14-10-2002 23:30									#1
	Is some sort of pincer movement on Iran coming? Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

After Afghanistan and Iraq, Iran will pretty much be surrounded from.... every direction.

Is an invasion of Iran likely?

	14-10-2002 23:34									#2
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Nah...

I dont think the US is that serious with this war. Maybe after another hit or two they'll finally understand who the enemy is.

	15-10-2002 00:10									#3
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No invasion of Iran. The people have a taste of representative government, they should be able to affect the change needed to get rid of the Ayatollah.

	15-10-2002 00:13									#4
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quote: Originally posted by Eli Nah... I dont think the US is that serious with this war. Maybe after another hit or two they'll finally understand who the enemy is.

Alright, I'll bite. Who is the real enemy, Eli?

	15-10-2002 00:17									#5
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quote: Originally posted by Ned Alright, I'll bite. Who is the real enemy, Eli?

According to him, Islam.

	15-10-2002 00:57									#6
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Iran hasn't done anything especially bad, and they have a better democracy going than their Arab neighbours. Their relations with America were warming up but they were rewarded with inclusion in the Axis of Evil speech. They don't deserve invasion, and anyway, American casualties would be pretty high, considering the terrain, population and fanaticism.

	15-10-2002 01:47									#7
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Actually I see no basis for attacking Iran unless they are actively harboring or financing terrorists and refuse to cooperate with the United States in shutting down the terror camps or in ending the financing. Whether or not they are seeking to acquire nuclear weapons is, in my view, an insufficient reason to attack. Iran, in contrast with its neighbor Iraq, has not attacked any neighbor nor actually employed weapons of mass destruction -- indicating that these weapons more than likely are in fact weapons of the last resort. It is clear, in contrast, that with Iraq, weapons of mass destruction are preferred -- at least when there are no military or political consequences to their use.

	15-10-2002 01:54									#8
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So... why did Bush include Iran in his speech in the first place?! Is it simply a case of imbecility?

	15-10-2002 01:59									#9
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Iran is the single biggest exporter of terrorism in the Middle East. Don't know what Sandman is talking about.

	15-10-2002 02:03									#10
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Irak 1.

Iran 2.

North Korea 3.

Rebuilding the world after WWIII = 4

	15-10-2002 02:05									#11
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quote: Originally posted by DanS Iran is the single biggest exporter of terrorism in the Middle East. Don't know what Sandman is talking about.

Well if that is true, why is Iraq the preferred target? And why has the media ignored this fact?

	15-10-2002 02:06									#12
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Iran today declared a fatwah against an American. Guess who? Yup, it's Jerry Falwell. I wonder if they will start throwing planes or car bombs? Jerry owns his own private college, they might hit that or his church.

	15-10-2002 02:17									#13
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"Well if that is true, why is Iraq the preferred target? And why has the media ignored this fact?"

Different country, different tactics. Encouraging democracy is a cheap and easy (and probably quick) method of getting our way in Iran.

And the media hasn't ignored this fact.

	15-10-2002 02:17									#14
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quote: Originally posted by Sagacious Dolphin Well if that is true, why is Iraq the preferred target? And why has the media ignored this fact?

Because Saddam has the history of trying to conquer territory from neighbors.

	15-10-2002 02:22									#15
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Iran provides various amounts of funding and weapons for Palestinian terrorist groups. This gives Israel a casus belli for limited air strikes and whatnot, but doesn't justify a U.S. invasion.

There's the fatwa against Salman Rushdie, but they've not taken any action against him on a government level. Although, the bounty has not been revoked.

Wasn't Falwell the one calling for a crusade against Islam? If so, then he should expect this sort of thing.

	15-10-2002 02:54									#16
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"This gives Israel a casus belli for limited air strikes and whatnot, but doesn't justify a U.S. invasion."

You are mistaken. Fund or harbor international terrorism and you get the axe. I thought Bush made this point clearly enough.

That said, I'd bet we're already heavily involved in Iran. If I were able to invest from the US, I would be putting my money into cell phone providers and internet cafes.

	15-10-2002 03:05									#17
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Iran is cooperating with us against Al Queda. That is why the US is not going to attack them.

I bet that if they stopped cooperating, they would be on our hit list just as fast as Iraq.

	15-10-2002 03:13									#18
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I wouldn't call the Palestinian terror organisations 'international'.

	15-10-2002 03:17									#19
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quote: Originally posted by The diplomat Iran is cooperating with us against Al Queda. That is why the US is not going to attack them. I bet that if they stopped cooperating, they would be on our hit list just as fast as Iraq.

I agree. If Iraq falls, Iran will be surrounded by the U.S. military. They would think twice about defying the United States and beginning active support of al Qaida.

	15-10-2002 03:36									#20
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quote: They would think twice about defying the United States and beginning active support of al Qaida

I doubt it. Iran is a different beast than Iraq, and I think, a tougher nut to crack.

	15-10-2002 04:15									#21
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quote: Originally posted by DanS " And why has the media ignored this fact?" And the media hasn't ignored this fact.

Maybe its just British media then, but reference to Iran has been such a non-issue compared to Iraq, Al Queda, Pakistan, Palestine, Indonesia it leads us to believe they are relatively well behaved. At no point have any articles on world terrorism mentioned Iran.

The only article I have seen on Iran in the past few months was a CNN report saying how Iran was only interested in self-defence (now self-sufficient in defence) and described how it was invaded by a US supported Iraq.

Is the media tack different in the US? How often does Iran feature in your media, because in ours it is almost non-existant.

	15-10-2002 04:29									#22
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Imran, Iran is also ripe for a revolution. We may need simply to light the fuse.

	15-10-2002 04:31									#23
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quote: Originally posted by Ned Imran, Iran is also ripe for a revolution. We may need simply to light the fuse.

The US record when it comes to "lighting fuses" does not fill me with confidence

	15-10-2002 04:45									#24
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"Maybe its just British media then, but reference to Iran has been such a non-issue compared to Iraq, Al Queda, Pakistan, Palestine, Indonesia it leads us to believe they are relatively well behaved. At no point have any articles on world terrorism mentioned Iran."

Hmmm... There's a long littany of terrorist orgs that Iran is supporting currently, including Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas. It didn't stop after 9/11--quite the contrary.

Don't know why your press would downplay these facts. Some of our better press have covered this story throughout the summer, including Iran's deliberations on the subject and Bush's response at the beginning of the summer.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/rele...20020712-9.html

Re "fuses", both the Serbian elections and 80s Poland were excellent examples of the game going on here.

	15-10-2002 04:51									#25
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Jack Straw, the Foreign Minister, is in Iran. Even now Iran's terrorist links have not been mentioned in the media. Our foreign office has been very accomodating to Iran in the past few months, and relations are getting better (according to the media).

Perplexing.

I don't doubt Iran's shady dealings, but I thought they were more on a par with Pakistan's and far less overt (i.e not directed at the west as such).

	15-10-2002 04:56									#26
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quote: Originally posted by DanS http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/rele...20020712-9.html

Internal tyranny does not immediately lead to external terrorism. That link does not indicate their links to terrorism.

	15-10-2002 04:57									#27
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quote: Originally posted by Kyle No invasion of Iran. The people have a taste of representative government, they should be able to affect the change needed to get rid of the Ayatollah.

The Fundamentalists will never give up power voluntarily. The only way they get kicked out is by a revolution or a foreign army.

	15-10-2002 04:58									#28
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Again, this seems like a no-brainer. Iran is thought to have had al Qaeda training in country as lately as August.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...-2002Oct14.html

	15-10-2002 05:04									#29
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Sheltering Al Qaeda...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/w...8¬Found=true

	15-10-2002 05:15									#30
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That's better. Links that actually cover the subject you are talking about.

Irans harbouring of terrorists and sponsoring of terrorism now taken as read, riddle me this... why are these not being played up by the British Media/Government? I don't see an obvious reason.

I am discussing this from a genuine point of ignorance. As I say coverage on Iran is minimal.