Saudis Give Nod to Israeli Raid on Iran – The Sunday Times

Here we go… That coven of Iran-nuclear-drumbeaters that consist of Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are off again.  Israel’s Mossad and other senior politicians have apparently been in secret talks with Saudi officials about gaining access to their airspace in the event that Israel decides to launch attacks on Iran’s alleged nuclear sites.

I often wonder if there is ever any attempt at injecting some plain old common sense into this debate.  If – and this is a big “if” – Iran actually ever gains nuclear weapons capability and decides against all logic to launch a warhead into Israeli territory…does it occur to the coven that amongst the many victims of nuclear fallout will be scores of Muslims?  Palestinians, including Iranian allies Hamas; Lebanese, including Iran’s closest regional pals, Hezbollah; Syrians, a close partner of the Islamic Republic?  Israel ain’t that big, and any nuclear attack will affect friends and foes alike.

But the wardrums will continue because – nay – there is no common sense here.  Just political posturing and distraction tactics to avert global attention away from the mind-numbing inability of these three American allies to strike a Palestinian peace deal, tackle real democracy and lead the region to a better future.

Their days are numbered as Mideast powerbrokers, and they are scrambling to make themselves relevant by creating bogeymen where they don’t exist.

Don’t you just love that the same guy who is taking these secret meetings with the Saudis just announced a few weeks ago that Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons has just been moved to 2014?  Meir Dagan, Mossad’s chief for the past seven years, took away all sense of urgency by his latest proclamation, which incidentally now matches the CIA’s estimate for an Iranian weapons program.  So, then what’s with all the talk of air raids through Saudi airspace?  Perhaps they just need something to take the heat off that pesky issue of illegal settlements and peace with Palestinians.  Or maybe they’re more worried these days about Americans and Europeans getting all warm and fuzzy about Iranians – now that post-election events in the Islamic Republic have blown a hole through the Iranian stereotype and revealed a country that is politically and culturally diverse, and seems to take its democracy more seriously than most in the region.  That must surely scare the pants off some Saudis.

Did anyone notice Mossad’s new outlook on an Iran bomb? – The Daily Star

Mossad chief Meir Dagan just contradicted Israel’s intelligence community by claiming that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon in hand until 2014.  Israelis have been extending this mystical date since the late 1990s, with the most recent scenario of Iran’s readiness to launch a warhead being…2009/10.  We are all either idiots who will readily believe whatever drivel Israel throws our way – or their intelligence is fundamentally and consistently flawed.  Either way, we should no longer be inclined to pay any attention to Israel’s beating of war drums over Iran’s nuclear program.  Hell, I could probably take an educated guess about the Islamic Republic’s nuclear agenda and beat the Israeli intelligence community by a mile.

Dagan’s announcement has placed Israeli PM Benjamin Netahyahu in a bind, however.  The peace-averse Israeli leader was counting on the Iran nuclear threat to divert attention from any real progress toward a two-state solution and his continued support of illegal settlement activity in occupied Palestinian lands.  Now that the head of Mossad has thrown a spanner in the works, what will Netanhayu’s next step be?  There is clearly no impending threat from an Islamic Republic that not only has no nukes in hand, but is also mired in post-election unrest that will necessitate a heavy domestic focus for the forseeable future.  Netanyahu is as cunning as they come, and his next manufactured distraction will undoubtedly be as entertaining as it is false.

The Trick When Talking to Iran – LA Times

The Obama adminsitration is going to try to open negotiations with Iran come what may – “talking” to foes is part of their core values.  And Iran’s nuclear program is item number one on their agenda.  Whether their negotiating partner is Khamenei-Ahmadinejad or a new reformist government doesn’t fundamentally matter.

“We do not believe that talking is a reward for good behavior, or that not talking is a good punishment for bad behavior. We’ve seen what comes from not talking. In 2001, Iran had zero [nuclear enrichment] centrifuges; now they have more than 5,000, and maybe more than 7,000. Not talking wasn’t a particularly useful thing.”