MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

Here’s an update on this story …

“KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban urged Afghans Thursday to target foreign military bases and kill Westerners in retaliation for burnings of copies of the Quran at NATO’s main base in the country as a third day of violent protests began.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered across the country, some chanting ‘Death to America!’, Reuters witnesses and officials said. In eastern Kabul, hundreds of youths threw rocks at police, who fired shots into the air to try disperse the crowds.

‘Our brave people must target the military bases of invader forces, their military convoys and their invader bases,’ read an emailed Taliban statement released by the insurgency’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. ‘They have to kill them (Westerners), beat them and capture them to give them a lesson to never dare desecrate the holy Quran again.’

However, provincial officials and police said Thursday that there were peaceful demonstrations in three eastern provinces to vent anger over the Quran burnings.

More than 2,000 people turned out at the biggest demonstration in the capital of eastern Laghman province, officials and police said.” Read more.

Afghanistan: 2 US soldiers reportedly killed by Afghan, as Obama apologizes over Quran burning – “President Barack Obama apologized to Afghan President Hamid Karzai for the burning of Qurans by NATO troops, calling the act an inadvertent ‘error,’ Karzai’s office and National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said Thursday. ‘We will take the appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, including holding accountable those responsible,’ Obama said in the letter, which was delivered by U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker… Two American troops were killed Thursday by a person wearing an Afghan National Army uniform, a U.S. official said, asking not to be named discussing casualties.” Read more.

NBC – “TEHRAN, Iran — Iran would take pre-emptive action against its enemies if it felt its national interests were endangered, the deputy head of the Islamic Republic’s armed forces was quoted by a semi-official news agency as saying Tuesday.

‘Our strategy now is that if we feel our enemies want to endanger Iran’s national interests, and want to decide to do that, we will act without waiting for their actions,’Mohammad Hejazi told the Fars news agency, NBC News reported.

Iran announced air defense war games to practice protecting nuclear and other sensitive sites, the latest in a series of military maneuvers viewed as a message to the West that Iran is prepared both to defend itself against an armed strike and to retaliate.

The U.S. and Israel have not ruled out military action against Iran’s nuclear program.

The official news agency IRNA said the four-day air defense war games, dubbed ‘Sarallah,’ or ‘God’s Revenge,’ were taking place in the south of the country and involve anti-aircraft batteries, radar, and warplanes.” Read more.

The Washington Times: If Iran already has the bomb, what then? – “A majority of Americans support a military strike to stop or slow Iran’s nuclear weapons program. But that assumes Iran doesn’t already have some. What if Iran already has one or more nuclear weapons and the capability to make a nuclear strike on the United States – right now? If true, this would change the calculation for the American people. Then the risks of a U.S. or Israeli military attack on Iran’s nuclear program would change radically. The truth is, no one knows for sure just how far advanced Iran’s nuclear weapons program is. There are sound reasons for doubting Washington’s official estimates that Iran does not yet have the bomb or the ability to make a nuclear strike on the United States.” Read more.

Flashback: Former Ambassador John Bolton: Iran May Be Much Closer to a Nuclear Bomb Than the World Realizes – “A report that Iran is about a year away from having the capability to build a nuclear bomb may be too optimistic, contended John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. ‘I worry the publicly available information is giving only a very small picture and that Iran is actually even much further along,’ Bolton said today in a radio interview. Bolton was on ‘Aaron Klein Investigative Radio’ on New York’s WABC Radio… Reacting to the one-year timeline, Bolton stated, ‘I think it can be even less than that.’” Read more.

By Madeleine Morgenstern – “The former chief of staff to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities is ‘imminent.’

Naftali Bennett appeared on Fox News’ ‘Huckabee’ and painted a dire picture of a world with a nuclear Iran, saying Israel will not hesitate to take action if necessary — and that time is of the essence.

‘We’re at the very last moment. This is going to be the first time in history that a maniacal, radical Islamic regime will acquire a nuclear weapon,’ he said. ‘The day after they have a bomb will be a different day for the entire world.’

On Saturday, a report emerged saying Iran is headed for a major nuclear expansion, the same day as reports that Iranian warships had passed through the Suez Canal.

Calling Iran ‘an octopus of terror,’ Bennett told host Mike Huckabee in no uncertain terms: ‘We have to stop them, and yes, it is imminent.’

Huckabee questioned whether Israel would be able to sustain a ‘hot war’ against Iran, to which Bennett replied, ‘if necessary we will.'” Read more.

AP Exclusive: Iran poised for big nuke jump – ” Iran is poised to greatly expand uranium enrichment at a fortified underground bunker to a point that would boost how quickly it could make nuclear warheads, diplomats tell The Associated Press. They said Tehran has put finishing touches for the installation of thousands of new-generation centrifuges at the cavernous facility – machines that can produce enriched uranium much more quickly and efficiently than its present machines.” Read more.

Two Iranian warships arrive at Syrian port – “Two Iranian warships that passed through the Suez Canal earlier this week docked in Syria on Saturday, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported. The ships from Iran’s 18th fleet – which is comprised of a Khark supplier and Shahid Naqdi destroyers – had stopped in Jedda, Saudi Arabia earlier this month, according to Iran’s state Press TV. Earlier Saturday, Iranian Admiral Habibollah Sayari told a crowd of military leaders and naval personnel that the ships had crossed the Canal for the ‘second time since the Islamic revolution,’ according to the Iran’s official IRNA.” Read more.

Former Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman on Senate Resolution: “… the Senators are right. The clock is ticking. Iran has to do the right thing and abolish it’s nuclear program, otherwise military action against Iran will be inevitable and I assure you, Megan, that if the US does not do it — and I hope they do — Israel will, because I would rather have the world … condemn a living Israel than console a dead Israel. We will not wait for that to happen.”

As hopeful as we should all be for any chance of peace, don’t be surprised if (when) this proves to be yet another Iranian ruse.  Offering “talks” or “dialogue” in the form of statements or letters is the Iranian version of a “hudna” that has again and again and again done nothing but given the Ayatollah death cult something that money could never buy: Time.  And now Iran is on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons. I get the distinct impression that a “cautiously optimistic” West may once again prove itself to be hopelessly naive …

By Andrew Quinn and Arshad Mohammed – “(Reuters) – The United States and European Union expressed cautious optimism on Friday over prospects that Iran may be willing to engage major powers in new talks, but underscored any resumed negotiations must be sustained and focus on the nuclear issue.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told reporters that Iran’s recent letter to Ashton might mark a step forward.

‘We think this is an important step and we welcome the letter,’ Clinton said in a joint meeting with Ashton. She stressed that the major powers were still reviewing their formal response to Tehran’s offer.

Ashton, who handles contact with Iran on behalf of the ‘P5+1’ group comprised of the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany, said the letter showed ‘a potential possibility that Iran may be ready to start talks.’

Iran’s letter to Ashton, which was obtained by Reuters on Thursday, proposed resuming the stalled talks and said Tehran would have ‘new initiatives’ to bring to the table.

But the brief letter, which responded to a letter Ashton sent to her Iranian counterpart in October, offered no specific proposals, leaving a question mark over Tehran’s willingness to enter substantive negotiations on its nuclear work.” Read more.

Flashback: 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.

Flashback: Ahmadinejad: Iran is Determined to Eradicate the ‘Infectious Tumor’ of Israel, ‘Will Never Withdraw’ From This Policy – “Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran was determined to eradicate Israel, ISNA news agency reported Thursday. ‘Iran believes that whoever is for humanity should also be for eradicating the Zionist regime … Iran follows this issue (the eradication of Israel) with determination and decisiveness and will never ever withdraw from this standpoint and policy …” Read more.

By F. Michael Maloof – “WASHINGTON – Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta believes that Israel could attack Iran in an April-to-June timeframe, and there apparently has been a decision made for the U.S. to help in an assault on the radical Islamic nation’s nuclear facilities.

U.S. military sources tell WND that the Pentagon has begun preparations for ‘a number of operational plans and counter-operations,’ with a Feb. 22 due date for submitting the plans.

There also is a request for identifying U.S. forces ‘by 1 March with a ‘through’ date of October.’

The military sources indicated that U.S. forces will be augmented by an Aegis warship, presumably one of the two in the U.S. carrier task forces scheduled to be in the Persian Gulf.

The U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln carrier task force already has re-entered the Gulf.

The Aegis combat system on U.S. Navy ships is used to track and guide weapons to destroy intended targets and to act as a protective shield to counter ballistic missile threats…

Pentagon spokesman Navy Cmdr. Bill Speaks told WND there was ‘nothing to what your sources are saying,’ but he also quickly added that the Pentagon ‘doesn’t discuss what future contingency plans we have, and I am not going to discuss this with you.'” Read more.

Writing On The Wall: US Senate Says Nuclear Containment Not An Option with Iran as Israel Leader Claims Sanctions Ineffective – “A bipartisan slate of senators announced this afternoon they would reject ‘any United States policy that would rely on efforts to contain a nuclear weapons-capable Iran.’ Drawing a clear line in the sand, the senators – among them Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) – demanded that President Obama reject ‘any policy that would rely on containment as an option in response to the Iranian nuclear threat,'” Read more.