MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

“Iran says it’s started large-scale production of a domestically-developed cruise missile designed for sea-based targets and capable of destroying warships.

Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said an unspecified number of samples of ‘Ghader,’ or ‘Capable’ as the missile is called in Farsi, were delivered to the Revolutionary Guard’s navy, assigned to protect Iran’s sea borders. His remarks were reported by state TV on Wednesday.

The cruise missile has a range of 124 miles (200 kilometers). It can reportedly travel at low altitudes and has a lighter weight and smaller dimensions.

Iran’s growing arsenal is raising concerns, including its short and medium range ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets in the region such as Israel and U.S. military bases in the Gulf.

On Tuesday, the French envoy to the UN warned Iran on that it risks a military strike if it continues to develop its nuclear program.” Read more.

“TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran raised the prospect on Tuesday of sending military ships close to the United States’ Atlantic coast, in what would be a major escalation of tensions between the long-standing adversaries.

‘Like the arrogant powers that are present near our marine borders, we will also have a powerful presence close to American marine borders,’ the head of the Navy, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the 31st anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 war with Iraq, Sayyari gave no details of when such a deployment could happen or the number or type of vessels to be used.

The declaration comes just weeks after Turkey said it would host a NATO early warning radar system which will help spot missile threats from outside Europe, including potentially from Iran. The decision has angered Tehran which had enjoyed close relations with Ankara.

And it comes a few months after Iran sent warships through the Suez canal, after the fall of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the first time the Islamic Republic had deployed navy vessels in the Mediterranean.” Read more.

Iran just months away from nuclear bomb – “IRAN may be just six months away from developing a nuclear bomb, despite international attempts to thwart the program through sanctions and cyber attacks. Two years after an underground installation in the city of Qmo was revealed in a joint press conference by US President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and former British prime minister Gordon Brown, Iran has significantly advanced its uranium enrichment program at the site… ‘We believe if Iran broke out now they could have a bomb in six months,’ said David Albright, a former weapons inspector who runs the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington. ‘They’ve done this right in front of our faces.’” Read more.

The fact that attacking Israel is a major, central feature in all of Erdogan’s speeches during his tours of Egypt, Libya and Tunisia speaks volumes in terms of why this man is as popular as he is …

By Abraham Rabinovich – “REPLYING for the first time to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s almost daily tongue lashings of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday termed Mr Erdogan’s latest accusation – that Israel has killed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians — ‘outrageous’.

Israel’s outspoken Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, waded into the fray by declaring that Mr Erdogan’s administration was ‘a radical Islamic extremist leadership that supports and develops terror’.

Mr Erdogan’s attacks on Israel, which have included warnings of naval confrontations, ostensibly stem from Mr Netanyahu’s refusal to apologise for the killing of nine Turkish militants aboard an aid flotilla that attempted last year to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Mr Netanyahu expressed sorrow for their deaths but declined to apologise for the use of force by Israeli naval commandos against men who attacked them with knives and metal staves as they descended from a helicopter.

He also rejected Mr Erdogan’s demand for a lifting of the blockade, which is intended to prevent rockets reaching Gaza by sea.

The Turkish leader began venting his fury after a UN committee, headed by former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer, issued a report a month ago finding that, contrary to Turkey’s position, the Israeli blockade was legal, as was its boarding of the flotilla on the high seas. It faulted Israel for using excessive force, but acknowledged that the commandos who boarded the vessels were obliged to use force when attacked by the militants.

The Turkish leader ordered the termination of extensive defence contracts and other dealings with Israeli firms and recalled his ambassador to Tel Aviv. He also threatened to send warships to dispute Israeli claims to gas-rich underwater tracts in the eastern Mediterranean. No less ominous were his warning to send warships to protect Turkish aid vessels running Israel’s blockade of Gaza, an almost certain scenario for war, at least at sea.

In a tour of Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, his attacks on Israel were a central feature of all his talks.” Read more.

It’s not difficult to figure out who Erdogan and Ahmadinajad would just love to team up against next.  They’re just signing up as many nations to bring with them as possible on the offensive of all offensives …

Psalm 83:2-4, “For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from [being] a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.'”

“IRAN may be just six months away from developing a nuclear bomb, despite international attempts to thwart the program through sanctions and cyber attacks.

Two years after an underground installation in the city of Qmo was revealed in a joint press conference by US President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and former British prime minister Gordon Brown, Iran has significantly advanced its uranium enrichment program at the site.

The latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency concludes that Iran has not only boosted production but upgraded the level of enrichment from 3.5 per cent to almost 20 per cent and has installed more sophisticated centrifuges, which it is moving to the bunker in Qom, apparently to protect them from airstrikes.

Low-enriched uranium is used for nuclear power, which Iran insists is the purpose of its program.Weapons-grade uranium is about 90 per cent enriched.

‘We believe if Iran broke out now they could have a bomb in six months,’ said David Albright, a former weapons inspector who runs the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington. ‘They’ve done this right in front of our faces.'” Read more.

Turkish premier signals joint operation with Iran – “Turkey’s prime minister on Sunday signaled a joint military offensive with Iran against their common enemy: Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq. Turkey and Iran were working together and ‘determined,’ Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. ‘There is no question of any postponement,’ Erdogan said in a clear reference to a possible joint military operation against the main Kurdish rebel base on Qandil Mountain which sits on the Iraqi-Iranian border deep inside northern Iraq.” Read more.

Turkey to Azerbaijan: Stand with us against Israel – “The Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan called on Baku to stand beside Ankara in its diplomatic struggle against Israel and “reconsider” its relations with the Jewish State, a Persian-language US-based website reported on Sunday… Azerbaijan has become an important strategic asset for Israel’s security and foreign affairs. In 2010, the trade between the two countries totaled more than $2 billion – double than the trade between Azerbaijan and Turkey.” Read more.

Turkey Predicts Alliance With Egypt as Regional Anchors – “A newly assertive Turkey offered on Sunday a vision of a starkly realigned Middle East, where the country’s former allies in Syria and Israel fall into deeper isolation, and a burgeoning alliance with Egypt underpins a new order in a region roiled by revolt and revolution. The portrait was described by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey in an hourlong interview before he was to leave for the United Nations, where a contentious debate was expected this week over a Palestinian bid for recognition as a state. Viewed by many as the architect of a foreign policy that has made Turkey one of the most relevant players in the Muslim world, Mr. Davutoglu pointed to that issue and others to describe a region in the midst of a transformation. Turkey, he said, was ‘right at the center of everything.'” Read more.

“The UN Security Council is due to consider the Palestinians’ bid for UN membership next Monday, September 26th . The Palestinian National Administration Head Mahmoud Abbas handed over his request to recognize Palestine’s independence and grant it full UN membership rights to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday.

Abbas also urged Israel to resume bilateral talks. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, for his part, that peace is achieved through talks, rather than resolutions.

The quartet of international mediators in a Middle East settlement, namely Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations also urged Israel and the Palestinians to start talks without delay. The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier that Russia would vote for the recognition of Palestine’s independence at the United Nations, but would prefer the Palestinian problem to be resolved through reaching a consensus.

The UN Security Council will examine the Palestinians’ request to recognize their state as sovereign on September 26. The information comes from Chairman of the Security Council Nawaf Salam.

On Friday, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas sent UN Head Ban Ki-moon an official request to recognize his Autonomy as an independent and sovereign state and grant it membership in the UN.

If the Palestinians fail to secure UN membership the General Assembly may still grant them the observer-state rights which will allow Palestine to sue Israel in the International Criminal Court.” Read more.

“TEHRAN (FNA)- People in Jordan staged massive anti-government and anti-Israel rallies across the country to voice their strong protest at the Amman government’s performance in foreign policy, domestic politics and campaign against corruption and to extend their support for the Palestinian people.

During the rallies held in different Jordanian cities, including the capital city of Amman on Friday, protesting people called on the government to respect and meet people’s demands, including establishment of a popular government and a parliamentary system of election to represent the Jordanian nation.

The Jordanian people also gathered in front of the UN office in Amman and underscored their support for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

The demonstrators also condemned the US for pledging to veto the Palestinian statehood bid at the UN Security Council.

A group of demonstrators gathered outside Israel’s embassy in Amman and requested an end to Jordan’s peace accord with the Zionist regime of Israel.

The demonstrators also demanded expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from their country, severance of ties with Tel Aviv and return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland.” Read more.

Protests in Jordan being organized by … the Muslim Brotherhood – “Hundreds of Jordanians demonstrated across the country on Friday calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit’s government, the dissolution of the lower house of Parliament and the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from Amman. The Muslim Brotherhood movement organized a protest after Friday prayers at the Nazzal neighborhood in South Amman under the slogan ‘Against Injustices and Corruption.’ … Dozens of activists demonstrated near the Israeli embassy in Amman’s Rabia neighbourhood calling for the closure of the Israeli diplomatic mission and the abrogation of the peace treaty which Jordan concluded with the Jewish state in 1994. They chanted slogans against Israeli schemes which they said sought to establish an ‘alternative homeland’ for Palestinians in Jordan.” Read more.