (as if the Nazis had suffered daily rocket bombardment from an ethnic group they were surrounded by and had desperately been trying to make peace with for the prior fifty years) and condemning the US above all, seem to have in common one thing: An incredibly poor grasp of the English language. Is this a coincidence? Is it possible that Muslims at this point are making a concerted effort to bombard every western blog and news outlet they can with as many pieces of anti-western propaganda as possible, however badly written, for no reason other than to draw out the sense of moral relativism innate in ANY advanced, literate, enlightened, free and self-critiquing culture? Because they understand that by painting us over and over in the most negative light possible, they'll force us into such depths of self-reëvaluation that we'll submit -- SUBMIT -- to almost any absurd 6th century brutality or repression they want to impose on us as individuals or as legal entities, in the name of cultural equality and TOLERANCE, of all absurd things?

Listen, people. I can use translate.google.com just as well as you can. And when I type into it, it says:

ان المسلمين لا يريدون السلام. انهم يريدون اخضاع العالم كله وقوام كل كافر من الرق. القرآن الكريم هو كومة من الروث ، التي اخترعت محمد ، ومحمد اغتصاب الاطفال.

I know my arabic isn't vey good, but then again, I don't expect to actually make you think my society is better than yours. To understand that, you'd need an actual education.

[Darima]

@marvette

I concur; you seem to be a language handicap of some sort. Needless to say, the freedom you have in America cannot be found in Yemen, syria, or your so called Tehran. You know Syria was trying to have nukes, so in your own world , you wanted Israel to sit Iddle and wait to be bombed? Wait , your cousin Iran is next. Tell mullah's the envelope is on the way in a matter of time and stop your ignorance

[Dewfs]

Sure, Iran hasn't attacked another country, they just get hezbollah to do it all the time for them.

They've been using hezbollah and related groups to carry out terrorist attacks on civilians for decades.

[pmoghaddam]

it is with great regret to witness humanity slowly vanish from the pages of life. the gift universe has given us is "EARTH" , it belongs to all beings not jus man.... sad will be the day that humanity leaves mankind....

[dan]

I do not want to die for Israel since it was condemned by GOD for 100 times and destroyed many ways. The past and the present and the future of wars are for the benefit of Israel the most racist on the face of the earth. What takes place in Gaza Palestine, the starving of people, preventing the entry of electricity, medicine and the killing of innocents as similar to what took place in the Nazi concentration camps in the past.

[Nick]

The Jihad movement and the TALIBAN and AL Qaeda they are all weak, thats why they hide in there desert and behind there children. Instead they send out there little wussy videos and kill through roadside bombs. Come and fight like men you islamic chumps.

[James]

Well marvenette may be an American, but s/he is far from adept with the English language. Bush is the “worse” president -- marvenette means “worst” president. “Could have resorted in war” should be “could have resulted in war”. “Violatile” should be “volatile”. “Illigal” should be “illegal”. “Bomb” should be “bombed”. “Genocide on a people” should be “genocide of a people”. But lack of facility with the English language does not prove that marvenette is not an American, though s/he may not be -- or s/he may be a naturalized citizen from somewhere in the Middle East, based upon his/her use of English and political views.

[John Locke]

Lockey,
Do you believe everything you are told by the Western media – especially the US media? If so, I suggest you look to alternate sources for finding out what is really going on in the world. Also, I have some swamp land in the Everglades that I would like to sell you and its going very cheap! In the history of the Middle East, when has Iran ever attacked another country? On the other hand, what sole country has used a nuclear bomb twice (140,000 people killed in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki, 1945) and has had its hands in most conflicts around the globe?
You mentioned the war on terror. Ask yourself these questions: How is it possible that after five hours or so on September 11th 2001, the Bush administration knew, in all certainty, bin Laden was behind the attacks? If they knew he was behind these attacks, why seven years after that fateful day, bin Laden has not yet been brought to justice? Why was Iraq attacked if they had nothing to do with 9/11? The US wishes to run the world and they need a reason to be able to invade any sovereign nation to get at any resources deemed crucial to them.
All warmongers remember you first heard it here, the day the US invades Iran God help us all.

[James]

Well, there's some truth to the idea that the US is mostly bark and no bite. Winning wars involves killing a lot of people, especially when the enemy hides amongst its women and children, and the US lacks the stomach for that. Not so the mad mullahs!

Still, its fun to see all the liberals defending nice little Iran, that pleasant theocracy where women are cattle, covered and constantly beaten, sometimes stoned to death because they were guilty of "adultery" (which can mean talking to a man or just having something your male relatives want to inherit). And homosexuals are tortured before being killed (remember pictures of them hanging from European-provided construction cranes?). And converts from Islam are killed. It's so gratifiying to know liberals are so concerned with protecting Iran.

[marvenette]

Both US and Israel are the most hated countries in the world and a threat to world peace. Bush has no shame and is the worse President the US has ever had. Bush showed himself to be incompetent and a coward by having Israel violate the border boundaries of Syria and bomb Syria's property to send Iran a message. This was a dangerous act that surely could have resorted in war and destabilized the Middle East, which is already violatile because of the illigal US occupation in Iraq, and Israel's illegal occupation and land stealing in Gaza and the West Bank.

I love the USA, my country, and would not hesitate to give my life defending it if attacked. But I do not.support the US threats and double standards used against Iran because of its nuclear program. Iran has every right to nuclear energy or bombs, which both the US and Israel possess. Iran, unlike the US and Israel, has never attacked or bomb any country, enslaved a people, or engaged in genocide on a people for their land.

I hope the US does not attack Iran because it will be another unjust and unprovoked act by the US, same as Iraq. I also hope that Iran will not allow any country or situation to stop it from getting nuclear bombs to protect its sovereignty and people. I do not want to see Iran become another Iraq or Gaza.

If the US and Israel do not want countries to have nuclear bombs, they should set good examples and treat countries justly, rather than unjustly.

P.S. Where is the grammatical error?

[marvenette]

@contrarian

You were obviously offended by my comments on the US and Israel. I assume that's the reason for your silly comments.

First, I am american, born and raised in the US.

Two, your statement that I am having difficulty forming plural nouns in english is baseless and foolish. My comments are grammatically correct. Re-read my comments for accuracy. If you still find them to be incorrect, you might want to take an english course.

[matt]

If the US bombs Irans nuclear sites the fallout will kill MILLIONS !

Now that is what I call evil

[J.K]

U.S. may win a short period by bombing Iran, but not in long run.
U.S can warn Iran as many times as it wants. Israel and U.S don’t care international warnings when it’s a matter of their own interest so why should Iran be!

[Iltky]

Long live President Bush--Liberals nag all you want but real freedom is not cheap and is not free. Long Live U.S.A

[ruzbh]

with president bush in the white house, America does not need any other enemy. may god save America and the world from this madness orchestrated by the neocons.

[lockey]

to all you pepole that ar against the war in iraq an on terror.wno drew first blood? islam they whant to rule this planet an make there sick ways to be law across the world. without america and its allies all you pepole would have to convert to islam are you prepeard to do that ? now iran is enriching uranium they must be stoped at all costs uranium at 5 percent in a dirty bomb would kill millions over a time are you willing to hide behind the sheets an hope it will go away ? the wold is at cross roads now if we dont act be prepeard to pry to allha

[ZHUBIN]

I HOPE THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT IS NOT HOPING FOR

THE US TO BOMB IT COS IT'S JUST INSANE.

[Count Iblis]

Israel could not defeat Hezbollah and get their two soldiers back from Lebanon. After they started to bomb Lebanon, the objective changed from getting the soldiers back to defeating the missile threat from Hezbollah. Israel failed in that too.

The US, after invading Iraq, had to deal with the Mahdi Army. They are still fighting in Sadr city.

The US has accused both the Mahdi army and Hezbollah of being proxies for Iran. Now, if those proxies are too difficult to handle for Israel and the US, then what will happen if the US attacks Iran?

See here:

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jHu-qXce9oBU3TnywR1HYt5LiEZw

[LeaveItThere]

THIS IS FOR THE FIRST COMMENTATOR.
You must live in the middle of no-where and must be pretty stupid as well to put this kind of comment. I feel petty for you.

[Justin Chapman]

I remember how Sean Hannity described how we would bomb Iran. It was the scariest show I have seen. A plan of pure evil. These Neocons and Fox News are pure evil. Sick.

[Contrarian]

@ Marvenette
You wrote:
"Both US and Israel are the most hated countries in the world and a threat to world peace. Bush has no shame and is the worse President the US has ever had."

The US and Israel happen to both be democracies where people are allowed to speak their minds. What repression does happen in those countries is incredibly soft compared with what China does, for example, to its own people and to the Tibetans; let alone the barbaric repressions and public executions you impose on women and homosexuals and non-Muslims in the rest of the Middle East.

Which is where you're from. "I love the USA, my country, and would not hesitate to give my life defending it if attacked," you write. Yet you aren't from the US. Your difficulty with forming plural nouns in English proves that. So please, if you're going to pretend to be from someone else's country for the sake of writing propaganda about how hated and dangerous that country is, try to get the language right.

How'd you like it if I said:

انا مسلم ، ولكنني لن نعترف بأن الاسلام هو اكبر تهديد للسلم العالمي. كما أن الجميع يعرف أن محمد كان المغتصب من الفتيات الصغيرات.

Do you think that will sway public opinion in your country?

[Kiumars]

Pete | April 30, 2008 at 03:58 PM; You must be amongst the minority 30% that support Bush! Are you Israeli? LOL …

[Kiumars]

We have an old saying in Farsi/Persian; it says “the dogs that bark do not bite”. So, let them bark. Barking is a sign of weakness not power. Let them bark.

[Pete]

Thank God for President Bush. If the net and the Libs were around in 1939 we would be under the Nazi flag. They do not understnad evil and history. Stop I ran now Please take them out in 30 days. You must take out evil and stop making the USA evil.

Thank you pres Bush!

[Liberty4ever]

We Americans can do something to stop this madness. The United States needs to fix this warmongering that is deeply creating all this uncertainty that is impacting the U.S Dollar, the economy, price of oil, and work to gain the respect of the world by setting an example of peace makers . Don't let the neoconservatives keep ruining our country
Write to your congressman to stop this war with Iran.