Do not walk, but run over to the Washington Note and read this essay by Nir Rosen about the US, Iraq and Iran. A note on Mr. Rosen: he's the only reporter I know of who has extensively reported from within the insurgency, not from without like most MSM reporters. And on that note, he knows what he's talking about in a way others cannot and will not ever know. Two short quotes for flavor:

[T]he Americans have always blamed their failures in Iraq on outsiders, Baathists, al Qaeda, Iranians, because they refuse to admit that the Iraqi people don't want them [there].

There is no proxy war in Iraq, because the US and Iran share the same proxy and the US installed that proxy and empowered it.

Now, please go read. See also, Col. Lang on 'new' Israeli intel on Iran, here.

This article by Jonathan Landy and Warren Strobel and Hannah Allam of McClatchy is worth a read. It's from last Monday but still interesting. I have some problems with many of its claims, but I hasten to add that it comes recommended from a gentleman's who's military judgement I trust. So, take that into consideration when you read it. I hope to drag him into an email discussion about specific claims made in the article and by the US military at some point in the future and will let you know what the thrust of the conversation is when it happens.

By Hannes Artens

On Wednesday, CIA Director Michael Hayden made yet the boldest accusation by any high ranking U.S. official of Iran being directly involved in the killing of American soldiers in Iraq, the more he accused Iran of this strategy constituting government-approved policy: "It is my opinion, it is the policy of the Iranian government, approved to highest level of that government, to facilitate the killing of Americans in Iraq," Hayden said. "Just make sure there's clarity on that." Together with CJCS' Adm. Michael Mullen weighing "potential military courses of action" in public and SecDef Gates wanting the arrival of a second carrier in the Persian Gulf to be understood as a clear warning sign, the recent avalanche of bellicose rhetoric reaches levels of September last year when aerial strikes on Iran were as immanent as never before.

Yet this hysterical hyperactivity may have another, less-known-to-the-public reason. Largely underreported by U.S. corporate media, as usual, Iran has made groundbreaking strategic inroads into Central and South East Asia over the last month with the potential to not only stultify Washington's sanctions regime but also to result in a new geopolitical balance of power that would render an attack on Iran virtually impossible. On March 24, Iran officially applied to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Central Asian security group dominated by Russia and China. On April 28, Iran and Pakistan reached final agreement on the $7.6 billion Iran-Pakistan-India Pipeline (IPI) connecting the world's second biggest natural gas field, South Pars, with the Indian Subcontinent. Just one day later, China's interest to join the project was announced and President Ahmadinejad could celebrate a major diplomatic victory by New Delhi cold-shouldering Washington's threats and re-entering negotiations that, according to Ahmadinejad, could be finalized within 45 days with a targeted start of construction works next year.

Over the course of the last weeks it became painfully aware to the Bush Administration that not only its competitors but also its allies give a rat's ass about its containment strategy when it comes to their own energy security. History may show that America lost the New Great Game due to its shortsighted policy of (go-it-alone) isolationism and refusal to talk with Iran. Confronted with an axis Moscow-Beijing-Tehran-Islamabad (and on an ad hoc, case-by-case basis New Delhi) even ultra-hawk Dick Cheney is left with no option but to pack his suitcase and head for the retirement home.

Christopher Dickey | May 1

Newsweek - The Persian Gulf is more dangerous than ever. Will the U.S. and Iran go to war at sea?

If there's a war between the United States and Iran, it may well start on the water. After all, it's happened before. Twenty years ago American ships were under fire in the Persian Gulf, and mines laid by the mullahs' men nearly sank a U.S. guided missile cruiser. In April 1988 the American and Iranian navies fought the biggest air-sea battle waged since World War II. By the time it was over, carrier-based U.S. attack planes had sunk the frigate Sahand and disabled the frigate Sabalan, the pride of the Iranian navy.

That's why the comment by Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday about the brief deployment of a second U.S. aircraft carrier to the gulf was so terse and so telling. "I don't see it as an escalation," Gates said. "I think it could be seen, though, as a reminder."

Gates would know. He was deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency back in 1988. He has seen firsthand the treacherous complexities, the bluff and the bloodshed, of war with Iran, whether fought in the shadows or on the high seas. And anyone who was out in the gulf at the time, as I was, can see similarities between then and now. But looking back at the last undeclared war with Iran, who is reminded of what, precisely? The challenge is to draw the right lessons.

Lolita C. Baldor | Mexico City | April 30

AP - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that sending a second U.S. aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf could serve as a "reminder" to Iran, but he said it's not an escalation of force.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Mexican leaders, Gates said heightening U.S. criticism of Iran and its support for terror groups is not a signal that the administration is laying the groundwork for a strike against Tehran.

Tehran | April 30

AP - Iran, OPEC's second-largest producer, has completely stopped conducting oil transactions in U.S. dollars, a top Oil Ministry official said Wednesday, a concerted attempt to reduce reliance on Washington at a time of tension over Tehran's nuclear program and suspected involvement in Iraq.

Iran has dramatically reduced dependence on the dollar over the past year in the face of increasing U.S. pressure on its financial system and the fall in the value of the American currency.

Ann Scott Tyson | April 25th

Washington Post - The nation's top military officer said today that the Pentagon is planning for "potential military courses of action" against Iran, criticizing what he called the Tehran government's "increasingly lethal and malign influence" in Iraq.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a conflict with Iran would be "extremely stressing" but not impossible for U.S. forces, pointing specifically to reserve capabilities in the Navy and Air Force.

"It would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability," he said at a Pentagon news conference.

Still, Mullen made clear that he prefers a diplomatic solution to the tensions with Iran and does not foresee any imminent military action. "I have no expectations that we're going to get into a conflict with Iran in the immediate future," he said.

Kristin Roberts and Andrew Gray, editing by Lori Santos | Washington | April 25

Reuters - Breaking

A cargo ship contracted by the U.S Military Sealift Command has fired at least one shot toward an Iranian boat, a U.S. defense official said on Friday.

"It was an MSC vessel," the official said, confirming the ship fired on an Iranian boat.

Other details were not immediately available. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain did not have any immediate comment.

April 22

BBC - Al-Qaeda's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has blamed Iran for spreading the theory that Israel was behind the 11 September 2001 attacks.

In an audio tape posted on the internet, Zawahiri insisted al-Qaeda had carried out the attacks on the US.

He accused Iran, and its Hezbollah allies, of trying to discredit Osama Bin Laden's network.

Correspondents say the comments underline al-Qaeda's increasing public hostility towards Iran.

In a two-hour audiotape posted on an Islamist website, Osama Bin Laden's chief deputy responded to questions posted by al-Qaeda sympathisers.

In response to a question about persistent rumours in the Middle East that Israel was involved in the 9/11 attacks, Zawahiri said the rumour had begun on the Hezbollah television station, Al-Manar.

Mark Townsend | April 20

The Observer - Customs probe reveals sanctions-busting sales of arms, missile technology and nuclear components

Investigators have identified a number of British arms dealers trading with Tehran, triggering alarm among government officials who fear Iran's nuclear programme may be receiving significant support from UK sources.

The probe by customs officers suggests that at least seven Britons have been defying sanctions by supplying the Iranian air force, its elite Revolutionary Guard Corps, and even the country's controversial nuclear ambitions.

Officials say they are perturbed by the number of British dealers who appear to be trading with Tehran, despite a third round of restrictions being recently imposed by the United Nations on exporting arms and components to Iran. However, investigators argue that it is the generous riches being offered by Iran, not any shared ideology, that is seducing the dealers.

The other night at our debate watching party, applause frequently erupted at Obama's remarks on various points - rejecting the accusation of an association with the Weathermen, etc etc. So when Obama mentioned talking to Iran:

I have said I will do whatever is required to prevent the Iranians from obtaining nuclear weapons. I believe that that includes direct talks with the Iranians where we are laying out very clearly for them, here are the issues that we find unacceptable, not only development of nuclear weapons but also funding terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as their anti-Israel rhetoric and threats towards Israel. I believe that we can offer them carrots and sticks, but we've got to directly engage and make absolutely clear to them what our posture is.

This has been coming for a long time. I’ve been watching the politicians in Washington very closely to see exactly how they intended to manage an administration that is so extremely neo-conservative that they are dangerous to this country and the world. I’ve seen heroic stances by some like Dennis Kucinich, Bernie Sanders, Patrick Leahy, Russ Feingold and even Ron Paul. However, this is not enough. We’ve seen Cynthia McKinney disenfranchised as well as others that have stood up to tyranny and war. Meanwhile, while all of this has taken place, the Democratic Party has been split down the middle and has offered no protection or support to any that oppose the horrendous regime in Washington.

By Hannes Artens

Yesterday the English daily The Independent dropped a potential bombshell:

"Iran and the United States have been engaged in secret "back channel" discussions for the past five years on Iran's nuclear programme and the broader relationship between the two sworn enemies, The Independent can reveal. One of the participants, former senior US diplomat Thomas Pickering, explained that a group of former American diplomats and experts had been meeting with Iranian academics and policy advisers "in a lot of different places, although not in the US or Iran". "Some of the Iranians were connected to official institutions inside Iran," he said in a telephone interview (…)

While the nuclear issue was "prominent", Mr Pickering said, "we discussed what's going on domestically in both countries and wide-ranging issues" affecting the US-Iran relationship. Although none of the group members was from the US or Iranian governments, he said that "each side kept their officials informed". The Bush administration "did not discourage us," he added."

Sadie Gray | April 15

The Guardian - The head of Iran's nuclear programme has cancelled a meeting scheduled for today with the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, the Iranian vice-president, gave no reason for calling off talks with Mohamed ElBaradei, who was expected to use the meeting to investigate claims that Tehran had attempted to develop nuclear weapons.

Diplomats said the meeting was likely to have dealt with last week's announcement by the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, of a major expansion of the country's capacity for uranium enrichment, in defiance of UN security council demands.

Mottaki: Iran-IAEA talks not canceled

"The planned meeting between the Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Reza Aghazadeh and the IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei is not cancelled. It is just postponed," IRNA quoted Mottaki as saying on Monday.

Huffington Post Apr 14, 2008

The Coming War with Iran: It's About the Oil, Stupid
by Joe Lauria

World civilization is based on oil. The world is running out of oil. The oil companies and governments are not telling the truth about how close we are to the end. Dick Cheney knew about peak oil back in 1999 when he spoke to the London Petroleum Institute as Halliburton CEO. He predicted it would come in 2010. After that it's just a matter of years before it runs out. Whoever controls the remaining oil determines who lives and who dies.

Lahore | April 13

Daily Times - * US president says terror plans in Afghanistan would be routed out with firepower
* Says US has no intention of attacking Iran

If another September-11 style attack is being planned, it probably is being plotted in Pakistan and not Afghanistan, the AP news agency quoted US President George Bush as saying on Saturday.

In an interview with a US TV channel, Bush said if terrorists planning such attacks were in Afghanistan, they would be routed out. “We’ve got plenty of firepower to take on Al Qaeda cells in Afghanistan,” he said, although more US and NATO troops are headed to Afghanistan.

It’s time for another round of “a funny thing happened on the way to al Qaeda” starring the latest in a long line of political military men General David H. Petraeus. It seems surprising that in the midst of a hotly contested election the General received little fanfare this trip. There were no full page ads, no massive protests, or no political lynching. Can I say the word lynching when talking about a white man or would that be construed as racist since I am black? Oh well, let the rhubarb begin. How long will we continue to accept no answer as an answer? The last General that provided fewer details about a war effort, it’s eventual conclusion and was able to keep his job was also a Republican military hack by the name of George McClellan.

Natanz, Iran | April 8

PressTV - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has announced plans to install 6,000 new centrifuges in Natanz nuclear facility in the current year.

During a visit to the Natanz nuclear site on Tuesday, President Ahmadinejad congratulated the Iranian nation on the National Day of Nuclear Technology.

Yeah, yeah, I know oil is fungible and all, but this?

Israel's Tehran connection --Israel, while supposedly observing an ironclad boycott of all things Iranian, is happily buying Iranian oil . . . . If you've ever wondered about the definition of hypocrisy you'll find the answer right here. Last month the Swiss foreign minister visited Iran and, together with President Ahmadinejad, attended the signing of a multi-billion euro contract for Iran to supply Switzerland with large amounts of natural gas over the next 25 years. The US State Department immediately condemned the deal and said it would be investigating whether it breached the Iran Sanctions Act. Israel complained too, describing the Swiss minister's visit to Tehran as an "act unfriendly to Israel". Various Jewish groups also joined in the protests, including the World Jewish Congress. This righteous indignation was entirely predictable but more than a little odd nevertheless. On March 30, the Swiss newspaper Sonntag retaliated with the revelation that Israel, supposedly observing an ironclad boycott of all things Iranian, has been buying Iranian oil for years.

Yeah, yeah.

This election is killing me. I have never felt quite the same way about any presidential election. There have been times when I was lukewarm toward many of the Democratic hopefuls, but that doesn’t begin to describe how I feel today. Lukewarm would be a definite improvement over the way I feel, in fact I would welcome lukewarm. It would be akin to the way a hunter would welcome a roaring fire after he came in from the artic, after falling through the ice and trudging miles through a blizzard in wet, icy garb. That picture describes the way I feel about the prospects of voting for the choices that have been offered.

Kommersant - Tehran has applied for membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in a bid to assure itself of Russia's and China's support in case of a conflict with the United States. But neither Moscow nor Beijing are keen to exacerbate tensions with the West, so they have not rushed to grant Iran's request.

On the other hand, Moscow could change its mind to protect the interests of its natural gas giant Gazprom. The latter might lose the chance to take control over the Middle East-EU gas traffic because Russian and Iranian relations have become strained of late.

Scott Lindlaw | Guereville, Ca. | March 23

AP - Merry Lane, a cul-de-sac shaded by redwoods in Sonoma County wine country, would seem a pleasant place to recover from the psychic wounds of war. Nadia McCaffrey’s dream is to set up a group home there for veterans plagued by post-traumatic stress disorder.

But she is running into stiff resistance from the neighbors. They not only object to the brand-new structure itself, which looks like a four-story apartment house wedged amid their cabins, they are also worried that deranged veterans will move in.

At a community meeting in December, “one person was concerned that even firecrackers would set these people off,” said Andrew Eckers, 54, who lives across the street.

McCaffrey, whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004, said she has tried to reassure the neighbors, but “they are afraid of it because they don’t want to understand it.”

The election battle in Iran is fought out, and leaves the casual observer pretty perplexed. Nothing is as it seems at first sight. Although the reformists got severely battered by hundreds of their candidates being disqualified in advance, they managed to eek out a tiny plus after their previous 40 seats and can still hope to win some more in run off elections in Tehran - although Tehran at large has turned out a fertile ground for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Although the conservative camp benefited from high turnout - until last week high turnout was expected to abet the reformists - by winning a 70 percent majority, two formidable challengers to President Ahmadinejad for the 2009 presidential elections have emerged: the current mayor of Tehran, Mohammad Qalibaf, who decided to play the shalm in an interview with TIME de facto announcing his candidacy, and the previously canned Ali Larijani, who is now tipped to become the speaker of parliament. To cap it all, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini has used his New Year's address to publicly tell Ahmadinejad, who he came short of officially endorsing prior to the election, off and to call for more wisdom in dealing with the West. As matters stand now, Ahmadinejad may soon start to regret last week's "conservative victory".

After this election even shrewd observers might be in desperate need for some clarity. And brisk clarity in hitting-the-nail-right-on-the-head, non-squiggled journalistic prose in its examination of the arabesquean tapestries of U.S.-Iranian relations, is what Reese Erlich's The Iran Agenda. The Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Middle East Crisis offers his readers.

Gareth Porter | Washington | March 22

IPS - Sen. John McCain's confusion in recent allegations of Iranian training of al Qaeda fighters in Iraq is the result of a drumbeat of official propaganda about close Iran-al Qaeda ties that the George W. Bush administration and neoconservatives have promoted ever since early 2002.

McCain, the Republican nominee for the presidency, was confusing the Bush administration's charges of Iranian training of Shi'a militiamen associated with the Mahdi Army with the administration's propaganda theme of Iranian tacit or explicit support for al Qaeda operatives in Iran -- charges which have amplified by right-wing media.

During a press conference in Jordan Tuesday, McCain brought up the charge that Iran with training al Qaeda operatives and sending them to Iraq, then corrected himself after Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Democrat from Connecticut, whispered in his ear. It was the fourth time in a little over three weeks, however, that McCain had made the same charge.

McCain's confusion has been widely characterised as demonstrating his inability to distinguish Sunni al Qaeda from Shiite Mahdi Army. But more fundamentally, McCain's gaffes were a reflection of how thoroughly he had internalised a favourite theme of the Bush administration and neoconservatives -- that Iran has tolerated and even covertly assisted al Qaeda agents operating inside Iran.

Those administration charges have continued despite the repeated release of information by Iran and other countries about its arrest, detention and repatriation of al Qaeda suspects.

That charge has been given credence by mainstream news media for years.

Excuse me if I offend anyone in this article, but I would like to know what happened to the Democratic Party? I always thought of Democrats as those that supported Unions, workers, the middle-class, civil liberties and silly things like that. One thing I was also taught to do was to follow the money when it comes to whom really is supporting who in things such as criminal enterprises and of course, politics. I have been around for a while now, and I believe that I’m just as aware of what’s happening in my own country as anyone else. In fact, I believe that I’m really more aware of what’s happening than most. I am a voracious reader and I have a lot of time on my hands and I actually try to dig behind the rhetoric I hear. What I have found amazes me.