MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

“WASHINGTON – Some Arab leaders have told the United States they are willing to provide safe haven to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to hasten his ‘inevitable’ departure from power, a senior US official said on Wednesday.

Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman did not identify the countries that had offered a place for Assad to go after seven months of protests against his rule in Syria.

‘Almost all the Arab leaders, foreign ministers who I talk to say the same thing: Assad’s rule is coming to an end. It is inevitable,’ Feltman, who is in charge of near eastern affairs, told a Senate panel.

‘Some of these Arabs have even begun to offer Assad safe haven to encourage him to leave quickly,’ Feltman said. He hoped Assad and his inner circle would ‘head for the exits voluntarily.’

Assad has shown no sign of leaving.” Read more.

Syria’s Choice: Murderous Secular Regime or Islamic Fundamentalists – “As Syrian dictator Bashar Assad continues to slaughter his people, there are growing indications that the Islamists are increasing their efforts to replace his regime. What started as a secular Facebook revolution against the Assad regime is now beginning to look more like a jihad [holy war] led by Muslim fundamentalists. The Muslim Brotherhood is clearly seeking to hijack the anti-Assad protests, in both the political and military fields. In the past few months, there have been many signs of a ‘return to Islam’ in Syrian society.” Read more.

By Natasha Mozgovaya – “The United States said Tuesday it was alarmed by a recently published International Atomic Energy Agency report on Iran’s nuclear program, adding that it would pursue further economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic, as well as mulling ‘a range of possibilities.’

The IAEA report, which was handed over to the 35-member states of the IAEA Board of Governors, details a series of tests, acquisition of materials, and technology that suggests Iran has continuously worked to produce a nuclear weapon since 2003.

Speaking to the press on Wednesday, State Department Spokesman Mark Toner said the conclusions drawn by the report were ‘alarming,’ adding that Washington was looking into ‘additional ways to apply pressure on Iran.’

‘These are very serious allegations, serious charges’, Toner said. ‘And it’s incumbent on Iran to at last engage with the IAEA in a credible and transparent manner to address these concerns. I think going forward we’re consulting with our partners and allies within the IAEA. There is going to be a Board of Governors meeting, I think, at the end of next week where this will be addressed.'” Read more.

Iran won’t retreat ‘one iota’ from nuclear path, says Ahmadinejad – “Iran won’t retreat ‘one iota’ from its nuclear program and the world is being misled by claims it seeks atomic weapons, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday. His comments — broadcast live on state TV and his first since a UN watchdog report said Tehran is on the brink of developing a nuclear warhead — contrasted sharply with Western warnings that Iran appears to be engaged in a dangerous defiance of international demands to control its nuclear ambitions. In Paris, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said his country would support boosting sanctions against Tehran to an ‘unprecedented scale’ if Iran stonewalls investigations, even as Israel and others say that military options are still possible.” Read more.

“The commander of the Iranian Navy says Iran has the right to deploy naval vessels near US coastal waters according to international law.

On Tuesday, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that international law permits all countries to send their naval ships to the open seas, and naval forces of the Islamic Republic are also allowed to sail in these waters, the Mehr news agency reported.

He went on to say that the Iranian Navy has the right to sail in waters near the coast of the United States because the coastal waters beyond the territorial waters of the country are regarded as the open sea.

He also spoke about the Jamaran destroyer, saying that it is currently on a patrol mission in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

Last year, the Iranian Navy launched the Jamaran destroyer, with a displacement of around 1,420 tons and fitted with modern radar and other electronic warfare equipment.

The Jamaran can carry 120-140 personnel on board and is armed with a variety of surface-to-air missiles.

Earlier in the day, on its first international mission, the Jamaran foiled a pirate attack on an Iranian oil tanker in the southern part of the Red Sea off the coast of Hanish Al Kubra Island.” Source – PressTV.

Iran prepping for missile attack on Israel – “Iran has been preparing Palestinian terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon to retaliate in the case of Israeli strikes against Tehran’s nuclear sites, according to Egyptian security officials speaking to WND. The security officials said Tehran was convinced the Jewish state was going to attack its suspected nuclear sites in September, prompting Iran to hold joint military drills with Gazan jihad groups in August, including with Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Similar drills were held in August with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Those drills were conducted by Iranian Revolutionary Guard members, the officials said. The exercises focused largely on coordinated missile onslaughts from both Gaza and Lebanon aimed at blanketing the Jewish [state].” Read more.

I see.  So, if Iran is not permitted to obtain nuclear weapons to threaten Israel and the world, then Iran will launch an assault of Islamic terror in Israel and the world …

By Gavriel Queenann – “The head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said on Tuesday that Iran would start a ‘street war’ in Tel Aviv if its nuclear program was attacked.

‘Israel is not big enough to launch a military strike on Iran, but if it takes such a foolish decision, the Iranian military will fight with the Zionist soldiers in Tel Aviv streets… and will force them out of the Palestinian soil,’ Seyed Hossein Naqavi said.

Naqavi also warned, should Tehran’s nuclear program be attacked, the battlefield won’t be in Iran, but ‘the entirety of Europe and the US.’

‘Iranian forces will fight with the enemies with maximum might and power all throughout the European and US soil, if Iran comes under attack,’ he reiterated.

Naqavi also responded to reports Britain might strike Iran’s nuclear sites, saying ‘a look at the history reveals that the British regime has been using threat, intimidation, terror and colonialism all throughout the last 500 years.’

‘Now a country with such a long record of crimes and colonialist actions should know very well that the Islamic Republic enjoys a high military capability today,’ he added.

Naqavi’s remarks have become a part of Tehran’s mantra of threatening counter-strikes as international criticism of its nuclear aspirations continues to mount.

A recent indictment of two members of Iran’s foreign covert action Quds force by the United States for allegedly plotting the assassination of the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Washington has served to fuel efforts to isolate the Islamic Republic.” Read more.

Islamic Republic escalates rhetoric ahead of IAEA report – “A top commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard force threatened to kill ‘dozens’ of American military commanders, should the US kill any one of theirs. ‘You also should not forget that American commanders have plenty of presence and travel in the region. If you kill any of us, we will kill dozens of you,’ Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, chief of the Guards’ aerospace division, was quoted by Fars agency on Tuesday as saying. Earlier last week several American neoconservatives, including retired US Army general Jack Keane, urged the Obama administration to use covert action against Iran and target members of the Quds Force, the Guard’s special foreign actions unit.” Read more.

Proverbs 8:35-36: For he who finds Me finds life And obtains favor from the LORD. But he who sins against Me injures himself. All those who hate Me love death.

“Hamas’ rival Islamic Jihad has built an 8,000-man army supported by Iran and ‘ready for martyrdom or victory.’

‘Martyrdom is the more desirable,’ it says.

Its estimate of the number of terrorists trained for war against Israelis the first time Islamic Jihad has disclosed how many fighters it has.

‘We are proud and honored to say that the Islamic Republic of Iran gives us support and help,’ Abu Ahmed, the spokesman for Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades told Reuters in a rare interview.

He denied that its weapons come from Iran and refused to comment on whether its fighters were trained by Iranians. Israeli intelligence officials previously have said that Hamas and other terrorists often travel to Iran, where Revolutionary Guards teach them.

‘What I will say is that we have every right to turn to every source of power for help,’ said Abu Ahmed.

He told the interviewer that there is a demand from young people to join Islamic Jihad but that it ‘can’t accept everyone … It is a question of quality, not quantity.’

Concerning Israel’s successful targeting of Islamic Jihad terrorists last week, Abu Ahmed commented, ‘It is a good feeling to be under drone attack. When we chose the path of resistance, we opted either for martyrdom or victory. Martyrdom is the more desirable.’

Islamic Jihad has become more prominent by virtue of its not being in an official political role in Gaza, which officially is governed by Hamas.” Read more.

By Joel C. Rosenberg – “Why would Iran authorize a major terrorist operation on American soil? Skeptics say the much-discussed ‘foiled’ Iranian plot makes no sense. We will know soon enough if the Feds have sufficient evidence related to this specific plot. But Iranian leaders may, in fact, have a motive to accelerate direct attacks on the U.S.: Shia Islamic eschatology, or ‘End Times’ theology.

Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are convinced that the End of Days has come. They believe the Shia messiah known as the ‘Twelfth Imam’ or the ‘Mahdi’ will appear soon to establish a global Islamic kingdom known as the caliphate.

What’s more, they believe the way to hasten the coming of the Twelfth Imam is to annihilate Israel (which they call the ‘Little Satan’), and the United States (which they call the ‘Great Satan’). We should not, therefore, be surprised that Iran is probing for weaknesses in American intelligence and homeland security.

Khamenei told Iranians in July 2010 that he personally met with the Twelfth Imam. He also claimed to be the personal representative of the Mahdi on earth, and said all Muslims must ‘obey him.’ Meanwhile, Western intelligence agencies say he continues to work with Ahmadinejad and the Iranian military to develop nuclear warheads and the ballistic missiles to deliver them.

Much of the media has focused on Iran’s threats to wipe Israel ‘off the map.’ But journalists have generally ignored the fact that the Iranian regime is equally determined to destroy the United States.

On October 26, 2005, for example, Ahmadinejad said, ‘God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism.’

On June 2, 2008, Ahmadinejad said, ‘Today, the time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come, and the countdown to the annihilation of the emperor of power and wealth has started.’

Iran’s leaders actually believe that the destruction of the U.S. is foreordained, just as the Soviet Union’s implosion was predetermined. They see U.S. economic weakness as a sign that the end of America is near.” Read more.

Iran: Ayatollah Khamenei Calls for World’s Muslim Nations to Form an International Islamic Power Bloc – “Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called on the world’s Muslim nations to form an international Islamic power bloc… Ayatollah Khamenei said such global developments ‘can change the destiny of the Islamic Ummah (nation)’ and herald ‘a bright future accompanied with dignity and progress.’ ‘Today, the West, the United States and Zionism are weaker than ever before,’ the Leader pointed out… The leader described the present era as a ‘new chapter’ in the history of the Islamic world …” Read more.

Hmmm, ten nations sounds like a nice round number.  Here are some of them that would be happy to oblige …

“TEHRAN, Nov 5 (Agencies): Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called on the world’s Muslim nations to form an international Islamic power bloc.

Referring to the popular uprisings in the Arab world and the recent anti-capitalism movement across the world in his message to Hajj Pilgrims in 2011, Ayatollah Khamenei called on the Muslim world to ‘make the most of this opportunity for the formation of an international Islamic power-bloc.’

Ayatollah Khamenei said such global developments ‘can change the destiny of the Islamic Ummah (nation)’ and herald ‘a bright future accompanied with dignity and progress.’

‘Today, the West, the United States and Zionism are weaker than ever before,’ the Leader pointed out.

The message was addressed to more than 2.5 million pilgrims from around the globe who converged in the vast plains of Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia to perform a ritual of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

The leader described the present era as a ‘new chapter’ in the history of the Islamic world in which ‘a young generation has emerged from the heart of these nations.’

Islam has become the guiding principle of popular movements despite the efforts of secular rulers to curtail the influence of religion in the Muslim countries, Ayatollah Khamenei added.

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the victory of Islamic Ennahda Party in Tunisia’s recent elections and noted, ‘Without doubt, free elections in any Islamic country will result in nothing but what happened in Tunisia.'” Read more.

Flashback: Iranian Video: The Islamic Messiah is Near — Israel Shall Be Destroyed – “New evidence has emerged that the Iranian government sees the current unrest in the Middle East as a signal that the Mahdi–or Islamic messiah–is about to appear. CBN News has obtained a never-before-seen video produced by the Iranian regime that says all the signs are moving into place — and that Iran will soon help usher in the end times. While the revolutionary movements gripping the Middle East have created uncertainty throughout the region, the video shows that the Iranian regime believes the chaos is divine proof that their ultimate victory is at hand.” Read more.

By Joby Warrick – The Washington Post – “Intelligence provided to U.N. nuclear officials shows that Iran’s government has mastered the critical steps needed to build a nuclear weapon, receiving assistance from foreign scientists to overcome key technical hurdles, according to Western diplomats and nuclear experts briefed on the findings.

Documents and other records provide new details on the role played by a former Soviet weapons scientist who allegedly tutored Iranians over several years on building high-precision detonators of the kind used to trigger a nuclear chain reaction, the officials and experts said. Crucial technology linked to experts in Pakistan and North Korea also helped propel Iran to the threshold of nuclear capability, they added.

The officials, citing secret intelligence provided over several years to the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the records reinforce concerns that Iran continued to conduct weapons-related research after 2003 — when, U.S. intelligence agencies believe, Iranian leaders halted such experiments in response to international and domestic pressures.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog is due to release a report this week laying out its findings on Iran’s efforts to obtain sensitive nuclear technology. Fears that Iran could quickly build an atomic bomb if it chooses to has fueled anti-Iran rhetoric and new threats of military strikes. Some U.S. arms-control groups have cautioned against what they fear could be an overreaction to the report, saying there is still time to persuade Iran to change its behavior.

Iranian officials expressed indifference about the report.

‘Let them publish and see what happens,’ said Iran’s foreign minister and former nuclear top official, Ali Akbar Salehi, the semiofficial Mehr News Agency reported Saturday.

Salehi said that the controversy over Iran’s nuclear program is ‘100 percent political’ and that the IAEA is ‘under pressure from foreign powers.’

‘Never really stopped’

Although the IAEA has chided Iran for years to come clean about a number of apparently weapons-related scientific projects, the new disclosures fill out the contours of an apparent secret research program that was more ambitious, more organized and more successful than commonly suspected. Beginning early in the last decade and apparently resuming — though at a more measured pace — after a pause in 2003, Iranian scientists worked concurrently across multiple disciplines to obtain key skills needed to make and test a nuclear weapon that could fit inside the country’s long-range missiles, said David Albright, a former IAEA official who has reviewed the intelligence files.

‘The program never really stopped,’ said Albright, president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security.” Read more.