Mere Rhetoric
The United States has ruled out an attack on Iran's nuclear program in the short term, a top Defense Department official said on Wednesday. Instead, the US will focus on negotiations with Teheran and continue its aggressive pursuit of United Nations sanctions against the Islamic regime. "Military force is an option of last resort," Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy told reporters during a briefing in Singapore. "It's off the table in the near term." Flournoy said the US has not seen Iran engage productively. But, "right now the focus is a combination of engagement and pressure in the form of sanctions." Israeli officials, who have called for tough sanctions on Iran, did not immediately recalibrate their policy, and emphasized their strategic partnership with the US.
America's top military officer wouldn't rule the possibility today of U.S. forces firing on Israeli jets, if Israel launched a pre-emptive strike on Iran... a young Air Force ROTC cadet asked Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen to respond to a "rumor." If Israel decided to attack Iran, the speculation went, those jet would need to fly through Iraqi airspace to reach their targets... might U.S. troops shoot down the Israeli jets... Mullen tried to sidestep the question..."I am hopeful that this will be resolved in a way where we never have to answer a question like that." The cadet followed-up: "Would an airmen like me ever be ordered to fire on an Israeli - aircraft or personnel?" Mullen's second answer was much the same as his first... it was interesting to hear America's top military officer decline to knock down the idea that U.S. troops might fire on America's closest ally in the Middle East.
Hot Air thinks that the Mullen story is silly, since of course he wouldn't take a stand one way or another. I dunno about that. If the Pentagon is committed to studious noncommittal on Iran, mealy-mouthed bromides about strong carrots and weak sticks are an awfully nuanced way of going about that. The timing of the statement also leaves something to be desired, coming as it does a few days after Ahmadinejad bragged during Army Day that the Islamic regime is "so strong no one will even think about attacking it." Which was a few days after he threatened to light up the Middle East if Obama pressures Iran. Which was a few days after the Iranian foreign ministry urged the West to punish Israel over settlements.
Now the hardliners get to garner prestige from the perception that they intimidated the United States, forced the Americans to back down, and moved the White House in an anti-Israel direction. These are the same hardliners who have taken to using their domestic political power to signal quite definitively that engagement is a non-starter.
As for sanctions, Iran has drawn Turkey and Brazil and Japan to circumvent even a halfhearted sanctions regime, part of their global strategy to create an anti-American block on nuclear issues. Turkey's been a lock for a while and continues to be a vocal opponent of sanctions. For Japan the Iranians - classy rascals that they are - trotted out pictures of charred children in the aftermath Hiroshima. The Japanese have now declared themselves to be firlmy for more diplomacy. And Brazil has been particularly gracious, with Lula not only opposing sanctions but explicitly echoing Ahmadinejad's call to construct a "new global order."
Not that the UNSC is ever going to get around to robust sanctions. China is still, as of yesterday, insisting on extended negotiations. Which is weird because when Obama was trying to salvage something from his failure of a nuclear summit, where the vaunted "unprecedented" achievements were left voluntary and where Iran was functionally ignored, getting China on board for sanctions some time in the future was a major talking point.
That in turn was important since without China and the rest of the international community, the Obama administration managed to freeze one half of one day's oil revenue from Iran in all of 2009.
References:
* US: Iran strike 'off table' for now [JPost]
* Would the U.S. Shoot Down an Israeli Jet? Top Officer Won't Say [Danger Room]
* Joint Chiefs chair not sure if U.S. would shoot down Israeli jets attacking Iran [Hot Air]
* Iran Displays Military Strength on Army Day [VOA News]
* Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatens US over Mid East peace plans [Telegraph]
* Iran urges West to punish Israel over settlements [AFP]
* Clenched And Spreading Anti-Obama Conspiracy Theories, Rejecting Engagement [Is Iran's Fist Still Clenched]
* Brazil, Turkey promote diplomatic solution on Iran [AFP]
* Clenched But - Hey - Turkey's On Their Side [Is Iran's Fist Still Clenched]
* Turkey rebuffs U.S. call to join Iran sanctions [Reuters]
* Iran seeks friends to fight sanctions [Independent]
* Japan urges continued high-level contacts with Iran [PressTV]
* Iran: We're Creating A "New World Order" With Syria And Latin America [Mere Rhetoric]
* Lula Calls for New Global Order and More Patience with Iran [BrazzilMag]
* China says door not shut to negotiations with Iran [WaPo]
* FACTBOX - Nuclear summit agrees voluntary action plan [Reuters]
* Where's Iran In Obama's War on Nukes? [Fox News]
* China says U.N. action on Iran must aid diplomacy [WaPo]
* RT @jimsciuttoABC: Great stat from Newsweek: total #Iran assets frozen by US in 2009 = 1/2 of 1 day's oil revenue #iranelection [@mere_rhetoric]
Related Mere Rhetoric Categories:
* Iran
* Diplomacy
* Engagement
Note: I suggest everyone link and read Daniel Greenfield's (Sultan Knish) article "Competing for Islam's Favor Against Ourselves"...the link is on right hand side of this blog and you will find it by scrolling down ... . This world and all nations have always favored the Muslim nations over a Jewish State and everyone of them have betrayed Israel both in the past, present and future.
It is inconceivable that the United States would consider shooting down an ally's plane, while our ally's (Israel) is in the process of defending herself from total annihilation. However, under the present Administration - one that has not hidden or pretended to stand with Israel, anything is possible. These are terrible times we live in today and much of it could have been avoided if we, as a nation, chose to do what is right and put aside the idea that our so-called "friends" are actually our enemies and the foxes will spoil the grapes.
There is a book that would help understand exactly how Israel is betrayed by nations and world leader, both before and after WWII. Titile is: "The Secret War Against the Jews" - How Western Espionage Betrayed the Jewish People, by John Loftus and Mark Aarons. I ordered a copy through Amazon.com.
I am constantly reminded that while some things are out of our control, nothing goes unseen by the Creator. At this very moment, I believe that Heaven smiles upon only one nation - Israel - and that gives Israel more strength than all the armies of the world. Bee Sting
